Happy Wednesday Good Newsies, Gnusies, those we know and those we have yet to know. Even though I am working from home, I still have plenty of time to let my mind wander here and there. A century ago, you know back at the end of 2019, when I first heard about this new virus I was not too worried. Heck, I lived through H1N1, we had SARS, MERS, Ebola, the government had always acted quickly and effectively. Now I know rethugs generally have never given much of a horses arse about the general public but usually they act in time of crisis, even though it is hardly the perfect outcome. I know too that the situation with the orange blowhard in chief made it so much easier for the party of hate to show their disdain out loud. Yet, never would I ever have thought they would truly let so many people die on our home turf. I am not shocked, I am just pissed, sad, and dang disappointed.
On the other hand, I did know that the real Americans would stand up for each other and for this country. Day to day it can be so hard to be isolated, to hear the news. I know there is still so much good going on but sometimes that is drowned out by everything else. Then it was Monday and there was Wisconsin, then there was a renewed joy, a renewed sense of “we will get through this”, bless all the voters of WI, they proved to every dastardly R out there that we will not give up, give in or be stomped down by their hatred and ugliness. I felt a new sense of hope and I hope all you did too. There is lots of talk of walking over broken glass to get these evil hypocrites out of office. I hope we do not all have to do what those brave souls in WI had to do, but you know what, I will crawl over broken glass if I have to. Now let’s fight!
‘People will crawl through glass in November’ to vote: former senator says Americans are fed up
“You know what I’m not worried about, Nicolle? I’m not worried about people voting in November. Wisconsin is amazing,” she said. “When you start trying to play games with the American people about making it harder for them to vote, it’s not like people don’t get what you’re doing. And people will go the extra mile. As I’ve said on this program before and others, I think people will crawl through glass to vote in November because they feel so strongly about what is going on in our government right now.”
Onward!
I know all of you have more than likely seen this, but it was another sanity saver for me. I miss this guy.
Okay, sip your coffee and smile!
I just wanted to give a shout out to my imperfect yet perfect Governor.
Andrew Cuomo Takes Charge
On March 1st, New York reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19, after a Manhattan health care worker in her late thirties, who had visited Iran, tested positive at a hospital in the city. Six days later, that number had jumped to 89, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency. The daily public briefings held by Cuomo, 62, the governor of the hardest-hit state, have become appointment viewing, not just for New Yorkers, but for all Americans feeling terrified, unmoored, and hungry for something resembling competent national leadership. For a politician never especially renowned for his bedside manner, Cuomo has emerged as an unlikely source of comfort in these supremely unsettling times, the blunt-talking adult in the room. The debasement of standards in the Trump era has made even minimal gestures of statesmanship appear positively Churchillian, of course, and so the mere fact that Cuomo relies on data and scientific opinion and has the ability to display human empathy can feel disproportionately soothing.
On March 1st, New York reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19, after a Manhattan health care worker in her late thirties, who had visited Iran, tested positive at a hospital in the city. Six days later, that number had jumped to 89, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.
The daily public briefings held by Cuomo, 62, the governor of the hardest-hit state, have become appointment viewing, not just for New Yorkers, but for all Americans feeling terrified, unmoored, and hungry for something resembling competent national leadership. For a politician never especially renowned for his bedside manner, Cuomo has emerged as an unlikely source of comfort in these supremely unsettling times, the blunt-talking adult in the room.
The debasement of standards in the Trump era has made even minimal gestures of statesmanship appear positively Churchillian, of course, and so the mere fact that Cuomo relies on data and scientific opinion and has the ability to display human empathy can feel disproportionately soothing.
So many Governors have stepped up to plate not just for their own citizens but for the many. I have a love/hate relationship with Cuomo but I watch him everyday. He is not perfect, no one is but at least he and these other amazing leaders have empathy, provide facts and actually try to keep us safe.
Speaking of leaders…
Adam Schiff: House Dems Investigating How Trump Handled Coronavirus Intelligence
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has been a relentless chaser of Trump corruption. As the top ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and 2018, he pushed for a robust investigation of the Trump-Russia scandal, as the Republicans then in control of the House resisted such efforts and sought to protect Donald Trump. After Schiff became chairman of the committee last year, he oversaw the congressional probe of the Trump-Ukraine scandal, ran the House impeachment hearings, and led the House impeachment managers during the Senate trial. But the coronavirus pandemic and Trump’s lackadaisical and inept response has raised questions about the intelligence that was shared with the White House about the looming crisis—it’s been reported Trump received classified warnings in January and February—and whether Trump ignored the intelligence. And Schiff says he is now on the case.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has been a relentless chaser of Trump corruption. As the top ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and 2018, he pushed for a robust investigation of the Trump-Russia scandal, as the Republicans then in control of the House resisted such efforts and sought to protect Donald Trump. After Schiff became chairman of the committee last year, he oversaw the congressional probe of the Trump-Ukraine scandal, ran the House impeachment hearings, and led the House impeachment managers during the Senate trial.
But the coronavirus pandemic and Trump’s lackadaisical and inept response has raised questions about the intelligence that was shared with the White House about the looming crisis—it’s been reported Trump received classified warnings in January and February—and whether Trump ignored the intelligence. And Schiff says he is now on the case.
And NDP?
Pelosi looks to seize Trump’s bully pulpit
As President Donald Trump beams into American homes with his daily coronavirus briefings, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided the best way to counter him is to be everywhere — even if that means doing so from her San Francisco kitchen. Almost daily, Pelosi pops up on one network or another — even cycling through the late-night talk show junket — dropping in for interviews from a computer propped up on a dining room table that sits just off her West Coast kitchen. In addition to the almost daily television appearances — Pelosi has been on TV more than 20 times in the past three weeks — she’s also sat for half a dozen print interviews and dialed into two radio programs, according to her office. “Quiet as it’s kept, she’s the one leading the country right now,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, adding: “I talked to her about this the other day, and I told her I was glad to see her in the press more.”
As President Donald Trump beams into American homes with his daily coronavirus briefings, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided the best way to counter him is to be everywhere — even if that means doing so from her San Francisco kitchen.
Almost daily, Pelosi pops up on one network or another — even cycling through the late-night talk show junket — dropping in for interviews from a computer propped up on a dining room table that sits just off her West Coast kitchen.
In addition to the almost daily television appearances — Pelosi has been on TV more than 20 times in the past three weeks — she’s also sat for half a dozen print interviews and dialed into two radio programs, according to her office.
“Quiet as it’s kept, she’s the one leading the country right now,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, adding: “I talked to her about this the other day, and I told her I was glad to see her in the press more.”
With Congress staying home like the rest of us, what they are doing can get lost in all the bruhaha of this maladministration. But know they are working, talking, learning and acting.
If you have the time, here she is on Monday night.
Musical interlude.
Maybe not good news, what has this guy got to lose for real, speak your mind Fauci!
Fauci: Trump coronavirus briefings are 'really draining'
Fauci said his public role is important but conceded that the duration of those briefings — Monday’s ran for nearly two-and-a-half hours — was "really draining" and that doesn’t even count preparation and waiting for it to start. "If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better," he said. "It isn’t the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. It’s the amount of time."
Fauci said his public role is important but conceded that the duration of those briefings — Monday’s ran for nearly two-and-a-half hours — was "really draining" and that doesn’t even count preparation and waiting for it to start.
"If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better," he said. "It isn’t the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. It’s the amount of time."
Sanity break.
H/T to belinda ridgewood!
I never watch the tRump pressers but I hear tonight was another boondoggle of wtfisms. It is about time many in the MSM are cutting away from them. I really love whoever does the chyron’s for CNN. Share in the comments!
I have to say to all you wonderful peeps here. There is good news but searching through the bullcarp, yes I meant to spell it that way, is exhausting and I want to bring you a smile, a giggle or even a just a touch of joy. So I am done looking for now. Let us see what brightness I can find.
This a long read, but heck we have a bit of time now right.
This study on flower resilience is the most beautiful thing I’ve read during the pandemic
Before all the lockdowns, I bought some fresh basil from Trader Joe’s, trimmed off all but the top leaves, clipped the stem at its midpoint, and put the cut end in a little glass vase. When the basil pushed out fresh baby roots at the end of March, I was transitioning in my isolation from losing it in a bad way — with panic mimicking fever symptoms — to losing it in a good way — falling hard into daydreams and making much-too-elaborate dinners for one. The little roots were one thing nudging my mental state in the right direction. In them, I perceived something of a message: a song simple and beautiful, banal and profound. They sang: Life yearns for more. This clipping, which could have just withered after a rough journey through the Trader Joe’s supply chain, didn’t die. It was trying to survive, and I felt good about it. These hopeful baby roots were on my mind when I saw a new study, published in the journal New Phytologist, about the beautiful, ordinary, and profound things flowers do after suffering an injury. That is: When many flower species get knocked down, they right themselves. The individual flowers on the stalk will rotate back, as best they can, into a position ideal for pollination.
Before all the lockdowns, I bought some fresh basil from Trader Joe’s, trimmed off all but the top leaves, clipped the stem at its midpoint, and put the cut end in a little glass vase.
When the basil pushed out fresh baby roots at the end of March, I was transitioning in my isolation from losing it in a bad way — with panic mimicking fever symptoms — to losing it in a good way — falling hard into daydreams and making much-too-elaborate dinners for one.
The little roots were one thing nudging my mental state in the right direction. In them, I perceived something of a message: a song simple and beautiful, banal and profound.
They sang: Life yearns for more.
This clipping, which could have just withered after a rough journey through the Trader Joe’s supply chain, didn’t die. It was trying to survive, and I felt good about it.
These hopeful baby roots were on my mind when I saw a new study, published in the journal New Phytologist, about the beautiful, ordinary, and profound things flowers do after suffering an injury. That is: When many flower species get knocked down, they right themselves. The individual flowers on the stalk will rotate back, as best they can, into a position ideal for pollination.
Thought about cc and her little window regrowth garden when I found that article!
This article at Huffpost highlighting a twitter feed is funny and a little ironic.
The ‘Nature Is Healing’ Meme Will Make You Laugh In Spite Of The Coronavirus
People are sharing absurd images spoofing the idea of the environment returning to its natural state while humans are in quarantine.
TP beginning to return to itâÂÂs native habitat, Nature is healing,We are the virus pic.twitter.com/LqIMcTbg84â Luke Wilson (@LKWLSN) April 12, 2020
TP beginning to return to itâÂÂs native habitat, Nature is healing,We are the virus pic.twitter.com/LqIMcTbg84
Wildlife is finally returning, Nature is healing, we are the Virus pic.twitter.com/IzB7sV90ILâ FT (@Cantbanme911) April 1, 2020
Wildlife is finally returning, Nature is healing, we are the Virus pic.twitter.com/IzB7sV90IL
There are so many more!
And of course there are good people doing amazing things. I work for a senior center, now closed, and we really worry about our members and volunteers. We have been in touch with as many as we can! (I was going to share our FaceBook page but worried about the trolls that troll us, you know they are out there, if you think it is kosher to share let me know in the comments. It is really cool how we have been trying to keep our seniors active and engaged during this time.)
Teens Launch Hotline for Isolated Seniors to Listen to Pre-Recorded Jokes, Stories, and Messages of Hope
As a means of entertaining lonely adults during the novel coronavirus outbreaks, a team of Canadian high schoolers created a hotline that plays pre-recorded messages of positivity. The Joy4All project was launched by students from the Ever Active Schools recreational leadership program run by the Calgary Board of Education. The youngsters say they created the free hotline as a means of comforting quarantined seniors across North America. However, people of all ages are encouraged to dial 1-877-JOY-4ALL in order to enjoy the regularly updated selection of jokes, stories, guided mediations, and educational messages.
As a means of entertaining lonely adults during the novel coronavirus outbreaks, a team of Canadian high schoolers created a hotline that plays pre-recorded messages of positivity.
The Joy4All project was launched by students from the Ever Active Schools recreational leadership program run by the Calgary Board of Education.
The youngsters say they created the free hotline as a means of comforting quarantined seniors across North America. However, people of all ages are encouraged to dial 1-877-JOY-4ALL in order to enjoy the regularly updated selection of jokes, stories, guided mediations, and educational messages.
Ways to help during this trying time:
Donating and volunteering to help during Covid-19, explained
Other ways to help the blue tsunami:
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS
FairFight
Vote Forward
Spread the Vote
And this needs to be universal across the country.
Utah Has Perfected Social-Distance Voting
That is it for me folks. Please share your good news in the comments, I am sure I missed a bunch. I hope you are all safe and well and able to maintain some form of contact with your friends and loved ones. If you are out there as an essential worker, you have all of my thanks, praise and blessings. It may be a long road but we will prevail at the ballot box and we will overcome this virus. In the meantime we have each other to lean on and it means the world to me that we do. Together we will make this world a better place.
It is not Monday but I am sharing Green Day’s No Fun Monday series anyhoo.
Peace!
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