Hey there, Community friends! Hope you’re having a great weekend after a harrowing but mostly great Election Day. Don’t get too comfortable though, because Election Day 2020 is just 360 days away, so we all have lots of work to do if we’re going to turn this country as blue as possible. I know we’re up to it and I’m here to do my part.
Before we get into today’s Picks, Tip, and Question, here’s a quick intro to this Saturday series, for those who might have missed us over the last 15 months!
This list gets populated from stories written Fri.-Thur. of any given week, for those who may be new to how Picks are … well, picked.
Truly, there is no formula. We tend, unsurprisingly, toward stories with solid writing and fresh perspectives, that cover a wide swath of topics. We’re suckers for stories with a personal bent when we can find them. We also aim to feature different writers whenever possible. Finally, with this diary being put out on Saturdays, we do our best to pick stories that haven’t gone stale by the time I hit Publish.
In the interest of fairness and to reduce the threat of pie-olence in this cheerful space, we’re also avoiding presidential candidate diaries until the nominee is chosen.
Does making this list really matter? That’s up to you to decide!
This list isn’t just for this weekly diary, either. Community Picks started out as an email newsletter long before I started at Daily Kos, much less publishing these diaries in August 2018! That means that every staff-chosen Pick of the Week reaches a far wider audience than it might usually find. Pretty cool stuff.
This week’s Tip is an easy one to explain, but a hard one to implement. Today, let’s talk about how many spaces should go after a period.
There’s not much to say. The answer is one, unless you’re typing on an actual typewriter. Yet for anyone who learned to type on a typewriter—or even on a computer, before say, this decade—pressing the spacebar twice is a deeply ingrained habit that’s hard to break.
Just do it. Typographers agree, and so does the Daily Kos Stylebook.
Now for the Question!
This week brought an interesting mix of content, and while reading my way through the Recents, I was struck by two things: the repetition, and the variety. These might seem like conflicting observations, but hear me out. Again and again, I’d find multiple discussions on the same topics, all from different writers, including Staff. Yet at the same time, there are some stories that end up on this site that cover things that I might not else have ever learned about. This led me to this week’s query:
What is it about a story that makes you punch that “Blog it!” button and write about it here on Daily Kos?
Secondary question: If I gave you a writing topic, would that make you click that button?
Really looking forward to your answers, folks. But now it’s time to get to this week’s Picks.
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The myth of ‘depressed Democratic turnout in the general election’
By TheMadMarxist
How fragile are Democratic voters in 2020? Are they really willing to enable four more years of Trump if “their” candidate doesn’t win the nom?
Please get the Kentucky governor story right
By ForwardKY
A dispatch directly from a grassroots org that fought for Democrats in the Bluegrass state.
Stop telling pregnant people they're fat
By ZawnVillines
Pregnant people receive a very specific, and very unpleasant brand of attention from the public, and it’s got to stop.
Mom's apple pie, sunrises, health, a 'cancer of Republicans': reflections of hope after Tuesday
By LokiMom
Pie, a lost parent, and politics all come together in this lovely personal essay.
Ballad Health files bullshit criminal charges against disabled veteran protesting hospital monopoly
By NoAprilFool
A baffling and enraging story about how a Tennessee hospital pulled out all the stops just to silence a protestor.
For our California friends
By JTK0403
In response to Trump’s near-constant attacks, one Pennsylvanian sticks up for the Golden State.
A growing epidemic of violence threatens black transgender women
By eclift
Trans people—black trans women most of all—are in danger. Allies need to step up.
Why does this keep happening?
By greenandblue
So many of the current crises facing our nation are intricately intertwined.
Crazy/stupid Republican of the day: Ted Cruz
By republicinsanity
The title says it all. Want more? Here’s a bonus installment of C/SROTD, showcasing Kevin McCarthy.
40% of Americans would rather clean up dog poop than shop for health insurance
By voidstuff
There’s at least one huge opportunity that Americans avoid seizing: Choosing the right healthcare plan.
Illegal loggers murder indigenous forest guardian in Brazilian Amazon
By Dan Bacher
As authorities continue to neglect the Amazon, those stepping up in the void are paying for their courage … with their lives.
Finally, just in case you missed it, here’s this week’s Kosword Puzzle!
That’s it for this week, folks! Looking forward to hearing from you in the comments! As always, please don’t hesitate to drop by my Kosmail with suggestions for this list, writing questions, or just to say hello!
Keep writing, dearest Community members.