Good Morning Everyone!
If some future historian should ever ask me what I did during the Pandemic of 2020, I will probably bore him with my answer. “I read a lot, slept a lot, and ate a lot of sandwiches.”
There is a marvelous old British Army phrase: “Any fool can make himself uncomfortable.” I took that lesson to heart when the Great Big Lock Down started in California fifty days ago.
Life at the Chateau de BeeD would appear to most people to be rather dull these days: keeping odd hours, meals whenever I’m inclined, and naps. I’ve been waking up in the wee hours of the morning, then visit with you lovely people, usually followed by First Nap between roughly 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. or thereabouts, after which there’s cleanup and attending to what little needs attending to, followed by lunch.
Second Nap is usually between about 1 p.m. to about 4 p.m. Then up again until bedtime between eight and nine-thirty-ish in the evening.
The sole constant in this schedule of sorts is that the cats get their breakfast somewhere between two and four in the morning while my coffee is brewing. They are rather insistent about that. Everything else is dependent upon circumstance, and subject to change.
T.S. Eliot’s Prufrock measured out his life with coffee spoons. I suppose I’m measuring out this part of my life in sandwiches. Cold cuts, cheese, some sort of vegetable like lettuce, tomatoes, or onions (to ward off scurvy, naturally). Either wheat bread or French bread. And on occasion, just to shake things up a bit, a peanut butter and strawberry jam or a peanut butter and honey sandwich to break up the mix.
I don’t anticipate any real changes in this new abnormal normal for a while longer; at least until there is sufficient reliable testing to assure reasonably sensible people that it’s safe to venture out again on a regular basis. I’m going to err on the side of caution, not merely for the sake of my own miserable hide, but also on the off-chance that I’m asymptomatic. I don’t want that on my conscience.
The only advice I can give is ride it out, keep as close to your circle of friends as possible, be as patient as you can, listen to credible experts, cut people a little slack (especially the irritating ones!), try to keep an equitable disposition, make some sandwiches, and take a nap. It’s good for you.
Some News? You Betcha!
Supreme Court hearing with sound effects: toilet flushes during hearing
From NBC News:
“A Supreme Court argument showed Wednesday that it's not just office co-workers who sometimes have difficulty finding the "mute" button during a conference call.
Amid oral arguments in Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants, an unexpected sound projected clearly across the court's live audio stream: Someone flushed a toilet.
The distinctive flush came as Roman Martinez, the attorney representing the American Association of Political Consultants, was presenting his case before the court. The high court did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for additional information on just what exactly happened on the call.”
(If you hit the link, the story includes the magic moment!)
Reopening California: Governor announces first steps
From SFGate:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said as many counties around the state prepare to reopen retail for curbside pickup Friday, maintaining physical-distancing measures will be crucial to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread.
“We’re not going back to normal," said Newsom, who gave Tuesday's press briefing from the site of a Sacramento business called Display California. "It’s a new normal with adaptations and modifications, until we get to immunity and a vaccine.”
Newsom first announced yesterday that some retail sectors (including bookstores, clothing shops, sporting goods stores and flower shops) can resume business as long as their local officials give approval and they make changes in their operations, such as having workers wear masks. The governor will detail the new guidelines and requirements later this week.”
More good news from California: Essential workers qualify for Worker’s Comp!
From the San Jose Mercury News:
“Workers’ compensation benefits have been extended to all essential employees infected with COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
Through a new executive order, anyone who works outside the home as an essential employee and contracts the novel coronavirus will be eligible for workers’ comp, Newsom said. In other words, the state will assume that employees got infected on the job.
The order includes those on the front lines like health care and public safety workers, Newsom said, and aims to “provide some calm and relief to our health care workers who are otherwise scratching their heads” as to why they haven’t been able to get benefits until now.
“As we move into this second phase, we want to keep workers healthy and keep them safe,” he said. “The worst thing we can do is have a worker that has tested positive but doesn’t want to tell anyone — but can spread the disease — because he or she can’t afford not to work.”
New Monmouth polling shows Biden ahead; Amash a spoiler?
From the Hill:
Joe Biden has widened his lead over President Trump in the 2020 race for the White House, according to a new Monmouth University poll released on Wednesday.
The poll shows Biden with 50 percent support among those surveyed, 9 points ahead of Trump, who notched 41 percent. That marks a 2-point gain for Biden and a 3-point loss for Trump since the last Monmouth poll released in April.
But the poll also suggests that Biden may have more to lose than Trump if Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) formally enters the presidential race. When Amash was included in the lineup of candidates in the survey, Biden’s support shrank to 47 percent, while Trump’s decreased only to 40 percent.
Facebook cleans house a bit.
From the Associated Press:
“OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook says it has removed several groups, accounts and pages linked to QAnon, taking action for the first time against the far-right U.S. conspiracy theory circulated among supporters of President Donald Trump.
The social-media giant made the announcement Tuesday as part of its monthly briefing on “coordinated inauthentic behavior” on its platforms. That’s Facebook’s term for fake accounts run with the intent of disrupting politics elections and society.
In addition to the QAnon accounts, Facebook also removed accounts linked to VDARE, a U.S. website known for posting anti-immigration content, as well as accounts in Russia, Iran, Mauritania, Myanmar and the country of Georgia.”
Edifying Cat Picture!
Interesting Bits
“Save Our Spuds” campaign in Belgium
From Deutsche Welle:
What Romain Cools thought of as a spontaneous but unremarkable quip in a media interview — urging Belgians to "eat more fries" — immediately went viral worldwide, with the entire globe embracing the idea of helping down-and-out Belgian farmers.
His suggestion, he recalls with a chuckle, was merely that "all the Belgians have an extra fry now to help our industry to get out of this problem." Cools is the secretary-general of Belgapom, the association that includes all Belgian potato processors, and the "problem" is that 750,000 tons of potatoes that should have been processed into frozen food products and shipped throughout Belgium and beyond will spoil next month.
For the first time ever, he says, the sector has asked the European Union and the Belgian government for help and he expects some support to be granted. Cooperation is already evident in one project. Authorities in Flanders are splitting the cost with potato provider Pomuni to supply 25 tons per week to food banks.
But Cools appreciates every bit, every bite of help. He's been so encouraged by the popularity of his suggestion that he expects to launch an "SOS — Save Our Spuds" campaign nationwide in grocery stores. Every extra bag a shopper takes home, he says, frees up just a bit more space somewhere else down the line.”
Migrating birds appear on Florida radar!
From UPI:
“May 6 (UPI) -- A Florida TV station's weather radar detected a large mass between the state and Cuba that turned out to be something other than an unseasonable storm -- it was a flock of migrating birds.
The WBBH-TV news team said a display of bright colors flared up Wednesday morning on the station's weather radar between Cuba and South Florida.
Meteorologists said the mass on the radar was actually a large flock of birds heading north to the United States as spring temperatures take hold.”
And there’s video!
I hope LockeWasRight checks in today! He was right under it!
Nike donates specially designed shoes to health care workers
From Good News Network:
“After designing a special athletic shoe for healthcare workers that can withstand 12-hour shifts, Nike has donated 30,000 pairs to hospitals across the United States and 2,500 to hospitals in Europe.
The company is also sending more than 100,000 additional apparel items, including compression socks and sportswear kits, as a ‘thank you’ to frontline workers.
The kicks are made of a special material that is easy to wipe down and clean, and designed to be worn for the 12-hour shifts that include five miles of walking with less than an hour of sitting.
Nike’s nonprofit partner, Good360, will distribute the shoes to workers in U.S. veterans hospitals, as well as hard-hit health systems in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis and New York City. In Europe, the shoes will go to hospitals in Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Belgium.”
Hot Links!
From CNN: A retired Kansas farmer who mailed New York Gov. Cuomo an N-95 mask is given bachelor's degree
From Agence France-Presse: Gaming becomes king of entertainment in pandemic lockdown
From the Atlantic: The Pandemic Has Revealed the Weakness of Strongmen
From the Guardian: Trump's push to reopen US risks ‘death sentence’ for many, experts warn
From the Associated Press: `If this thing boomerangs’: Second wave of infections feared
From United Press International: Most Americans now spending less amid COVID-19 crisis, survey shows
From Vanity Fair: “Political Connections and Cronyism”: In Blistering Whistleblower Complaint, Rick Bright Blasts Team Trump’s Pandemic Response
From Slate: It Sure Looks Like the Trump Administration Used Some Bad, High School–Level Math to Justify “Reopening” the Economy
and from Bored Panda: 56 Cats And Dogs That Love Stealing Their Owners’ Spots In Bed
And your Thursday Video!
That’s a Wrap!
Thank you all again for reading!
The floor’s open!
and as always, my friends, have a great day!