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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / Saturday Morning Open Thread: We’re All Doing What We Can

Saturday Morning Open Thread: We’re All Doing What We Can

by Anne Laurie|  April 4, 20208:09 am| 126 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Music, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

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Chosen, of course, because Mary-Chapin’s elderly golden decides to add a squeaky-toy backup…

We need to be doing more to ensure Americans have the health care they need. Instead, the President is continuing his mission to steal coverage from millions & tear protections away from the more than 130 million Americans living with pre-existing conditions. #AMR #FamiliesFirst pic.twitter.com/ragUalVgHP

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 2, 2020

Join @levarburton for his live #LeVarBurtonReads Twitter special, featuring a selection from storyteller @neilhimselfhttps://t.co/woe5NLxhZz

— Twitter Live (@TwitterLive) April 4, 2020

SCOOP: Today, Elizabeth Warren sent letters to the CEOs of Uber, Instacart, DoorDash, and Grubhub calling on them to stop misclassifying workers as contractors and start offering them a minimum wage, paid sick leave, health benefits, and more. https://t.co/H1iJ2Ewozp

— Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) April 1, 2020

As I say in the article, miclassified workers don’t qualify for state unemployment in most of US. Warren’s letter is significant because it makes plain a key gig economy grift: misclassifation cuts labor costs AND tax bills. Uber alone would owe billions. https://t.co/i6EBNPQBCF

— Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) April 1, 2020

Hannity. Rush. Dobbs. Ingraham. Pirro. Nunes. Tammy. Geraldo. Doocy. Hegseth. Schlapp. Siegel. Watters. Dr. Drew. Henry. Ainsley. Gaetz. Inhofe. Pence. Kudlow. Conway. Trump.

Today, we salute the Heroes of the Pandumbic. pic.twitter.com/35WLDgoHcf

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 3, 2020

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Previous Post: « COVID-19 Coronavirus Update (International) – Friday/Saturday, April 3/4
Next Post: Picking Our Battles Open Thread: All Respect for the Democratic Shadow Cabinet »

Reader Interactions

126Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    April 4, 2020 at 8:13 am

    Keir Starmer has been elected the new leader of the U.K. opposition Labour Party.

     

    The shadow Brexit secretary won the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the first round with 56.2 percent of the vote. Rebecca Long-Bailey, who entered the race as the pro-Corbyn candidate, came in second place with 27.6 percent ahead of Lisa Nandy with 16.2 percent.

    The Corbyn era is over.

  2. 2.

    JPL

    April 4, 2020 at 8:14 am

    After reading about trump’s firings and appointments last night, let me say I miss Nixon.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 8:22 am

    Blech.

  4. 4.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 8:23 am

    @Baud:

    His background (human rights) ought to make for interesting pushback against BoJo. “Let ’em die and get it over with.”

  5. 5.

    mali muso

    April 4, 2020 at 8:25 am

    It seems no matter how low, venal or evil Rs go, there is still a lower level to be plumbed.  Always.

    On a ‘trying to find new projects to stay busy’ front, I am on day 4 of feeding my first home grown sourdough starter.  It’s bubbling away, so I think that means good things.  I’ve been baking bread from scratch since childhood, but sourdough is a new frontier for me.  Any hot tips or recipes from the jackaltariet?

  6. 6.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 8:26 am

    I saw this post’s header and thought oh yeah, it’s Saturday. Who knew?

    I’m reading Patchett’s Bel Canto, doing a big puzzle, and pretending to write, but all at half speed.

    @debbie:  I wonder how Johnson feels about that now that he has it.

  7. 7.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 8:26 am

    @JPL:

    He speaks.

    That little bastard is of the type who’s tried to kill me all my life.
    — Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) April 2, 2020

    (In reference to a post about Jared/Sons-in-law.)

  8. 8.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 8:29 am

    @JPL: I miss Nixon’s Republican party. You know, the one that recognized blatant abuses of power as a sure electoral loser?

    I hope it still is.

  9. 9.

    MazeDancer .

    April 4, 2020 at 8:36 am

    PSA: How to Frame a Webcam Shot

    Didn’t spend all those eons in ad biz for nothing. Here is how to help yourself look presentable on Zoom and FaceTime. It also helps others to see you looking like yourself, not a funhouse mirror version.

    1. Raise the Camera

    Put your phone or computer on books, or something, so the camera is at least eye-level. Never shoot from below. Distorts the face.

    2. Frame from the waist up.

    Don’ t make yourself a giant looming face. Close as you should get is below the chest line. Remember, wider is better for framing.

    3. Depth of background helps

    Have as much background behind you as possible. Distracts the eye. Makes you look more like a human. Also, there is no rule that says you must prove you are a big thinker by having a wall of books behind you.

    4. Side light

    Having a window to your side is the most forgiving light. Bathes the face in a rosy glow.

    Practice this, experimenting before your next call. Remember, it’s not just for yourself. It is helping others.

  10. 10.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 8:39 am

    @MazeDancer .:

    Your #1 is most important. If I see one more adult looking like a little kid trying to photobomb…

  11. 11.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 8:43 am

    @MazeDancer .: also, raising the camera (a la #1) together with — never sit back slouching (use a chair that keeps your back straight) will help you remove unsightly extra chins, should you have a spare or two.

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 8:44 am

    Federal Court Tosses Florida’s Poll Tax; Formerly Incarcerated People Can Vote in 2020

    The 78-page opinion by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit is an all-but total victory for voting rights and Civil Rights advocates who have long complained that Sunshine State Republicans had effectively resurrected Florida’s racist poll tax of the Jim Crow Era under a poorly-disguised legal garb.

    “The court unanimously ruled that a person’s right to vote cannot be contingent upon their ability to pay,” said Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project in a press release. “This law is a modern-day poll tax. This ruling recognizes the gravity of elected officials trying to circumvent Amendment 4 to create roadblocks to voting based on wealth.”

  13. 13.

    MazeDancer .

    April 4, 2020 at 8:45 am

    @Immanentize:

    Shooting from below your face will give you extra chins you don’t even have. Yet.

  14. 14.

    Anya

    April 4, 2020 at 8:46 am

    @Baud: That’s a big win and he really needed a big win otherwise he would not be effective because the Corbynites would be harping on his lack of support among Labour’s rank and file. His deputy is also not a Corbynite so there won’t be disunity.

  15. 15.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 8:47 am

    I dis a zoom with my LA family last night and it was good.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 8:50 am

    @MazeDancer .: Safe to say none of this advice will ever be needed for me.

  17. 17.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 8:52 am

    @MazeDancer .:

    Great advice. I find I have to be fairly close to my laptop for my voice to come through though. Maybe it’s me.

  18. 18.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 8:52 am

    @raven:

    It’s amazing how good it feels to see people. Phone is good, but seeing is even better.

  19. 19.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 8:53 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I understand the app. You use is not Zoom, but “Loom.”

  20. 20.

    Aleta

    April 4, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Thank you Anne for these 3  posts.  Your steadiness amazes me.

    (and the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming.)

  21. 21.

    donnah

    April 4, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Color me naive, but while I knew that FOX news has always been a Right Wing propaganda machine, I hadn’t realized how intensely and forcefully they had denied the coronavirus. I never watch any of those charlatans, so I didn’t know just how dangerous they are. Call Captain Obvious.

    Holy crap, they probably convinced more than three quarters of their dumbass viewers over those first crucial months that it was all a farce, gleefully accusing the real news reports of hyperbole and overreaction. Because they’re aggressive and dismissive about the facts, FOX talking heads made it more difficult by a large measure for people to take precautions.

    Their broadcast licensing should be revoked. They all have blood on their hands. And that video should run nationally every day.

  22. 22.

    MazeDancer .

    April 4, 2020 at 8:55 am

    @debbie:

    Exactly. Looking human on FaceTime or Zoom is being kind to others.

    It doesn’t matter if one cares not how they look, think of how other people have to keep adjusting to how weirdly you appear.

    Looking as much like yourself as you can online helps others in these trying times.

  23. 23.

    pluky

    April 4, 2020 at 8:55 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: get an audio pod (e.g. Jabber). They’re so much better than the built in speakers.

  24. 24.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 8:56 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I so worry about my sis, she’s by herself in her house. She’s spent the last few years after her husband died helping with the her grandkids but that’s off for now. She seemed ok but she always has and she’s been trough some shit.

  25. 25.

    TS (the original)

    April 4, 2020 at 8:56 am

    Watched the Daily Show Video – Should be run as a campaign ad – every day. I’m assuming someone was correct in saying @ Feb 28 – No-one has died yet in the US.

    What a difference a month makes!

  26. 26.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 8:56 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: you can probably adjust the audio volume.  But I have decided my camera mic is poor, so I wear a headset with a mic wand.  Also makes it way easier to hear, especially in classes.

  27. 27.

    rikyrah

    April 4, 2020 at 8:58 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😊😊😊

  28. 28.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @rikyrah: good morning!👍

  29. 29.

    rikyrah

    April 4, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @donnah:

    they need to be sued into oblivion😠😠😠  for the deaths on their hands

  30. 30.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @donnah:

    I’ve mentioned that I live in a condo building for over-55 year olds. They’ve always had FOX on in the common areas (except when Mr DAW found no one nearby and changed the channel to CNN and then left). I’m appalled they left it on over the last few months. The TV is turned off completely now since we’re not supposed to use the common areas.

    @MazeDancer .: My writer group has been meeting via Zoom. I’ve seen those people in person weekly for a couple of years now, and it’s fun to see how they’ve gotten rougher looking each time we meet. We’re all human together.

  31. 31.

    rikyrah

    April 4, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I

    Thanks for the good news

  32. 32.

    MazeDancer .

    April 4, 2020 at 9:00 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Get a mic. Even the cheapest lavalier will make a big difference.

    Order online. Or maybe a local store will curbside deliver and give you instructions over the phone.

  33. 33.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:01 am

    @raven: Is she able to get out and walk?  Walking has been a saving grace for me.  My poor Mom, who is a walker, isn’t allowed to leave her building.

  34. 34.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 9:01 am

    @pluky: @Immanentize: I can hear other people. They just can’t hear me. I have my audio turned up all the way.

    MazeDancer @32: Oh. Maybe we have one somewhere. I’ll ask Mr DAW. He’s been zooming for months with some business associates.

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 9:02 am

    @Immanentize: Loom is my natural state.

    @MazeDancer .:

    Looking human on FaceTime or Zoom is being kind to others.

    I am being kind to others by avoiding it all together.

  36. 36.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:02 am

    @rikyrah: Speaking of sued, did you see students at Liberty college are showing signs of the ‘rona?  Falwell needs to be taken back to his Lord for that.

  37. 37.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 4, 2020 at 9:03 am

    @Baud: Is the Guardian sad?

  38. 38.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 9:04 am

    @Immanentize: I also find walking to be a great stress reliever, especially as spring creeps in, but even before that.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 9:04 am

    @rikyrah: I try to find some every day.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 9:05 am

    With awareness he’s not everyone’s cuppa, FYI.

    Andre Lloyd Webber is offering up a different musical, complete, on YouTube each weekend for a limited run. The announcement.

  41. 41.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:07 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Laptop mics are poor.  On zoom and BB Ultra, you can rig in your phone for audio so you can use an earbud mic which is closer to your mouth.  Or you can just plug buds with a mic into your laptop.

  42. 42.

    JPL

    April 4, 2020 at 9:08 am

    @raven:  She probably misses the grandchildren, but if she zooms with you, then you know she face times with them.

  43. 43.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:13 am

    The president has notified Congress that he is removing the inspector general for the intelligence community, the official who helped make sure Congress got the Ukraine whistleblower complaint. The firing will take effect in 30 days, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) April 4, 2020

    Two Hill sources tell NBC News Atkinson was informed tonight that Trump had fired him, and he has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately–circumventing a requirement that both intelligence committees be notified by Trump 30 days before removal of the IG. https://t.co/W9QVv3m8IB— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) April 4, 2020

  44. 44.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 9:14 am

    @Immanentize: I think but, just before she was supposed to come for my retirement gig she fell and shattered her elbow so that ain’t helping.

  45. 45.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 9:14 am

    @JPL: We were all together on this one.

  46. 46.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:16 am

    Citizens who lost health coverage in past 2 weeks due to economic collapse:

    USA 3,500,000
    Australia 0
    Belgium 0
    Canada 0
    Chile 0
    Denmark 0
    Finland 0
    France 0
    Germany 0
    Greece 0
    Hungary 0
    Italy 0
    Japan 0
    New Zealand 0
    Norway 0
    Portugal 0
    S Korea 0
    Spain 0
    Sweden 0
    Turkey 0
    UK 0

    — Qasim Rashid for Congress (@QasimRashid) April 4, 2020

  47. 47.

    PST

    April 4, 2020 at 9:18 am

    My laptop has a camera that is hidden under a key in the function key row that pops up when you tap it. A very scary angle, and not just for double chins. At night, with my face lit mostly from below by screen glow, I wouldn’t want to take a chance of video calling a young child or even an adult with weak nerves.

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:21 am

    Jumping in for a quick update before I have to don the tactical gear (pants!) to go out into the viralpocalyptic coronascape to take my friend to work at Trader Joe’s. She was off Wednesday and Thursday while the store got a deep clean after an employee tested positive for coronavirus. That employee hadn’t been in the store since before last weekend, but it’s still worrisome. The store is taking extra precautions, will start letting employees wear masks soon and has cut the number of customers allowed in at one time from 40 to 25. Dunno how effective all that will be.

    My friend also said that her brother has tested positive for coronavirus. He lives in New Jersey and works at a correctional facility. 😬 Mid-forties, good health, so she is hoping that he will pull through okay. He lives alone and is self-quarantining at home.

    I’ll probably get together with Bro’ Man for dinner tonight or tomorrow. I haven’t seen him since we were in Las Vegas. Seems like ages ago, but it was just three weeks. He is rattling around all alone in cavernous Sighthound Hall. His husband took the kids and the Brazilian “manny” to the beach house in Rehoboth Beach weeks ago and have been holed up there with a couple of friends and the friends’ dog. The kids love the dog and vice versa.

    Bro’ Man has been seeing a handful of patients every day at his HMO’s big clinic in downtown Washington. This coming week he will be doing video appointments from home—he doesn’t know how well that will work—and then next week he will start burning through his accumulated sick leave and vacation time, as required by management. The ophthalmologists will rotate into the clinic for skeleton-crew coverage.

    That’s about it. One thing that has struck me is how ridiculously beautiful the weather is here in NoVA. In movies the plagues and zombie apocalypses always seem to be accompanied by bad weather and permanent twilight. Go figure. Yesterday it was sunny, breezy and up in the mid-60s. Pollen everywhere, of course, but still very nice.

  49. 49.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:21 am

    Capitalism means I get charged $125 to cancel a $200 ticket by an airline that’s getting bailed out with my taxpayer money.

    — Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) April 3, 2020

  50. 50.

    MazeDancer .

    April 4, 2020 at 9:26 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Aww, selling yourself short.

    A weekly, narrated video tour of your incredible property. And pets. Even if we don’t get to you, would be a big draw on WaterGirl’s video get together charts.

  51. 51.

    MattF

    April 4, 2020 at 9:26 am

    On topic, Jubilee.

  52. 52.

    JPL

    April 4, 2020 at 9:26 am

    The TJ’s I shop at limits customers and appears to work.

    Enjoy the nice day and I hope that trump looks out and bemoans the fact that he can’t play golf.    He can play but his aides won’t let him.   Maybe the tennis courts are finished though.

  53. 53.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    April 4, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @Steeplejack: Crooked Media has a new podcast with Alex Wagner called “Six Feet Apart.” This week it was about groceries and the food chain. There was an interview with a guy whose farms produce most of the country’s baby carrots. His company sounded very prepared for the pandemic. It was an interesting contrast to the administration. The second interview was with a guy who worked at Trader Joe’s talking about their efforts. The whole thing is worth a listen.

  54. 54.

    JPL

    April 4, 2020 at 9:27 am

    @NotMax: Thank you.

  55. 55.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:28 am

    @Immanentize:

    What headset do you have (or recommend)? My brother is asking for advice on one to use with Rosetta Stone.

  56. 56.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:29 am

    Jonathan Karl: Can you assure New York that they will have the ventilators they need going into next week?

    Trump: "No. They should have had more ventilators." We have a lot of states that need to be taken care of.

    — Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) April 3, 2020

    If new yorkers wanted to survive the pandemic they should have moved to a swing state Trump needs to win the electoral college sometime in early march. https://t.co/j4OV8S5mmM

    — Adam Serwer🍝 (@AdamSerwer) April 3, 2020

  57. 57.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:29 am

    @rikyrah:

    Good morning. 🙏

  58. 58.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

    @Steeplejack: Are they able to surf fish?

  59. 59.

    narya

    April 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

    @mali muso: It is much more hardy than you think it is! I keep mine in the fridge and feed it . . . sometimes. Once it got a little mold on the top. Normally, mold means “throw it out” in my house (and I use all kinds of things that are past their supposed date of use). But this is sourdough starter! I scraped it off, and then a little more, then fed it and left it on the counter, and did another cycle, and it was good as new. (Better, probably, because it had been fed.) Also: King Arthur has a recipe for pizza made in cast iron pan, and they gave me a formula for using starter discard, and it is freaking awesome. And the starter gets fed more often that way, too. I keep mine at 100% hydration, it’s all whole wheat, and total weight is about 450 grams (150 g starter, 150 water, 150 flour). that turns out to be a good size for lopping off some for bread or whatever. Use filtered water. Anything else? happy to email.

  60. 60.

    zhena gogolia

    April 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

    @NotMax:

    Oh boy!

  61. 61.

    Anya

    April 4, 2020 at 9:31 am

    @schrodingers_cat: They better get over it and fast because Starmer has a grassroots mandate. He won almost twice as many party members as Corbyn won in 2015. From what I’ve read so far, they are not bad but Momentum has already declared low-key civil war on Sarmer.  They want to be Justice Democrats.

  62. 62.

    PST

    April 4, 2020 at 9:32 am

    @Steeplejack: There have been moments of eerie beauty here in Chicago, too. Eerie in large part because of the absence of vehicular traffic and paucity of even foot traffic. I hear the black plague was like that also.

  63. 63.

    Anya

    April 4, 2020 at 9:32 am

    @germy: What a ghoul. He can’t even muster the minimum show of support and concern.

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 9:34 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Only way I’d ever consider getting a camera for the computer is if it could be set to sepia.

    London fog at midnight filter would be a welcome bonus, also too.

    ;)

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    April 4, 2020 at 9:34 am

    Let’s see, in just the past day or two, trumpov has

    • fired the IG for intelligence
    • appointed a WH lawyer to be in charge of “overseeing” the $2T bailout/relief package
    • said ‘no way’ to national vote-by-mail
    • fired an aircraft carrier captain who tried to get help for his sick crew
    • continued to not do anything about nationalizing the PPE supply chain
    • refused to open a special ACA enrollment period for all these laid-off workers

    Am I missing anything?

    Is it time to storm the Bastille yet?

  66. 66.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:35 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Thanks, I’ll take a look.

  67. 67.

    WereBear

    April 4, 2020 at 9:36 am

    The answer is to impeach both Trump and Pence. Let them scream. They threw a tantrum over a tan suit.

    Make it a show trial. I don’t think the nation is going to make it to November at this rate.

  68. 68.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:38 am

    SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRES

    Bill Gates: Mother had board of IBM to hire son’s fledgling company

    Jeff Bezos: Started Amazon with $300k from parents and more from friends

    Warren Buffet: Son of congressman with investment company

    Elon Musk: Father owned emerald mine in apartheid SA

    — josh (@josh_atf) April 3, 2020

    Bezos is a real case that i couldn’t expand upon: graduated Princeton. worked on Wall Street. Then he got his parents and their pals to go in on his idea of selling books – wait for it – online. Then, post-IPO he used the influx of cash to to monopolize literally everything

    — josh (@josh_atf) April 4, 2020

  69. 69.

    Anya

    April 4, 2020 at 9:39 am

    @Jeffro: How does Susan Collins feel about this since she said she’s confident Trump has learned a lesson? Are we at the furrowed brow or concerned stage?

  70. 70.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:39 am

    @Steeplejack: I have two — a Plantronics encore pro which I use as an over the head rig.  It is only one outside ear speaker and a good mic wand.  I also have a set of full over-ear Plantronics 655s which have good sound external sound deadening qualities. But for language learning? I would probably just get a decent ear bud set with mic. Like etymotic or RHA?

  71. 71.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:39 am

    @raven:

    The Sighthound Hall mob aren’t big fishermen, but there is good surf fishing along the Delaware coast. Mostly stripers, bluefish, kingfish, I think. And of course you can get a charter to go out into Delaware Bay and the ocean.

  72. 72.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:40 am

    May 5, 2017

    Trump’s Katrina will be a deadly pandemic. https://t.co/e4rMUQOAqs
    — Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) May 5, 2017

    Congratulations. You have just been named “America’s Top Prophet”. We seek your wisdom. 😷— Jesus is NOT a Republican (@rainyoldlady) April 3, 2020

    Wash your hands, stay inside, and never vote Republican, ever. That's it. That's the tweet.— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) April 3, 2020

  73. 73.

    Baud

    April 4, 2020 at 9:42 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  74. 74.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 9:42 am

    @Anya:

    Susan Collins: “It may have given some people a false sense of security, but the president did a lot that was right in the beginning.” https://t.co/AkgQpBq4bd— Josh Schwerin (@JoshSchwerin) April 2, 2020

  75. 75.

    rikyrah

    April 4, 2020 at 9:43 am

    @Immanentize:

    Another target for an enterprising attorney.

     

    Sue Sue Sue 😠

  76. 76.

    rikyrah

    April 4, 2020 at 9:44 am

    Anyone here own a Ninja Foodie Grill?

    I’m going to order one today 😁

  77. 77.

    Steeplejack

    April 4, 2020 at 9:45 am

    @Immanentize:

    Thanks, I’ll check those out. Gotta hit the airlock to the exosphere now. Back later.

  78. 78.

    Barbara

    April 4, 2020 at 9:45 am

    @Anya: No doubt she is hunkered down for her own good and not speaking to the press. She is worse than worthless because she actively gives cover to evil in the guise of principle.

  79. 79.

    Another Scott

    April 4, 2020 at 9:46 am

    @Baud:

    The Corbyn era is over.

    Is it though??

    The BBC News report on the TV this morning spent about 25% of the time showing video clips of various Labour anti-semitism charges (they just love giant billboards on the side of buses) and Starmer’s acceptance speech mentioning it, etc. It seems to be Labour’s But Her E-mails, still, at least for a while.

    (sigh)

    Best of luck to him, and the Labour party. The UK needs a strong opposition party to have a chance of ending the stupidity of Austerity, etc., etc.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  80. 80.

    raven

    April 4, 2020 at 9:49 am

    @Steeplejack: I bet there’s reds (drum) in there since it’s at the top of the outer banks. A king on a surf rig would be fun!

  81. 81.

    Aleta

    April 4, 2020 at 9:49 am

    About those henchmen of the pandumbic. 

    Uncomfortable thought experiment I had last night:   President HRC* acts very early,   recommending guidelines to states.  Cracks down on contractors and federal officials who violate the Federal Procurement Policy Act;  invokes the DPA. 

    The henchmen call for threat level Bezonkers, reporting every shadow of black helicopters.  Pandumbmaniacs hoist flags and suspect every medical tent and military effort to assist.

    * Don’t get me wrong, I’d crawl over wasps to make her president today.

  82. 82.

    JPL

    April 4, 2020 at 9:52 am

    @Jeffro: The biggest move was to push aside Glenn Fine who was suppose to oversee the 2 trillion.  Trump also announced a slew of IG nominations, incl making a White House aide the independent watchdog for $500 billion corporate relief fund & making a CBP policy official the DOD IG, which would oust the very independent Glenn Fine as chair of panel overseeing all pandemic $$$

    Charlie Savage at the NYTimes

  83. 83.

    geg6

    April 4, 2020 at 9:52 am

    @donnah:

    Read somewhere this morning that they are lawyering up in expectation of lawsuits.

    And I just ♥️ MCC’s puppeh.

  84. 84.

    Anya

    April 4, 2020 at 9:54 am

    @germy: So, she completely and utterly attached herself to Trump. It would give me great pleasure when she losses big. I hope Main doesn’t disappoint us which is a huge possibility considering they’ve elected a bigoted lunatic twice as a governor.

  85. 85.

    Shalimar

    April 4, 2020 at 9:54 am

    @MattF: Mary Chapin Carpenter is great, but I got my hopes up for a different jubilee

  86. 86.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 9:55 am

    @Another Scott: The anti-Semitism charges, as Tony Jay points out, seem really overblown.  I just looked at the number of Jews in the UK.  It is .4% of the population.  Not .4 of the population, but percent or, .004 of the British population.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 9:57 am

    Can almost see the FOXaholics nodding their heads in unison to Dolt 45’s revelation yesterday that “we have a lot of states.”

    “See how knowledgeable he is? Amazing he finds the time to do such in-depth research.”

    //

  88. 88.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 9:57 am

    @MazeDancer .: Narrated? But then you’d here my voice! The horror!

  89. 89.

    Lapassionara

    April 4, 2020 at 9:59 am

    Good morning, everyone.

    Today is the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. This one sticks with me because I was living in Memphis at the time it happened. 1968 was a hellacious year.

    2020 seems determined to top it.

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 10:00 am

    @Anya: The only reason LaPage was able to win twice in Maine was the timely appearance of a spoiler candidate.  LaPage only got a plurality, never a majority, IIRC.  With their new ranked voting system, that would be very unlikely if not impossible to replicate.

  91. 91.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 10:04 am

    @NotMax: I am incapable of imagining a use I might have for a camera on my computer.

  92. 92.

    Geminid

    April 4, 2020 at 10:05 am

     

     

    @Baud: Re Keir Starmer: It’s great to see Labour pick another Keir as leader. The first was Keir Hardie, who started work in a Lanarkshire coal mine at age 10 and went on to help found the Labour Party. After the 1906 election he was Labour’s parliamentary leader.

  93. 93.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 10:06 am

    @Lapassionara

    Was attending a rehearsal of Oh! What A Lovely War when someone rushed in to deliver the news.

    Could have heard a dust mote drop as the rehearsal was cut short and everyone slowly filed out.

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 10:08 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Come sit on the couch along the wall opposite me.

    ;)

  95. 95.

    MomSense

    April 4, 2020 at 10:12 am

    My internet kept crapping out yesterday making work impossible.  I’m going to do the produce deal at the farmer’s market.  I call from the parking lot where they are set up and give them my order and card, they put my order on a table and then leave, and I drive up and pick up my order.  Today I’m getting two soup bags and 2 grab bags. The soup bags have root vegetables and onions for soups.  The grab bags have a combo of greens, scallions and usually one surprise.  If it’s kohlrabi I’ll grate it with some carrot and make fritters.

    After the farmers’ market, I’ll take a walk and then try to do the work I couldn’t do yesterday.

    Oh I forgot that a new craft brewery opened and the other local breweries are asking their customers to go to the new brewery to help them out.  Today might be a good day to pick up a couple growlers.

  96. 96.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 10:12 am

    @NotMax: Don’t you mean the Group W bench? When did they upgrade it to a couch?

  97. 97.

    Shalimar

    April 4, 2020 at 10:13 am

    @germy: Bezos also used the IPO money to subsidize years of getting Amazon Prime’s free shipping up to the scale where it was profitable.  It was a huge idea for gaining dominant market-share, but all the finance people telling him it was impossible weren’t wrong.  It was impossible before they built all of those warehouses, and they didn’t have them when Bezos started the program.

  98. 98.

    MattF

    April 4, 2020 at 10:16 am

    Venezuelan naval ship rams cruise ship with reinforced hull, sinks. WTF?

  99. 99.

    Lapassionara

    April 4, 2020 at 10:17 am

    @NotMax: That is several layers of irony right there. I saw a production of Oh, What a Lovely War in NYC, not long after it opened.

  100. 100.

    danielx

    April 4, 2020 at 10:18 am

    You get amusement where you can.

    Sitting on back porch in spring: wonderful.

    Listening to dialogue of neighbors playing drunken euchre with another couple over Skype: priceless.

  101. 101.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 10:19 am

    @OzarkHillbilly

    Shortly after Alice floated an IPO and went international with franchises.

    :)

  102. 102.

    Immanentize

    April 4, 2020 at 10:25 am

    @NotMax: I thought Alice went into International Waste Management (and recycling of course)?

  103. 103.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 10:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Gloom would be mine.

  104. 104.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 4, 2020 at 10:36 am

    @NotMax:

    Only way I’d ever consider getting a camera for the computer is if it could be set to sepia.

    London fog at midnight filter would be a welcome bonus, also too.

    What about film grain and scratches?  Don’t just go sepia, go silent era, old-as-hell, nitrate, hand-painted sepia.

  105. 105.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 4, 2020 at 10:39 am

    @MattF:

    Nobody dies in this story, so you might find it an amusing start to the day. 

    Good FSM!  Sign of the times.

  106. 106.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 10:41 am

    @germy:

    Bastards! Pasted into my FB page. By the way, FB’s formatting stuff sucks.

  107. 107.

    NotMax

    April 4, 2020 at 10:42 am

    @mrmoshpotato

    The years have left more than enough grain and scratches on me to cover those bases.

    ;)

  108. 108.

    Another Scott

    April 4, 2020 at 10:44 am

    @Steeplejack: When I was in the Alexandria TJs a couple of days ago, I heard a couple of the staff talking about the Clarendon store.  One was saying that they were cleaning the store and that the team member that was showing symptoms got tested and they would have the results in 5 weeks and that the person was self-isolating since they started having symptoms…

    Several of us silently waiting in line went “WHAT??”, someone said “5 WEEKS!!” and then the manager corrected herself and said 5 DAYS!  :-)

    Still, 5 days to get a test result is a crime :-( and if they’re positive they spend another week at home in isolation (2 weeks total).

    You’re a good man for helping her out in these trying times.

    Fingers crossed.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  109. 109.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 4, 2020 at 10:45 am

    @germy: My flabber is ghasted.  And I’d really like SPW to slap Susan Collins across the face – hard.  Tell us more Sue about how impeachment is a really big lesson in that weird tone of voice you used.

  110. 110.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 4, 2020 at 10:45 am

    @NotMax: LOL Well played, sir.

  111. 111.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 10:47 am

    @Immanentize:

    Still, there’s a long, long history of the Brits’ “benign anti-Semitism.”

    Not a whole lot better in my estimation.

  112. 112.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 4, 2020 at 11:01 am

    @Anya: Way to slander ghouls there.  What beef do you have with them? 😁

  113. 113.

    germy

    April 4, 2020 at 11:01 am

    My wife just walked in with some face masks she made.  “What did you use for elastic?” I asked.

    “Hair ties,” she said.

    I tried one on.  It fits good and the hair ties work great.

  114. 114.

    L85NJGT

    April 4, 2020 at 11:09 am

    @schrodingers_cat:

    They are neo-liberal sellouts.

    @Anya:

    The (corrupt establishment /snark) unions lined up behind Starmer.

     

    Antisemitism has been a stain on our party. I have seen the grief that it’s brought to so many Jewish communities.

    On behalf of the Labour party, I am sorry.

    And I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us

    Keir Starmer

  115. 115.

    Robert Sneddon

    April 4, 2020 at 11:15 am

    @debbie: The British working class that supports Labour is generally rife with sexism, racism, anti-Semitism and even has it in for the wrong kind of Christian on many occasions — I grew up in Scotland in the 1950s where there were separate Catholic and non-Catholic schools. The Labour Party as an institution is solidly against any of that stupid crap but the people who make up the party are people, basically.

    Labour doesn’t bend the knee to Israel and agree that what it does in the Gaza Strip and West Bank is right, that’s the problem it faces in the court of public opinion hence the anti-Semitism claims — calls for disinvestment in Israeli companies is claimed to be anti-Semitic, for example.

  116. 116.

    mali muso

    April 4, 2020 at 11:17 am

    @narya: thanks! I’m a big fan of King Arthur flour and use their website a lot. Don’t have any cast iron or Dutch ovens so I’m hoping I can find some good recipes that don’t require them.

  117. 117.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    April 4, 2020 at 11:24 am

    @germy:

    Damn it! I was just at CVS on my out-of-bunker expedition, and I forgot to get hair ties to make my no-sew mask.

  118. 118.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 4, 2020 at 11:26 am

    @mali muso:Don’t have any cast iron or Dutch ovens

    Say WHAT??? I have 4 and I use them all. Especially good for baking bread. One does not need the pan of water in the oven.

  119. 119.

    Betty

    April 4, 2020 at 11:41 am

    @MazeDancer .: Much needed advice. Thank you!

  120. 120.

    debbie

    April 4, 2020 at 11:49 am

    @Robert Sneddon:

    Speaking as a past target, I fully support your second paragraph. Claims that anything less than full support of Israel is anti-Semitic is itself absolute Fake News.

    I will again recommend the documentary Afterward, made by an Israeli psychotherapist who comes to see her own prejudices about Palestinians. I wish all those of Jewish persuasion were as open-minded and willing to admit their own fallibilities when it comes to the Middle East.

  121. 121.

    mali muso

    April 4, 2020 at 11:51 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I know, it’s been in my wish list to buy some for a long time. Now kicking myself for procrastinating. I do have a pizza stone and I’ve done the whole pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf thing before.

  122. 122.

    kindness

    April 4, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Trevor Noah is great.  I loved Jon Stewart even though he always let Republicans blatantly lie on his show.  Jon rarely gave right wing idiots grief.  I still loved the guy.  Trevor is also great but comes at it from a different place.  Funny how our comedians are our leading lights of ethics and hope.

  123. 123.

    Citizen Alan

    April 4, 2020 at 2:22 pm

    @Aleta: Oh yeah, Hillary (or Obama for that matter) could have handled every aspect of coronavirus flawlessly, and still the garbage-humans of the Right would have bitched and moaned and insisted it was all “wagging the dog” to distract away from her rampant criminality. Just like they’d have impeached Pres. Gore if 9/11 had happened on his watch.

  124. 124.

    Miss Bianca

    April 4, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    @Geminid: That bit of info gets my vote for “history nugget of the day!”

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    April 4, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: 

    Loom is my natural state.

    Are you sure you didn’t mean “Loon” is your natural state???

  126. 126.

    J R in WV

    April 4, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    @Immanentize:

    The anti-Semitism charges, as Tony Jay points out, seem really overblown. I just looked at the number of Jews in the UK. It is .4% of the population. Not .4 of the population, but percent or, .004 of the British population.

    I think the Jews of England knew all along that they were despised by the despicable haters of England, and got the hell out ASAP. People seem to be able to sense when they are hated, and do their level best to get out of that situation.

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