John Thompson - RIP

John Thompson was an excellent basketball coach, but he was an even better human being.

John Thompson passed away last night.

He was the first Black coach to win a NCAA title.

He won two as a player w the Celtics.

He had a 97% graduation rate for his players at Georgetown.

Here is Allen Iverson thanking John for saving his life.🌎🏀💔 pic.twitter.com/QY88pOWeHC

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 31, 2020

Republicans Help Us Save Our Country

Republicans, if you are afraid your MAGA friends will turn on you on November 4, it's OK to tell them you voted for Trump when you really voted for Joe Biden because you wanted to save our country.

RIP Chadwick

Such a very sad loss.  A beautiful tribute.  

Incredible Chadwick Boseman tribute by Senegalese artist Boubou.

Best thing you’ll see today... pic.twitter.com/Sj0dGFHX2I

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 30, 2020

We Own the New Plagues

Human behavior is driving the planet's twin disasters.  Our exploitation of natural resources have lead to climate change raging virtually unchecked making vast areas of the planet uninhabitable.  In parallel to the ravages of climate change, the destruction of the planets biodiversity is leading to a proliferation of deadly new disease to plague mankind.

A UN summit on biodiversity, scheduled to be held in New York next month, will be told by conservationists and biologists there is now clear evidence of a strong link between environmental destruction and the increased emergence of deadly new diseases such as Covid-19.

Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of farming and the building of mines in remote regions – as well as the exploitation of wild animals as sources of food, traditional medicines and exotic pets – are creating a “perfect storm” for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people, delegates will be told.

Almost a third of all emerging diseases have originated through the process of land use change, it is claimed. As a result, five or six new epidemics a year could soon affect Earth’s population.

What is depressing is that we know cause of these incipient disasters and we don't have the leadership or the collective will to address them. 

Synonymous with Failure

Trump isn't great businessman.  He's a second rate property developer, whose wealth came from his unscrupulous father.  Trump's only real business is promoting Trump.  He was a minor New York celebrity who shamelessly pretended to be something more than he was - the heir to a fortune someone else accumulated.  Trump nearly lost that fortune through his disastrous foray as a casino owner in Atlantic City.  

Trump was able to recoup some of his losses by laundering money for Russian oligarchs and to create the persona of a successful businessman by appearing on a weekly television "reality" program pretending to be a successful businessman.

Through the name recognition his flamboyant failures and TV persona created, Trump has managed to create himself as a "brand" - a symbol of what poor people imaging a rich person to be.  But, what he really is, is an epic business failure who manages to get other people to lose money when they associate with his name.

Take this Trump branded hotel property in Vancouver, Canada:

The company that owns the Trump International Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, has filed for bankruptcy, according to Canadian records — raising questions about the future of one of President Trump’s newest hotels, just three years after it opened.

Trump does not own the Vancouver hotel; the building’s owner pays Trump’s company to operate the hotel and to license the Trump name.

The Trump Vancouver hotel has already been closed for four months because of the covid-19 pandemic. On Friday, the CEO of the hotel’s parent company said he was uncertain if it would ever reopen as a Trump property.

The Vancouver hotel isn't the only Trump branded hotel to decide that having his name over the front door was bad for business.

The owners of three other Trump hotels — in Panama, Toronto and Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood — have cut ties with Trump’s brand since the start of President Trump’s term. All have since reopened under new names.

Trump university, Trump water, Trump steaks, Trump matresses, Trump clothing - are these the hallmarks of a world class developer and businessman?  Or, the sad attempts from a fraud trying to make a buck from his TV persona?  The Trump brand is turning into poison. 

Please God, Put Out Our Dumpster Fire of a President

Last night of RNC dumpster fire.  It will be lots of foul, toxic smoke and the only thing illuminated will be Trump's massive ego.  

Kenosha Police Chief Blames Victims

If only everyone had obeyed the Kenosha city curfew nobody would have been killed. That's what Kenosha police chief, Daniel Miskinis, claims.  He doesn't speak to the fact that his own officers had tossed bottled water and thanked accused murder, Kyle Rittenhouse, for his and his AR-15's presence in Kenosha despite the city's curfew.  

During a Wednesday news conference, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said the shooting may not have happened if demonstrators and the accused gunman had obeyed the city's newly imposed 8 p.m. curfew.

"Everybody involved was out after the curfew," Miskinis said. "I'm not gonna make a great deal of it but the point is -- the curfew's in place to protect. Had persons not been out involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened."

The chief apparently means the "situation" where an armed white vigilante from outside of the community murdered two and maimed another with his AR-15.  It should be pretty apparent that the Kenosha chief of police is part of the problem, not the solution.  This is why the police feel that they can murder Black Americans with impunity.

Every Night Worse Than the One Before

S.S. RNC continues its journey into the heart of darkness.

The Bucks Plea

The Bucks' speak:

Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 26, 2020

Calling for elected officials and the police to take action to address systemic racism.

White Man Walks, Black Man Is Paralyzed

Kyle Rittenhouse (circled) can be seen wearing a white hat in the front row of a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 30.

Yesterday an armed 17 year old vigilante named Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly murdered two men and seriously wounded a third.  He had gone to Kenosha to "assist the police and protect private property."  He apparently used an AR-15 assault rifle to commit his murders.  It appears that after he shot down three people he continued to walk down the street carrying his rifle and walking past multiple police vehicles.  Not a single police officer stopped him.  Not a single police officer paid attention to the crowd behind Rittenhouse shouting that he had just killed someone.  Rittenhouse walked past the police and went home.  He was arrested today in his home 20 miles away from Kenosha.  It's no surprise that Rittenhouse is a dedicated member of Trump's fascist party.

The teenager, who was armed with an AR-15, is from Antioch, Illinois, and crossed state lines to stand guard outside businesses during unrest stemming from the police shooting of Jacob Blake days earlier.

The shootings were captured in several videos posted on social media. Two of the victims — one of whom was shot in the head — have since died. Another was hospitalized.

In one video, Rittenhouse is seen running through a crowd of people in a street. One person appears to yell "That guy shot someone." He trips and falls, and, as several people move close to him, he's seen opening fire.

Directly following the second shooting, a group of police vehicles advances on the crowd. Rittenhouse walks toward them and can be seen alternately putting his hands up and touching his gun. As he approaches, the vehicles drive away and Rittenhouse gives them a slight wave.

Seven shots in the back at point blank range for the Black man.  A free pass from the Kenosha police for the white kid who appears to have shot down three people in the street.

How Many More Black Americans Will the Police Be Allowed to Murder?

Looks like NBA players are ready to take the lead in the battle against systemic racism in our country.

FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 26, 2020

UPDATE:

BREAKING: 

CNN has learned that all of tonight’s NBA games have been postponed.

— Coy Wire (@CoyWire) August 26, 2020

No NBA tonight. Exactly four years ago today Colin Kaepernick took a knee for the 1st time

— George Jarjour (@gjarjour) August 26, 2020

NOW BASEBALL JOINING IN:

The Brewers have decided not to play tonight’s game.

— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) August 26, 2020

Who's Really Afraid of Violence In America

I'm not always on the same page with some of Doc's coaching decisions, but on this I'm 100% with Doc Rivers.

Doc Rivers with raw emotion and a thunderbolt cry for justice: "All you hear is Donald Trump & all of them talking about fear. We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot...It's amazing, we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back." pic.twitter.com/19dHu9UlZ5

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) August 26, 2020

Duke vs UNC - Covid-19 Responses

Just over a week ago, we wrote about the University of North Carolina's main campus in Chapel Hill being forced to move from in person to virtual classes as Covid-19 infections exploded at the school just days after in person classes began.  And, infections continue to rise at the school despite the move to remote learning.  

Just 10 miles up Tobacco Road from UNC, Duke University has successfully implemented in person education without the generation of massive clusters of Covid-19 infections.  The two universities took very different approaches to managing their school's openings.  

Duke administrators assumed the virus was everywhere and that college students would behave the way college students tend to behave.

Anyone who returned to campus including staff and students was tested on re-entry. This identified non-symptomatic individuals who otherwise could have been infectious and broke future infection chains. It also makes the primary source of any on-campus infections to be from off-campus interactions. More importantly, Duke is also conducting massive weekly surveillance testing using non-CLIA labs and pooled testing strategies... Duke is assuming students will be infected. Their goal is predicated upon enough surveillance testing that singular infections don’t become campus wide outbreaks.

UNC's  strategy was rather Trumpian.  Pretend that the virus didn't exist and hope that college students wouldn't behave like college students.

UNC had no pro-active testing strategy. UNC would only test symptomatic individuals and close contacts of symptomatic individuals. This means that the university had no awareness of any community spread risk much less actualities until students started to go to campus health centers with symptoms. And by that time, there had been several days of potential high density contact in dorms, in classes, in stores, in parties and elsewhere on and near campus.

Duke used what has proved to be relatively successful around the world - rigorous testing and contact tracing.  UNC followed the Trump playbook - limit testing to the symptomatic and hope things don't get out of control.  Guess which approach works?

Whales Just Got To Have Fun

That's the way to start my day.

Most majestic video ever?

Oh my goodness.

Newfoundland, bruh...pic.twitter.com/5I9daIwUhq

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 25, 2020

RNC Burns Bright

Republican National Convention blazes on.

Takes a Crook

Trump fixer knows him as well as anyone.  

The people who know Donald Trump best are sounding the alarm: our country cannot survive four more years of a Trump presidency.

In our latest ad, a former member of his inner circle & "fixer" — @MichaelCohen212 — has a dire warning for us all. #RNC2020 pic.twitter.com/suPUODOdwz

— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) August 24, 2020

Jerry "likes to watch"

Jerry Falwell was the first major evangelist to endorse Trump. Maybe he felt that he had found a kindred spirit.  

Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.

Granda showed Reuters emails, text messages and other evidence that he says demonstrate the sexual nature of his relationship with the couple, who have been married since 1987. “Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said in an interview. Now 29, he described the liaisons as frequent – “multiple times per year” – and said the encounters took place at hotels in Miami and New York, and at the Falwells’ home in Virginia.

Of course there is another potential reason for Falwell's embrace of Trump.

 We know that Cohen struck up a relationship with Falwell as far back as 2011/2012. We know that he got involved in helping keep the couple’s secrets, including hushing up compromising photos of Becki. It was as late as 2015 when Cohen helped the Falwells deal with the photos — photos which were apparently connected to another fit young man close to the couple.

...Even if Cohen never reminded the Falwells what he knew about them … even if he said outright he’d never use it against them (perhaps especially if he said this), Falwell knew that Cohen (and almost certainly Trump) knew information that could destroy Falwell’s life. In other words, Cohen and Trump owned Falwell and Falwell certainly knew it.

All those Christian supporters of Trump must feel good about extortion, not to mention adultery and hypocrisy.   Sort of turns "two Corinthians" into a threesome.

Global Conspiracy Against Trump

It is the world's largest, most amazing conspiracy ever.  Millions (possible billions) of people engaged on a global basis to discredit one man and lie to his cult. 

It's A Real Wonder

Way back in 2017, Trump took credit for a deal with Taiwanese electronics powerhouse Foxconn to build a massive manufacturing campus in Wisconsin.  In 2018, at the ground breaking ceremony for what was touted to be a state of the art facility that would ultimately employee as many as 15,000 workers, Trump called the a yet to be built facility "the eighth wonder of the world."  

In 1990, Trump had declared his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City to be the eighth wonder.  Turns out that just like the ultimately bankrupt Taj Mahal, Foxconn's Mount Pleasant facility is going to fall well short of wonder status.  It appears that the people of Wisconsin are pushing back on providing Foxconn with the massive financial subsidies promised to lure Foxconn to their state in the first place. 

...Last year Gov. Tony Evers’ administration argued that the project was so vastly scaled back from the original plan that it no longer conformed to the agreement negotiated under his predecessor, Scott Walker, and as a result no longer qualified for the subsidies.

Aside from its completely downsized and repurposed "eighth wonder" Mount Pleasant campus, Foxconn's Wisconsin presence appears to be mostly empty buildings.

Foxconn originally promised to turn two buildings in Eau Claire into office space and research facilities. It never purchased one of the buildings and has taken out no substantive building permits for the other, the glass-fronted downtown building pictured above.

Matt Jewell, an engineering professor at the nearby University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, from which Foxconn was supposed to recruit, said there has been “no visible activity whatsoever” at the property. Foxconn was also absent at the school’s career fair this February.

Foxconn employs over 800,000 people, the vast majority in Taiwan, China, Malaysia and India.  The idea that Foxconn was ever going to create tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the US was just another Trump con (aided by his pal Scott Walker).  

But, Foxconn appears to be planning on doing a lot of hiring in this hemisphere.  Just not in the US.

Taiwan-based electronics manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron are among companies eyeing new factories in Mexico, people with direct knowledge of the matter said, as the U.S.-China trade war and coronavirus pandemic prompt firms to reexamine global supply chains.

Brandishing a new deal locking in free trade with the world’s biggest consumer market, Mexico also has geography, low wages and time zones in its favor. Despite the global recession and concerns about the business climate under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, government data shows foreign investment largely holding up so far this year.

So, Trump touts a big return of manufacturing jobs to the US, but the jobs mostly end up in Mexico.  That people believe anything Trump says is really the "eighth wonder of the world."

What A Line-up (Soon At A Federal Lock-up)

Speakers for the first night of the Klan Nazi Republican convention announced.



Apparently Trump offered Mayonnaise a cabinet position.  Used to be a Never Trumper. Everyone in this mess has a price, I guess.

Emancipate Us All

Over the weekend, we were able to watch the family of Trump apologist, Kellyanne Conway and her anti-Trump crusading husband, George Conway literally melt down.  The Conway adults are both stepping down from their diametrically opposite positions regarding Trump in order to try and repair the damage done by the Trump presidency on their own family.  In particular, the couple's 15 year old daughter, Claudia, who claimed on social media that she would seek emancipation from her parents due to her mother's work for Trump and her father's extremely conservative views.  George Conway is a hard line conservative,but virulently anti-Trump  - apparently the only political position he and Claudia share.  

Imagine if your mother willingly worked for a monster like Donald Trump.  

Republicans for Biden (on Fox News)

Let the counter programming begin.  This morning, the Biden Campaign released the names of "more than two-dozen" former Republican members of Congress who now support Biden to Fox News.  By giving Fox an "exclusive" first look at these anti-Trump Republicans they knew Fox would be in the position that the had to put the story out.  Nice move.

More than two-dozen former Republican members of Congress threw their support behind a “Republicans for Biden” effort being launched Monday by the Democratic presidential nominee's campaign to engage potential GOP supporters this November.

“These former members of Congress cited Trump’s corruption, destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency, and urgent need to get the country back on course as a reason why they support Biden,” the Biden campaign official told Fox News.

“These former Members of Congress are supporting Joe Biden because they know what’s at stake in this election and that Trump’s failures as President have superseded partisanship,” the official continued.

Republican Death Cult

In a CBS News poll of voter sentiments this one startling finding tells us all we need to know about Republicans - 57% of those polled felt that the current Covid-19 death rate nearing 180,000 was "acceptable."  And, a strong majority of Republicans believe that the battle against the virus is "going well."  Of course, they have to believe those things or they can't be members of the Republican death cult.

To self-identified Republicans, 180,000 pandemic deaths are "acceptable" for whatever reasons can be lazily mustered. Perhaps it is a hoax; perhaps they were all old, and vulnerable; perhaps 180,000 people would have died of something, so what's the point of keeping track. But it will not be different when the numbers top 250,000. The numbers in the polls will barely change.

There are Republicans, and there are Americans, and the two no longer share the same reality. The former will do nothing, no matter which laws Trump might break to stay in power or which lies he might tell to brush off the next 100,000 deaths. The willingly corrupt Senate proves that much.

I wonder if the 180,000 families of the dead feel that those deaths were "acceptable." And what about the next 100,000 and possibly the 100,000 families after that will they feel the same way about those "acceptable" deaths?

Bulls**t

Destroy the Post Office to win an election.  This is how dictatorships are created.  We have a tool to stop Trump - the vote.  

Back to the Future - Except No Post Office

Remember our expectations for the 21st century.  Well, things haven't quite turned out, have they?

How we thought 2020 would be: flying cars, teleportation, a pill to cure any disease

How 2020 turned out: everything depends on the mail and the mail doesn't work anymore

— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) August 17, 2020

Oath Breakers - They Knew...

People around Trump know exactly what sort of low life, low intelligence, mentally challenged bully and con artist he is.  Republicans said that out loud in 2015 and 2016, now they are obediently following him as he destroys our democracy and shreds the Constitution.  Who are the bigger frauds?  Trump or the Republicans who knew and who are now his co-conspirators.  

Musical Interlude

This man knows how to exercise.

Mack the knife. pic.twitter.com/KWCDMqmHkg

— Dyslexic_aDve (@Dyslexic_aDve) August 20, 2020

They Didn't Rake the Forest

Trump is an idiot.  He doesn't understand anything about wildfires, weather, climate change or California.

Grifter, Crooks and Con Men - Republicans All

Steve Bannon was the CEO of Trump's Presidential campaign and a key advisor to Trump once he moved into the White House.  Bannon was arrested today for on two Federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed criminal charges Thursday against Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, and three other men they alleged defrauded donors to a massive crowdfunding campaign that claimed to be raising money for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a news release, prosecutors said Bannon and another organizer, Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, lied when they claimed they would not take any compensation as part of the campaign, called “We Build the Wall.” Bannon, prosecutors alleged, received more than $1 million through a nonprofit entity he controlled, sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage while keeping a “substantial portion” for himself.

The campaign, publicly supported by several of the president’s allies, raised more than $25 million through hundreds of thousands of donors, the news release states.

Trump and his White House co-conspirators are spinning furiously to distance the president from Bannon and his indicted pals, but the "We Build the Wall" organization is a who's who of Trump allies.   

Kris Kobach was one of the leaders of Trump's commission to uncover voter fraud.  After months of investigation the commission quietly disbanded after finding no evidence of voter fraud.  

Leaders of We Build the Wall, an organization that raised $25 million through a crowdfunding campaign to build a private southern border wall and whose general counsel is former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, have been indicted on fraud charges.

He repeatedly touted his involvement with the group during his Senate race. He said as recently as July 6 that he was working with We Build the Wall.

“There’s a lot of legal work in that because not only am I negotiating with landowners where we’re going to build the next privately-funded section of wall, I’m also talking to the Department of Homeland Security and making sure our specifications are consistent with theirs,” Kobach said.

We Build the Wall's advisory board include Trump's favorite mercenary Erik Prince.  Prince has been implicated in Russia's involvement with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.  Also included on the advisory board is Tom Tancredo, noted anti-immigrant campaigner and pro-racist former Colorado congressman. Rounding out the advisory board are Trump loving far right wing Wisconsin sheriff and Fox News commentator, David Clarke and ex-major league baseball player, fired ESPN commentator, the Trump loving Curt Schilling. 

All of these loonies have been lauded by Trump on numerous occasions.  Trump was strongly in favor of the We Build the Wall organization.  What even more interesting is that Trump was instrumental in the award of US government contract for the border wall to the same company that We Build the Wall was using for their tiny wall construction.  A company that remains under scrutiny by a federal inspector general.

A North Dakota construction company involved in an ongoing Defense Department Inspector General investigation and favored by President Donald Trump was awarded a $1.3 billion contract to build a segment of border wall earlier this month.

Fisher Sand & Gravel has already started building some barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border funded by the nonprofit We Build The Wall. The organization, which counts Steve Bannon and Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince as members of its advisory board, aims to build its own border wall on private land with private funds. For projects unrelated to the border wall, Fisher Sand & Gravel has dozens of environmental, tax and workplace violations dating back to 2000, according to a violations database from Good Jobs First, a nonprofit promoting corporate accountability.

This is what we have come to expect from Trump and his cronies.  They are all a bunch of grifters and crooks who see the Trump presidency as a means to steal as much money as they can get their hands on.  And, if they can't steal from the government (US tax payers) they will steal from the lost souls who still believe in Trump himself.

Shocker! Racist Karen With Scissors

San Francisco parks and recreation department outreach coordination, Andres Patino, came across a woman tearing down barricades at a city park.  When he approached the woman, she responded with a racists rant combined with a side order of Covid-19 denial.  She meekly departed when a uniformed park security officer arrived.  

Yesterday, while doing outreach for LoveDolores, I was approached by this unknown Karen at Dolores Park. Upset about COVID regulations, she took it upon herself to cut & remove the blockade closing the Children’s Playground (mandated by City’s health orders) and verbally harass me.

He Promised to Work, But He Just Golfs

Are there any federal prisons that have golf courses?  

Trump to Vets - FU

Trump is destroying the United States Post Office for his own political needs and the fact that veteran's medication deliveries are being substantially impacted doesn't matter one bit to him.  He needs the Post Office to fail so voting by mail will be impacted.  He doesn't care who he hurts.  

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been forced to find alternative ways to ship mail-order prescriptions for patients whose medication is delivered by the United States Postal Service, including FedEx and UPS, CNN has learned.

The VA acknowledged the change in an email to a veterans group called Disabled Vets of America after it raised the issue on behalf of patients who had reported significant delays in receiving medication from USPS in recent weeks amid a nationwide slowdown, according to a copy of the correspondence reviewed by CNN.

The whole phony rational for all of this "cost cutting" and "efficient improvement" at the Post Office is supposed to increase efficiency and reduce costs, but paying premiums for commercial delivery services isn't a cost reduction.  And, reducing capacity and capabilities in the US postal system doesn't make it more efficient.  

It's not just Trump doing this.  It's the whole Republican Party that his standing aside while he does the damage. 

God Told Me to Poison You

Maybe it's just me, but I tend to be really skeptical when someone tells me that a voice in their head has told them to do something specific.  Let's face it, "the voice in my head told me to do it" is a classic alibi for mass murderers.   It's not that far from "the voice in my head" to "Jesus told me to do that" as a reason for a persons action.  

One of Trump's most recent faux medical advisors (and campaign contributors), Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow (yes, a company that makes pillows) got in a dust-up on CNN due to his strident advocacy for the use of oleandrin, a toxic plant based compound, for the treatment of Covid-19.  After a testy exchange with Anderson Cooper, Lindell made it clear that he was motivated to shill for oleandrin, not because he stands to make money if it is approved for use, but because he had been directed by a higher authority.

“I do what Jesus has me do. I give the glory to God and I want to help people, that’s my passion,” Lindell said. “I’m not driven, I’m not money-driven.”

After Cooper asked whether “Jesus wants you promoting remedies that have never been tested,” Lindell implored him to ask himself why he’d ruin his reputation if he didn’t believe in the product.

Cooper refuted the notion that Lindell has a great reputation by pointing out that he received an “F” from the Better Business Bureau.

“You are in my prayers,  Anderson, because they destroyed me when I went all in for this great President,” Lindell said.

Wouldn't it be a great day if Jesus would just tell a few of these asshats to start promoting wearing masks and social distancing?  Why is He only dealing with people like Lindell?

"Enough is enough!"

Kristin Urquiza's father voted for Trump and continued to believe Trump's lies and deceptions about how Trump had Covid-19 under control.  He continued to believe until he was attached to a respirator.  Five days later he was dead.

Mark Anthony Urquiza, Kristen's father, died because he put his faith in a faithless man.  In his obituary, Kristen laid the blame for his death on “carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies.”  What an apt description of both Arizona governor, Doug Ducey, and his political mentor, Donald Trump.  

UNC Provides Definition for a "clusterf**k"

It was just two week ago that students began moving into residence halls at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  I assume that they were excited to back in school and to have the chance to hang out with friends over on Franklin Street, the social hub of Chapel Hill.  The whole in-person education venture at UNC collapsed in just the span of those two weeks as Covid-19 cases have spiked at the school, with clusters of cases at residence halls and at least one fraternity.  This headline from the school paper sums up what everyone should have know before the lugged their stuff back into their dorm rooms.



Of course the blame has to fall on the irresponsible students who, following the example of so many of our leaders, failed to take the appropriate precautions and behaved like....college students.  

On Monday, Barbara Rimer, dean of UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, called for the university to move to online-only classes. Rimer cited the “growing numbers of clusters and insufficient control over the off-campus behavior of students (and others)“ after only one week of the fall semester.

“We have tried to make this work, but it is not working,” Rimer said.

How do you make something like this work in the midst of a pandemic where it is painfully obvious that the virus is everywhere and is highly contagious?  These are people who apparently would play Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun.

Multi-millionaire Couple Will Bravely Send Kids To School

Lil' Prince and Princess Jared and Ivanka are multi-millionaires, they live in a protective bubble financed by American tax payers and have daily access to coronavirus testing.  Prince Jared is quite happy to send his three children to their exclusive private school when the school year begins.  He's even a bit miffed that the school has adopted a hybrid model with both in-class and home learning.  Of course, his kids will be receiving their home study from some well paid private tutor, who will also be tested for the virus on a routine basis.  So, I guess you have to applaud the courage of the prince and princess unlike the families working multiple jobs and the single mothers trying to work and deal with home schooling, the "royals" are ready to put it all on the line.

White House adviser and son-in-law of the president Jared Kushner has said he will “absolutely” send his children back to school when classes reopen, despite widespread concerns that in-person learning puts children, faculty and their families at risk from Covid-19.

These people are a stain on our country.

People Doing the Right Thing

While Americans are rushing to empty animal shelters of dogs and cats, they are also filling up wild animal rescue and rehabilitation facilities.  With free time to burn and no particular place to go, people are actually paying more attention to what's going on in nature around them.

...The pandemic has changed our normal routines — more people are spending time outside and becoming aware of the wildlife in their backyards or local parks.

It's not that there are more orphaned or injured animals, it's that people are paying more attention.

"People are home, they're bored, they're looking out the window, they're going on walks, they're actually paying more attention, or they have the time to look an animal up and find out where it's supposed to go, " says Melissa Anahory, programs and operation assistant at Woodlands Wildlife Refuge in Pittstown, New Jersey.

Woodlands Wildlife Refuge has taken in 250 more animals than this time last year. At Fox Valley, they're up 1,000 animals. Several rehabbers I reached out to for this article were unavailable for interviews because they were so overwhelmed with constant animal intake and care.

But, maybe it's not just that people are bored.  The impulse to help out nature may be one way humans respond to a world that seems out of control.

The pandemic may be unprecedented in our experience, but experts says this desire to do more follows patterns we've seen during other tumultuous times. Alison Cawood, marine ecologist and citizen science coordinator at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, notes that big changes such as elections or natural disasters often inspire spikes in people wanting to do something bigger than themselves, whether it's reporting a species on a citizen science app or calling a wildlife rehabilitator about an injured animal.

It would be nice if we carried on this behavior after the pandemic is behind us.