Day 241 of Corona Virus Diaries
Nov. 13th, 2020 05:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatIt's the weekend. Yippee. Not that I'm really doing anything, but it is nice not to have to work, worry about work, or get up early for three days. I'm taking Monday off.
It occurred to me today that as much as I may whine about crazy workplace, I do love aspects of it. When I moved to NYC in 1996, I fell in love with the public transportation system - we had subways, buses, and trains - and they were to a degree interconnected. The only other time I experienced anything like it was London - which I also fell in love with. London is the only other city in the world that I could live in without any problems.
So, it's not surprising I've ended up working for a commuter railroad and now, a public transportation system. I'm grateful for this job, even if it drives me crazy.
The Never-Ending 2020 Election
For the first time in a very long time, I found the morning's NY Times briefing to be reassuring. (Usually it makes me want to hide under my bed and not come out.)
Why?
Ah..
THE ELECTION
Biden narrowly won Arizona. The victory brings him to 290 electoral votes.
More Republicans and their allies have begun acknowledging Biden’s victory, including Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, the veteran party operative Karl Rove and the editorial board of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, a newspaper owned by the family of the Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson.
Several more Republican senators — including Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham and John Thune — said Trump should let Biden receive classified intelligence briefings.
Trump privately pressed advisers about the possibility of Republican state legislatures appointing electors to vote for him in the Electoral College, bypassing voters’ wishes. But it was not a detailed conversation. “He knows it’s over,” one adviser said.
Federal, state and local election officials said the election “was the most secure in American history” and that there was “no evidence” of any compromised voting systems.
China congratulated Biden after days of silence, signaling a start to its relations with the incoming administration."
The fact that I found this reassuring probably says a lot about the news this year to date, doesn't it?
Anyhow, more good news - Biden Wins Georgia.
It's the first time since 1992, that a Democrat has won Georgia. Although Arizona is kind of similar. Biden now has Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania - with 306 electoral votes.
Go HERE for the NY Times Analysis.
Excerpt: "The victory for Mr. Biden in Georgia — a once reliably Republican state whose politics have shifted to the left — means that he flipped five states Mr. Trump won in 2016. The others were Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Mr. Trump did not flip any state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
All told, Mr. Biden won 25 states and the District of Columbia, home to a combined 57 percent of the country’s population. Mr. Trump won the other 25 states. With more than 78 million votes nationwide, Mr. Biden also beat Mr. Trump in the popular vote by more than 5.3 million votes."
By the way, it doesn't matter if Trump concedes or agrees. Nor does it matter that he won North Carolina.
It's worth noting that this is not the first time the US had someone in the Presidency who thought they should become King or stay in the position. John and Abigail Adams thought once you were president, you got it for life. As did Jefferson. Nixon also wanted to hold onto power.
And it's not the first time we had a contentious election - Tilden/Hayes was contested, Gore challenged Bush in 2000, Hillary challenged Trump in 2016, and The Jefferson/Adams election was so bad - that Hamilton had to be the deciding vote.
Add to all of that - FDR got four terms because of WWII - but he died in office, and after he did so, the Republicans managed to push through the 22nd Amendment which only would allow a President two terms.
New York vs. the Corona Virus and the 45th
But he is trying to kill us all before that happens - by blocking information on the virus, and threatening to block distribution of the vaccine.
Mother: We're watching your Governor on MSNBC - he's being interviewed.
ME: Why?
Mother: The 45th stated that when the vaccine became available it wouldn't be distributed to New York.
ME: Back up - is there one?
Mother: Phfizer -
ME: But that's not ready yet.
Mother: No, it won't be ready for distribution until April.
Me: Trump will be gone by then. He has no control over it.
Mother: That's basically what your Governor said. He also said that NY had its own process in place and its own deals with the distributors - and that the Federal Government had no real say in it.
Me: Yeah, he learned his lesson in the Spring and decided he was on his own and our Federal Government was kind of useless. Now the NY Department of Health has this whole process in place - and they do not trust the FDA.
The reason the 45th is threatening NY is - NY is geared up to throw the 45 into jail for 25 years worth of income tax evasion. He's afraid of New York, which is gunning for him.
Personally, I think everyone should just pretend he never existed and let him fade into oblivion. Narcissists hate that.
New York is managing to keep the virus below dangerous levels, but cases are increasing because of weddings. My dislike of huge weddings is validated. I will NEVER attend one again. EVER. If I ever get married - it will be me, my significant other, the minister/justice of the peace and maybe ten people. Also we'll have cake. I loved the soap opera - where my favorite character, Anna Devane, state: "Do we really need all the trimmings? All we need is you and me, and a few people we love, and the justice of the peace. Although I think we should have cake."
Image of the Day: A story of community spread from a wedding in Maine reminds us how dangerous gatherings can be. [The image shows that an individual who test positive for COVID attended a 55 person wedding, as a result 176 people got the virus, and 7 of those people died. ]
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. The statewide positivity rate fell to 2.65 percent. In the micro-cluster focus areas, the positivity rate was 4.58 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.29 percent. Of the 203,721 tests reported yesterday, 5,401, or 2.65 percent, were positive. Total hospitalizations were at 1,737. Sadly, we lost 24 New Yorkers to the virus. [My area according to my app has a 2.6 % infection rate - I'm sticking close to home, only going out for groceries and exercise - that's it. By April, my hair will most likely be down my back, I do not care.]
2. A regional summit will be held this weekend with governors from Northeastern states. It's important that we are aligned with our neighbors on how we handle the virus. In light of rising cases in the region, I will meet with neighboring governors to discuss aligning our policies amid this national surge. [ I find this comforting. Thank you Governors.]
3. The Rockland County cluster will move to a Yellow Zone. The micro-cluster has been under 3 percent positivity, and hospital admission rates have declined, meeting the metrics for transitioning to a Yellow Precautionary Zone and the buffer zone will be removed. More information about the State's micro-cluster strategy is available here. [NY is doing a great job, but most people are wearing masks.]
4. Yesterday, New York reported a record-high number of tests, with over 200,000 tests reported. As we draw closer to the holidays, it's important that New Yorkers get tested so we can identify positive cases, implement our contact tracing program and stop the spread. Any New Yorker can get tested and you can find a testing site near you here. You can also call 1-888-364-3065 to make an appointment at a New York State-run testing location—most sites have available appointments at drive-thru or walk-in locations. [Part of NY's success strategy is testing. It's testing more than anyone. And it managed do this by breaking with the idiotic Feds, and coming up with its own testing program.]
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Michelin-acclaimed La Morada, a family-run Mexican restaurant in the Bronx, is serving as both a restaurant and soup kitchen. Early on in the pandemic, the owners had to close the restaurant after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, but when they reopened, following a successful online crowdfunding campaign, La Morada began cooking for families in need. Now the restaurant makes about 650 meals a day for fellow New Yorkers—including those who are elderly, unemployed or unable to cook.
Some good news in our difficult times. New York is managing to fight both the virus and the evil thing in the white house.
Almost forgot to add...the gray skies cleared today, and I finally got to get a walk in. I walked to the grocery - and bought a few things. I'm kind of getting used to it. And today - for the first time in forever, Clorox Wipes were available. I love Clorox Wipes - I took them for granted for so long.
Oh here comes the sun - view outside the window today...and my mood cleared with it. Overall a good day.
It occurred to me today that as much as I may whine about crazy workplace, I do love aspects of it. When I moved to NYC in 1996, I fell in love with the public transportation system - we had subways, buses, and trains - and they were to a degree interconnected. The only other time I experienced anything like it was London - which I also fell in love with. London is the only other city in the world that I could live in without any problems.
So, it's not surprising I've ended up working for a commuter railroad and now, a public transportation system. I'm grateful for this job, even if it drives me crazy.
The Never-Ending 2020 Election
For the first time in a very long time, I found the morning's NY Times briefing to be reassuring. (Usually it makes me want to hide under my bed and not come out.)
Why?
Ah..
THE ELECTION
Biden narrowly won Arizona. The victory brings him to 290 electoral votes.
More Republicans and their allies have begun acknowledging Biden’s victory, including Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, the veteran party operative Karl Rove and the editorial board of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, a newspaper owned by the family of the Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson.
Several more Republican senators — including Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham and John Thune — said Trump should let Biden receive classified intelligence briefings.
Trump privately pressed advisers about the possibility of Republican state legislatures appointing electors to vote for him in the Electoral College, bypassing voters’ wishes. But it was not a detailed conversation. “He knows it’s over,” one adviser said.
Federal, state and local election officials said the election “was the most secure in American history” and that there was “no evidence” of any compromised voting systems.
China congratulated Biden after days of silence, signaling a start to its relations with the incoming administration."
The fact that I found this reassuring probably says a lot about the news this year to date, doesn't it?
Anyhow, more good news - Biden Wins Georgia.
It's the first time since 1992, that a Democrat has won Georgia. Although Arizona is kind of similar. Biden now has Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania - with 306 electoral votes.
Go HERE for the NY Times Analysis.
Excerpt: "The victory for Mr. Biden in Georgia — a once reliably Republican state whose politics have shifted to the left — means that he flipped five states Mr. Trump won in 2016. The others were Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Mr. Trump did not flip any state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
All told, Mr. Biden won 25 states and the District of Columbia, home to a combined 57 percent of the country’s population. Mr. Trump won the other 25 states. With more than 78 million votes nationwide, Mr. Biden also beat Mr. Trump in the popular vote by more than 5.3 million votes."
By the way, it doesn't matter if Trump concedes or agrees. Nor does it matter that he won North Carolina.
It's worth noting that this is not the first time the US had someone in the Presidency who thought they should become King or stay in the position. John and Abigail Adams thought once you were president, you got it for life. As did Jefferson. Nixon also wanted to hold onto power.
And it's not the first time we had a contentious election - Tilden/Hayes was contested, Gore challenged Bush in 2000, Hillary challenged Trump in 2016, and The Jefferson/Adams election was so bad - that Hamilton had to be the deciding vote.
Add to all of that - FDR got four terms because of WWII - but he died in office, and after he did so, the Republicans managed to push through the 22nd Amendment which only would allow a President two terms.
New York vs. the Corona Virus and the 45th
But he is trying to kill us all before that happens - by blocking information on the virus, and threatening to block distribution of the vaccine.
Mother: We're watching your Governor on MSNBC - he's being interviewed.
ME: Why?
Mother: The 45th stated that when the vaccine became available it wouldn't be distributed to New York.
ME: Back up - is there one?
Mother: Phfizer -
ME: But that's not ready yet.
Mother: No, it won't be ready for distribution until April.
Me: Trump will be gone by then. He has no control over it.
Mother: That's basically what your Governor said. He also said that NY had its own process in place and its own deals with the distributors - and that the Federal Government had no real say in it.
Me: Yeah, he learned his lesson in the Spring and decided he was on his own and our Federal Government was kind of useless. Now the NY Department of Health has this whole process in place - and they do not trust the FDA.
The reason the 45th is threatening NY is - NY is geared up to throw the 45 into jail for 25 years worth of income tax evasion. He's afraid of New York, which is gunning for him.
Personally, I think everyone should just pretend he never existed and let him fade into oblivion. Narcissists hate that.
New York is managing to keep the virus below dangerous levels, but cases are increasing because of weddings. My dislike of huge weddings is validated. I will NEVER attend one again. EVER. If I ever get married - it will be me, my significant other, the minister/justice of the peace and maybe ten people. Also we'll have cake. I loved the soap opera - where my favorite character, Anna Devane, state: "Do we really need all the trimmings? All we need is you and me, and a few people we love, and the justice of the peace. Although I think we should have cake."
Image of the Day: A story of community spread from a wedding in Maine reminds us how dangerous gatherings can be. [The image shows that an individual who test positive for COVID attended a 55 person wedding, as a result 176 people got the virus, and 7 of those people died. ]
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. The statewide positivity rate fell to 2.65 percent. In the micro-cluster focus areas, the positivity rate was 4.58 percent. Excluding these areas, it was 2.29 percent. Of the 203,721 tests reported yesterday, 5,401, or 2.65 percent, were positive. Total hospitalizations were at 1,737. Sadly, we lost 24 New Yorkers to the virus. [My area according to my app has a 2.6 % infection rate - I'm sticking close to home, only going out for groceries and exercise - that's it. By April, my hair will most likely be down my back, I do not care.]
2. A regional summit will be held this weekend with governors from Northeastern states. It's important that we are aligned with our neighbors on how we handle the virus. In light of rising cases in the region, I will meet with neighboring governors to discuss aligning our policies amid this national surge. [ I find this comforting. Thank you Governors.]
3. The Rockland County cluster will move to a Yellow Zone. The micro-cluster has been under 3 percent positivity, and hospital admission rates have declined, meeting the metrics for transitioning to a Yellow Precautionary Zone and the buffer zone will be removed. More information about the State's micro-cluster strategy is available here. [NY is doing a great job, but most people are wearing masks.]
4. Yesterday, New York reported a record-high number of tests, with over 200,000 tests reported. As we draw closer to the holidays, it's important that New Yorkers get tested so we can identify positive cases, implement our contact tracing program and stop the spread. Any New Yorker can get tested and you can find a testing site near you here. You can also call 1-888-364-3065 to make an appointment at a New York State-run testing location—most sites have available appointments at drive-thru or walk-in locations. [Part of NY's success strategy is testing. It's testing more than anyone. And it managed do this by breaking with the idiotic Feds, and coming up with its own testing program.]
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Michelin-acclaimed La Morada, a family-run Mexican restaurant in the Bronx, is serving as both a restaurant and soup kitchen. Early on in the pandemic, the owners had to close the restaurant after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, but when they reopened, following a successful online crowdfunding campaign, La Morada began cooking for families in need. Now the restaurant makes about 650 meals a day for fellow New Yorkers—including those who are elderly, unemployed or unable to cook.
Some good news in our difficult times. New York is managing to fight both the virus and the evil thing in the white house.
Almost forgot to add...the gray skies cleared today, and I finally got to get a walk in. I walked to the grocery - and bought a few things. I'm kind of getting used to it. And today - for the first time in forever, Clorox Wipes were available. I love Clorox Wipes - I took them for granted for so long.
Oh here comes the sun - view outside the window today...and my mood cleared with it. Overall a good day.