Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about the vaccines

Now, this is what journalism should do - investigate the facts and disseminate them to a broad range of folks. Below are a Q&A on the vaccine. Subscribers sent in questions and reporters investigated and provided answers from the authorities on the subject. Professional Journalists are trained to find the correct people to ask, who can provide reliable answers. The NY Times is reliable - or the most reliable print publication that I've found in my region. (I don't trust half of them.)

NY Times Answers Your Questions on the Vaccine"

( The New York Times Reporters Investigate and Answer Submitted Questions About the Vaccine )

Day #272

Just finished attending my congregations' book discussion of "How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibrham Kendi". It was an interesting discussion - although I wish it was with a more diverse crowd, most of the attendees were old white people. Many of which were older than me.

( the pitfalls of discussing racism with old liberal white people on Zoom )

ZOOM is not the best platform for discussion. It's kind of akin to listen, wait, raise hand. And you don't really know how people are receiving what you said. There's no exchange of energy or viewing really of body language.I find it monotonous, and feel for my poor niece who has to take classes in this manner for the foreseeable future.

The Vaccine

Although it may not be for that long - the New York Times believes that people who are not in the high risk categories will receive the vaccine by late April, early May. (Which most likely means that I'll get it by my next Doctor's appointment. Gee, I can hardly wait. (Sarcasm - I don't want to get it that quickly. I'm happy to wait.) ) NYU Langone informed me by text message - that yes, they had the vaccine, but they were not providing it to clients/patients yet - they were giving it to the first tier health-care workers - working on the front-lines. And they'd inform us when it would be made available. So don't schedule an appointment for one quite yet. (My guess is I'll get it through them.) Jetblue meanwhile has put together an app - that will tell them if you've tested negative for the Virus or gotten vaccinated, prior to boarding a plane.

The Electoral College

In other news, the electoral college filed their votes. Unlike previous elections, there weren't any rogue delegates this go around. (Not that there are that many to begin with - the parties tend to nominate loyal delegates, and long term party members.) But the reason there aren't any is the swing states, where they resided, passed laws forbidding it. (They did that after 2016, when it became an issue - the Republicans actually were the ones who pushed for the laws - so it wouldn't happen again.)
In addition - Mitch McConnell - the Republican Senate Majority Leader (who seriously, makes me miss Bob Dole), in a nice twist, finally congratulated Biden on his win and accepted Joe Biden as officially the next President.
He thanked the 45th and his henchbuddy for their service. (So that pretty much is the ball game, folks. Not that the 45th will accept it - he needs money. So he'll continue to tweet, resist, and bully until they drag him and his cronies out of the White House screaming. Why? He needs the money - and he's raising a lot of money playing this game. I swear that man has taken "negative advertising" to new heights. Proving that you can raise over 400 million dollars by being an asshole.)

Congress is attempting to pass an economic stimulus bill before break to keep the country going. To do so, they've had to remove the two controversial items - state stimulus and legal immunity for businesses, this is so they can get a bill passed that will provide funding for vaccine distribution, testing, and unemployment benefits. (Hence the reason the Republicans in Congress are pussyfooting around the Doofus.)

On FB one of the Lawyers for Good Government made a fool out of himself asking everyone to sign a petition to boot the Congressional Senators and Represenatives from office. Yeah, kind of difficult to do since all of those Senators and Representatives were elected to their office. We can't just petition to get rid of them because we want to - it doesn't work like that - nor should it. Makes me wonder about some of these lawyers...did they skip the administrative and constitutional law courses? Or just basic American Government class? Most of them were snarking in response to the idiot's post, which I understood, I had to restrain myself from doing it as well.

Crazy workplace

At work, I was trying to update a contract on the Comptroller's site, but it wouldn't let me in. So I contacted IT.

IT: We're going to need more information before we can help you. Please provide the full name of your company, tax id or federal tax id.
Me: I work for a State Agency (State Agency Name) and as such, it's tax exempt. There is no tax or federal tax id.

I'd understand if I hadn't listed my agency in the previous email, but I had. Plus said agency and the Comptroller's Office were in the paper this morning.

Oh speaking of reporting..

Manager #1 (aka Breaking Bad): Any items for the board.
Me: I don't have anything.
Manager #2 (aka Tahani): Any items for the board from January to April.
Me: No.
Tahani: Anything from April to June?
Me: No. Or not unless someone assigns me a project that requires it.
Tahani: Understood. Thank you.

I'm starting to wonder about my management.( Read more... )

Winter Storm Gail

Well, they are all freaking out over a winter storm tomorrow. The first during the pandemic. New York acts like it is about to get hit by a hurricane. It's a nor-easter, so close, I guess. Most of it will be tomorrow night and Thursday.

The Mayor stated that schools would be open. But if they close - it's just a remote learning day. (I honestly don't understand why they can't just close them - it's not like people can't do it remotely at the moment. Safer for all concerned during a snowstorm and a pandemic.)
( Read more... )

Anyhow because of the Winter Storm coming...I took a walk at lunch around my block and after work around the block. Both were quick little walks.

And this was the sign out front of the Jewish Recreational Center and School:

Day #37 of the 50 Day Book Challenge..

The prompt is ... A book that made you cry

Sigh.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I bawled at the end of that book. And I rarely cry in books. It takes a lot to move me to tears in books. Television - not so much, books yep.

I read the book because - it was rec'd to me by someone I trust, and it really does an excellent job of describing fandom or becoming obsessed with a story - as a way of coping with life's pain and getting through it.

It was rec'd to me because of how it depicts fandom or becoming fannish about something.

I don't recommend the movie. Some of the fannishness is lost in the film.