Coronavirus Tidbits # 219 11/13/22
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
New Post:
Medscape removed my post on the Fetterman - Oz debate as being "too political," although my focus was on disabilities. They kindly have allowed me to repost it (although they have not allowed me to repost others here).
https://www.drjudystone.com/the-fetterman-oz-debate-highlights-gops-disdain-for-the-disabled/
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Special:
The #Vietnam #veteran featured is a friend of mine--amazing bilateral amputee very active in #permaculture and making the world better for all. Kenny Braitman is a remarkable guy. Please share.#Maryland #farmers #disabilities https://t.co/1MV9JbaMTj pic.twitter.com/OoPtGVIu1K
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 12, 2022
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Elections Update - Ballot Curing need
Some of the races (e.g., Nevada, Arizona, CO, CA local races) have razor thin margins. Many ballots were not counted because of signature mismatches. "Curing" these ballots is not hard in some states, like Nevada, but requires the voters to be contacted quickly. If you can help call these voters (list and script provided), please look on Mobilize.us or contact me.
This is critical in saving Congress.
Please share this link widely with friends and family in Colorado, and anyone who can travel to Colorado to cure ballots until the Nov. 16th deadline: tinyurl.com/cocurecanvass
News
Covid:
Biden administration to extend COVID-19 public health emergency until at least April
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Keeping #omicron infection risk low requires 50 times more room ventilation https://t.co/voYCpSlVcF via @medical_xpress #COVIDIsAirborne
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 12, 2022
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Compared with the first bout, the second time around with #COVID infection is riskier in terms of death, hospitalization, and developing #LongCovid . Nature Medicine https://t.co/21Jz4EzLk8
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 12, 2022
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U.S. set to face third #Covid winter, this time without key tools and treatments --free tests, vaccines, and treatments https://t.co/ERUiwnjmS9 via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 12, 2022
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Despite its location in one of the most remote locations in the world, a COVID-19 outbreak hit a U.S. research station in Antarctica with at least 98 people testing positive out of 993 workers since the beginning of October.
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Important new preprint just posted from @zalaly and colleagues;
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 6, 2022
Paxlovid treatment for Covid associated with ~25% reduction of #LongCovid, beyond less death and hospitalization reduction https://t.co/acE3YoDCWD
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90% - public health has pushed false info (hand washing over masks; vax only)
— Marie Snyder (@MarieSnyder27) November 12, 2022
Vaccines work to prevent severity more than to prevent transmission. N95s prevent most transmission.
Spread facts, not Covid. #BringBackMasks 2/2https://t.co/g0cVTvsehF
Masks:
Congratulations to all the authors of this new article in @NEJM: "Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff". 1/ https://t.co/P2U4BJ1fiq
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) November 9, 2022
What makes this work superlative & the commentary accompanying it notable is that the authors of both focus on equity for children, their families, the staff of schools making it central to the analyses and commentary. This is no lip service: it centers equity from the start. 5/
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) November 9, 2022
Long Covid:
The recording of last night's presentation by @VirusesImmunity is now available. Wanted to be sure to release this as soon as possible. We will address the unanswered questions at a later date. Thank you to all who attended. Our work together continues. https://t.co/YDSFiA8Ivb
— Kindred Long COVID Support (@kindred_health) November 11, 2022
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Anthony sounded the earliest alarms about what SARS-CoV-2 was doing to us and has taken constant abuse for doing it. His resilience is remarkable. Kudos to Andrew Nikiforuk for this clear chronology of the truths @fitterhappierAJ has been fighting for.https://t.co/2VxLhFRbhO
— Diego Bassani, PhD (@DGBassani) November 7, 2022
Ebola:
NEW: Uganda will close all schools after 23 cases were confirmed among students.
— Ebola Tracker (Live Updates) (@ebola_cases) November 8, 2022
Cases have been found in five schools in Kampala. Other schools in Wakiso and Mubende are also impacted.https://t.co/FnCL4GeZc3
Other:
‘The tipping point is coming’: Unprecedented exodus of young life scientists is shaking up... https://t.co/sELMhUiZQ9 via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 12, 2022
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Terrific story on "state fair flu" — how #flu viruses that circulate in pigs evolve and move about, and the risks they pose to people, by @sciencecohen. https://t.co/KuimkZ2nk0
— Helen Branswell 🇺🇦 (@HelenBranswell) November 11, 2022
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https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1590844570572816384?s=20&t=XCyt8qMQjrqf19xfqwxjJw
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs:
Study: Cholesterol drug Fenofibrate has no significant effect on COVID-19
After showing promise in early laboratory research, the cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate had no significant effect on COVID-19 outcomes in a multicenter international randomized controlled trial, where use of the drug did little to curb severity of disease or deaths. The study is published in Nature Metabolism.
Nov 7 Nat Metab study
Nov 7 Penn Medicine press release
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/11/news-scan-nov-08-2022
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Devices:
For those who still insist that masks don't work, please read this:https://t.co/Wi8KSjjE7w.
— Professor Adrian Esterman (@profesterman) November 11, 2022
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New paper showing that air filters and HEPA air cleaners reduce indoor particles by 90%. More confirmation of the effectiveness of these mitigation measures. https://t.co/b6wD0rORtM
— Jim Rosenthal (@JimRosenthal4) November 11, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Covid:
22% of kids with COVID-19 or MIS-C had neurologic involvement in 2020-21
A study of US patients aged 0 to 20 years hospitalized for COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in 2020 and 2021 shows that 22% had a neurologic condition, including 9% with life-threatening illness.
"COVID-19 vaccination is effective at preventing hospitalization for acute COVID-19 and MIS-C and may decrease associated neurologic complications."
Nov 7 JAMA Neurol study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/11/news-scan-nov-08-2022
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This can’t be good.https://t.co/O0kW3Fg648
— The Ebola Outbreak (Monkeypoxtally) (@Monkeypoxtally) November 11, 2022
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Eg in this study, where there were actually higher levels of covid in air in adjacent hospital corridors, than in rooms with covid +ve patients. https://t.co/g70ccw9bq4
— Covid is airborne NZ (@covid_nz_ed) January 27, 2022
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Monkeypox:
Household contact, sex among risk factors in monkeypox cases in kids, teens
In a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers detail 83 confirmed monkeypox cases among US children and teens, noting household contact in younger kids and sex in teens as the major risk factors.
Young kids most often exposed at home
Among 20 children aged 0 to 12 (71%) with available exposure data, 19 were exposed in the household setting, the authors said. Among 17 of these children, the reported exposure was direct skin-to-skin contact that routinely occurs between a child and an adult caregiver.
In one case fomite transmission—towels shared with a caregiver with monkeypox—was the suspected route of exposure for a young child.
Among 35 adolescents (64%) with available exposure data, 32 were boys with direct skin-to-skin sexual contact as the presumed mode of spread:
In an important finding, 10 instances were investigated in which a child or adolescent with monkeypox attended a child care facility (2) or school (8) while symptomatic, but no secondary transmission in these settings took place.
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
Politics:
Covid:
“Infecting an entire generation is irresponsible. We don’t yet know what this infection does to children’s immune systems when it occurs repeatedly.”
— Henry Madison (@RageSheen) November 8, 2022
Karl Lauterbach, Minister for Health, Germany. pic.twitter.com/PVGmxgeg8c
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Turns out my kids - along with over half of the high school - got the flu in part because everyone got breathalyzed at homecoming one after the other and no one cleaned the breathalyzer all evening essentially turning it into a superspreader event. Have we learned NOTHING
— Shenanigans (@Shenanigans_luv) November 6, 2022
Election:
If Republicans win the House by a handful of seats, the right-wing Supreme Court will have ushered them to victory.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) November 10, 2022
How?
The GOP picked up seats in gerrymandered districts that only exist because SCOTUS suspended the ban on racial gerrymandering in the Voting Rights Act.
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Dear Dems: Gen Z saved our ass.
— Pam Keith, Esq. (@PamKeithFL) November 11, 2022
Not just the party, the country, the west and the planet.
We need to make THEIR agenda ours in EVERY way. No more baby steps.
Go ALL IN on climate change, debt relief, social justice, repro rights, cannabis legalization & living wages.
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Tonight, the GOP GOVERNOR Candidates Who Refused To Say If They'd Have Certified Biden's 2020 Win In Their States:
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) November 9, 2022
❔Kari Lake, Arizona
❌ Tim Michels, Wisconsin
❌ Tudor Dixon, Michigan
❌ Doug Mastriano, PA
❌ Darren Bailey, Illinois
❌ Dan Cox, Maryland
❌ Lee Zeldin, NY
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We are going to see the GOP introduce a wave of new laws next year targeting young voters in general and students in particular. https://t.co/u1a9qhRhg9
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) November 10, 2022
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Republicans are amazed that the kids they gleefully put through active shooter drills grew up to vote against them.
— somepeoplelikeit (@sumpeoplelikeit) November 10, 2022
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By 2028, Millennials & Gen Z will dominate U.S. elections. This is why the GOP is pulling out all the stops to entrench their power. They know they don't stand a chance against a multi-racial, progressive generation of young people that will make their backwards ideas irrelevant.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) November 9, 2022
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Dems must be ready to act in the lame duck to safeguard against the chaos of a GOP House.
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) November 10, 2022
This means disabling debt limit extortion, reforming the ECA against a stolen 2024 and locking in long term Ukraine aid.
Here's the full "crazyproofing" agenda:https://t.co/tGTfmVdMa1
Alabama:
State Rep. Charlotte Meadows did not make friends in her own party. They disliked her so much, they drew her a new district that would favor a Democrat. And guess what ... https://t.co/45fA1kn9Ny
— Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) November 9, 2022
Arizona:
🚨BREAKING: Federal judge reads a temporary restraining order from the bench blocking Clean Elections USA and its members from engaging in certain activities, like openly carrying firearms or speaking to voters, near drop boxes. More to come. https://t.co/3M1FsmdqAT
— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) November 2, 2022
Florida:
Both U.S. Senate seats, the entire Cabinet and the governor’s office will be in GOP hands for the first time since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. https://t.co/d3KU6qD9OC
— Cristina Silva (@cristymsilva) November 9, 2022
Georgia:
White folks in Georgia regardless of gender and education chose Herschel Walker. pic.twitter.com/ex0m9seBRa
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) November 10, 2022
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Brian Kemp said he’s going to ban contraception. White women in Georgia just re-elected him.
— teddy romano (@teddyruxpinroma) November 9, 2022
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Georgia voters who were never mailed their absentee ballots have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to require Cobb County to send ballots by overnight mail and extend the state's deadline to return them. The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU of Georgia and Southern Poverty Law Center.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 7, 2022
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First, Warnock won this round by about 20,000 votes. All Warnock has to do is get the same numbers in December and he’ll win the seat.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) November 9, 2022
For the record, Warnock won Georgia last night by nearly twice as many votes as Biden won Georgia by in 2020.
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88% of evangelical Christians voted for Herschel Walker, not Warnock, the candidate who has devoted his adult life to Jesus Christ. Let that sink in.
— PammyCanFinallySleepAtNight (@PSchmaling) November 9, 2022
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Nikki Haley says that Raphael Warnock, an American black man born in Savannah, should be "deported". A reminder: there's no such thing as GOP "moderates".https://t.co/VuzYsWTTLV
— Andrew Gawthorpe (@andygawt) November 7, 2022
Illinois:
My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district.
— Nabeela Syed (@NabeelaforIL) November 9, 2022
And in January, I’ll be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly.
Michigan:
NEW: jaw-dropping initial youth voting numbers out of University of Michigan. 94% of students voted for Gretchen Whitmer. Only 6% voted for Tudor Dixon.
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) November 10, 2022
Here’s the bottom line: young people were—& will be—key for Democrats’ success. Time to pay attention & invest in Gen Z.
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No one should have to wait in line this long to vote, but so impressed with these young people's commitment to love of country–and to each other.https://t.co/zC9BypuhxC
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) November 10, 2022
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Benson defeated Kristina Karamo, who rose to prominence after spreading lies about witnessing fraud in Michigan’s 2020 election. https://t.co/vqd7TQ9nXE # via @HuffPostPol
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 9, 2022
Pennsylvania:
So I decided to vote because the situation in Pennsylvania is real fuckin dicey. I mailed in my ballot last week, but got a call today that there was an issue. Went to City Hall to fix it and this was the scene. Then cops kicked a bunch of people out of line so I guess that’s it? pic.twitter.com/D9DsLx0ncw
— Kim Kelly (@GrimKim) November 7, 2022
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A court in Pennsylvania has ruled against Republicans, saying that election officials in Monroe County can continue to notify voters whose mail-in ballots include errors, such as incorrect or missing dates, and help voters fix those problems before the end of Election Day.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 8, 2022
Texas:
New: Governor Greg Abbott — who virtually attended the NRA Conference instead of the Uvalde funeral — has won re-election in Texas. He defeated Beto O’Rourke — who campaigned on protecting women’s reproductive freedoms & vowed to make schools safer by enacting gun safety laws.
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) November 9, 2022
NEW: The Uvalde shooting sparked calls for gun reform and a change in top state leadership. Tonight, with 10 of 16 precincts reporting, Uvalde county voters are resoundingly supporting Gov. Greg Abbott over Beto O'Rourke, 57-41 percent.
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) November 9, 2022
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I’m just gonna set this right here. pic.twitter.com/o3JntybxUz
— Tory Gavito (@torygavito) November 9, 2022
Wisconsin:
Barnes lost by 27K votes; was outspent by outside groups by $27 million.
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) November 10, 2022
$29 million of that spending came from one group, funded by three billionaires that Johnson personally created a massive tax break for.
No reporting of this race is complete without these basic facts. https://t.co/vftt0roDjj
TFG:
Trump says that when he was POTUS, he sent the FBI and federal prosecutors to Broward County to ensure a win for Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott. Do I have that right? pic.twitter.com/aDWf6eg0FJ
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) November 11, 2022
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Have I heard him talk about the death penalty for drug dealers before. Yeah. Are drugs a scourge in society? Absolutely. But hearing the crowd cheer the notion of shooting people (what) without due process (pretty bad!) and sending a deathly memento to families (cruel) is sick
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) November 8, 2022
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Again, pretty big story. Should be splashed above the fold of every national paper. Not another poll! https://t.co/JJ420aIGXJ
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) November 8, 2022
Abortion/Reproduction:
‘Mattress Mack’ wins $75M as Astros claim World Series title >> https://t.co/ZzSZT6IrT7 pic.twitter.com/NUSW5gnc8q
— KOLDNews (@KOLDNews) November 8, 2022
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New info is demonstrating that Democrats overperformed specifically in places where abortion rights were genuinely at stake.
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) November 11, 2022
Republicans do not want that to be the story of this election:https://t.co/v7jmXnb9BD pic.twitter.com/ZBYZQJJI3O
Antisemitism:
Men jump onto Chicago school bus and make Nazi threats against Jewish students https://t.co/487xnviptJ #Antisemitism #Kristallnacht
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) November 11, 2022
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Oy gevalt! @KFC apologizes for mobile app alert to "Treat yourself on Kristallnacht!" the anniversary of the night when Nazis burned Jewish-owned stores and thousands of Jews were dragged off to the camps. https://t.co/91sRAmKUU5
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) November 10, 2022
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A kosher restaurant in New York had its glass smashed. This happened on the anniversary of Kristallnacht - the day in 1938 when Nazis smashing Jewish storefronts and synagogues. pic.twitter.com/lDGthBcFN6
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 10, 2022
Climate/Environment:
France is not fucking around
— Philip Oldfield (@SustainableTall) November 9, 2022
New legislation demands all *existing* carparks with 80 or more spaces must install a solar roof (in 3-5 years)
This could generate up to 11 gigawatts, which is the equivalent of 10 nuclear reactorshttps://t.co/J1yrYFQxFU
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The world's elite have arrived at #COP27 on hundreds of private jets to lecture you about climate change. Sponsored by Coca-Cola. pic.twitter.com/fR4rqxL1nP
— DiEM25 (@DiEM_25) November 7, 2022
Elon/Twitter:
Lol: Twitter sent an HR email to every laid off employee acknowledging it's late getting people their separation agreements and release of claims. But the company messed up the BCC and it has become a reply-all catastrophe.
— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 11, 2022
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Oy gevalt! @KFC apologizes for mobile app alert to "Treat yourself on Kristallnacht!" the anniversary of the night when Nazis burned Jewish-owned stores and thousands of Jews were dragged off to the camps. https://t.co/91sRAmKUU5
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) November 10, 2022
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banana republic ftw pic.twitter.com/jYg7wB4zHS
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 12, 2022
Greed:
Let's be clear. Eli Lilly should apologize for increasing the price of insulin by over 1,200% since 1996 to $275 while it costs less than $10 to manufacture. The inventors of insulin sold their patents in 1923 for $1 to save lives, not to make Eli Lilly's CEO obscenely rich. https://t.co/5ZpZkqY0f9
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 11, 2022
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Incrediblehttps://t.co/An01JWzOI7 pic.twitter.com/PMciJUXaDr
— Rafael Shimunov is on Mastodon (@rafaelshimunov) November 11, 2022
Investors fear culture caught up with them. More people know insulin's discovery was funded with our money. Insulin's cheaper everywhere else. Insulin's inventors sold the patent for a dollar to a university because they wanted everyone to afford it.https://t.co/Gz7TudI2fg
— Rafael Shimunov is on Mastodon (@rafaelshimunov) November 11, 2022
Guns;
Congratulations to the voters of Oregon. Your rights should not come at the risk of our safety. These measures will reduce gun violence and save lives. pic.twitter.com/gHPvZsxKVA
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) November 10, 2022
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Immigrants
Good morning to this woman. I hope she’s having a fucking gorgeous day 😍 pic.twitter.com/huSKJEjGg3
— Zoe Gardner (@ZoeJardiniere) November 11, 2022
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the US had open borders before 1924. when people say "my grandparents came here legally" they mean "they bought a boat ticket and showed up" because visas, green cards and requirements of passports didn't exist
— gryphoneer (@OneRadChee) November 11, 2022
LGBTQ:
This is extraordinary. Nevada is about to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity into its constitution. I believe this will be the first state to explicitly do so and they did by popular vote. pic.twitter.com/lCyov6M5wV
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) November 9, 2022
Poverty/Homelessness:
“In Finland, the # of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.” https://t.co/EH3reri9lz
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) November 7, 2022
Racism:
“‘There’s a little Black woman walking, spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees. I don’t know what the hell she’s doing; it scares me though,’” Gordon Lawshe told police, according to the 9-year-old girl's mother Monique Joseph. https://t.co/JSZaTsMua4
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 10, 2022
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It's all over Jackson news (local). https://t.co/iRnWCwtLym
— Brett claims he’s clean, safe to drink (@PapaBret) November 8, 2022
Feel good du jour:
It’s official, Colorado voters passed Prop FF to give ALL public school students the option to eat two free school meals daily, regardless of their family’s income. No more shame, worry, or stigma, because a child doesn’t have money to eat. Thanks @hungerfreeco #copolitics & you!
— Rhonda Fields (@SenRhondaFields) November 9, 2022
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On Tuesday I told a friend that on the weeks I don’t have my son, I don’t eat meals so I can make sure I have food for him.
— Peter Kelly (@iampeterkelly) November 11, 2022
He just turned up with this, he has saved me in so many ways. pic.twitter.com/zrYRfDDz0h
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‘Mattress Mack’ wins $75M as Astros claim World Series title >> https://t.co/ZzSZT6IrT7 pic.twitter.com/NUSW5gnc8q
— KOLDNews (@KOLDNews) November 8, 2022
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This little otter does the cutest thing on walks in the snow with his dog siblings! pic.twitter.com/ynPi7Mx0Gb
— The Dodo (@dodo) November 11, 2022
Comic relief:
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1591520436533465088?s=20&t=ib-wrHuTbrWoapuyhDOhvw
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1591415872236982272?s=20&t=ib-wrHuTbrWoapuyhDOhvw
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A smile for your timeline.. 😊
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 10, 2022
🎥 IG: babydollsheepuk pic.twitter.com/83FT3bBLOE
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1590405696688132096?s=20&t=LV-WTzjtYlYQ9cT72xNiYw
Perspective/Poem
On this day in 1970, Charles Schulz replied to a 10-year-old kid who had asked “What makes a good citizen?" pic.twitter.com/fKujaSoSW8
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) November 9, 2022
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“Everyone wishes to be loved, but nearly no one can bear it. Everyone desires love but also finds it impossible to believe that he deserves it.”
— Joy 🐎 Priest (@Dalai_Mama_) November 9, 2022
—James Baldwin
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When I am an old man, when I look back over my life and see I have devoted it to the task of capturing the unique beauty of that world, I believe I will be well satisfied. And no man will make me believe I’ve wasted my time.
— megumi (@caecilia1003) November 8, 2022
—Kazuo Ishiguro
London 1962
©Evelyn Hofer pic.twitter.com/sCC9cUYvV6
Bits of beauty:
