The news from March 16, 2022
Daylight Savings May Officially Be a Thing of the Past
Almost 100 years ago day light savings was started by President Roosevelt. During World War II the president signed into law that the clocks would “spring forward” in the spring time and “fall back” around mid-autumn. The main reason stated was to give farmers an extra hour of daylight in the morning so their early work wasn’t being completed in the dark. Since we have moved into the 21st century, the law has become a bit antiquated; we all wake up to get work done whether it’s light out or not.
As of yesterday, the senate voted to make day light savings permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act, as it is known, has to now go through the house and then on to the president’s desk to be signed in order for the law to take effect. Once all is said and done, we could be keeping our clocks in permanent spring forward as of November 2023.
Who Has Covid-19 in the White House?
Joe Biden announced in a press meeting yesterday that there were some changes in the line up during a presser because the “husband of the First Lady contracted” Covid-19. Someone (we think it was Jill Biden) piped up from off camera, “that’s you!” to a room of full of muffled giggles.
Biden response was a bit awkward in which he realized that he was in fact the husband of the first lady and that he wasn’t, in fact, talking about Kamala Harris’s husband (otherwise known as the second gentleman), Doug Emhoff. Mr. Emhoff, had indeed tested positive earlier that day and “out of abundance of caution” Harris was not participating in the event last night.
The news from March 15, 2022
Tom Brady UNretires
It’s been almost a month since we updated you on the news (and not for lack of world events!) and I wanted to kick off (pun intended) this update with the shocking report of Tom Brady unretiring.
Following the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, Brady dropped the inevitable news that he would not be returning to play football. Many in the sporting world congratulated him on his 22 years in the game commenting on not only what an amazing player he had been but also what a wonderful teammate and person he is.
Well, only a month or so later and Brady announced he was coming back to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the ‘22-‘23 season. It is reported that he has a $25 million contract for this season which could be one of the reasons for the return, however, Brady has proven that he is a valuable player and his return will most likely bring back more of the usual NFL fans.
Question for your kid: Why do you think Tom Brady decided to come out of retirement?
USA Today Names the “Women” of the Year
USA Today named their 12 “women” of the year this morning. Among those listed are Simone Biles (USA Olympian gymnast), Nina Garcia (Editor in Chief of Elle magazine), Rosalind Brewer (the only Black woman that is CEO to a Fortune 500 company), and Rachel Levine (the transgender woman who was appointed to the position of secretary of health).
Now, I am not arguing who should or should not be on a “women of the year” list based on any of their accomplishments (whether I agree with said accomplishment or not). Some of these women have done incredible work and are rightly being honored for their contributions in today’s world. I am, however, going to point out that a women of the year list should be made up of just that— women.
Rachel Levine has done some great work, and maybe deserves to to be on a list of people who have contributed to today’s world, but I don’t think that Levine should be on a women of year list. If USA Today wants to include trans people then they should change the name of the honor.
Question for your kid: Do you think the name of the title given by the USA Today should be changed or do you think that it should only include women?
The news from Feb 17, 2022
Harbor Seal Hero!
This short but sweet story is one I was so excited to share with my own children. A sea urchin diver fell off of his boat one night last month off the coast of California. After he landed in the water, he realized that the motor was still running on the boat as it started getting farther and farther away form him in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Wearing only a T-shirt and shorts and getting colder by the minute in the chilly waters, the thought of his family was what was keeping him going. While he couldn’t see the shore line which was miles away, he could see that there was an oil platform swimming distance away. Suddenly, a splash in the water alerted him to the seal that ended up saving his life. The seal swam over and kept nudging him in the right direction, eventually aiding in getting the man safely to the oil rig platform where he was taken aboard and transferred to a nearby hospital on the mainland.
Super Bowl Signals the End of the Mandates?
I have to admit, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl this year. I did, however, see the highlights from the crowd. Over 100,000 people were expected to be in and around the stadium on Sunday and many were caught maskless. According to the rules at the SoFi stadium, everyone in attendance needed to show proof of vaccination and then wear their mask. Every patron was gifted an N-95 mask upon arrival, so there was no reason why their noses and mouths shouldn’t have been covered.
Mayor Garcetti (who has been known for the past 2 years to have the harshest measures put in place for Covid-19) had been photographed without his mask a few days prior at the same stadium and gave the excuse that he was holding his breath while holding his mask in his hand in order to take each and every picture. I ask, then, was he able to hold his breath during the 8-12 hours of pregame, game, halftime show, etc… where he was photographed many many times throughout the day with a mask no where in site?
Mayor Garcetti was not the only one defying the mask mandate that had still been in place in LA County as of that Sunday. Many of the stars in attendance (Lebron James, Ellen Degeneres and her wife Portia DeRossi, Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Ryan Reynolds, Sarah Jessica Parker… just to name a few— the count has reached almost 300 celebs) were maskless the entire time they were in the stadium. Many of these people have been extremely vocal over the last 2 years about how important it is to wear your mask, even being quoted in some cases as saying, “don’t be an a$$, wear your mask”.
The data over the last 2 years has shown iffy results in how effective masks really are. So, has the science really changed? Or rather is it, as some on the right have pointed out, “the political science is the thing that changed”?
The news from Feb 1, 2022
Dr. Robert Malone— who is he and why does he matter?
Dr. Robert Malone seems to be worse than enemy #1 right now. Not just the United States government, but the world at large, is trying to discredit everything he has to say. But, who is he and why?
Dr. Robert Malone is an American physician and biochemist. He has been closely involved with mRNA research for the last 40 years and aided (along with hundreds of other researchers) in creating the mRNA shot being used to try to slow the spread of Covid-19.
He has served as director of clinical affairs for Avancer Group, he was the assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore school of medicine, and was an adjunct associate professor of biotechnology at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Malone was the founder and CEO of Atheric Pharmaceutical (which assisted in the development of treatment for the Zika virus by looking at medicines we currently have to help those who were/are infected) and until 2020 Dr. Malone was the chief medical officer at Alchem Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company in Florida.
The big controversy is that Dr. Robert Malone is hesitant to force mandated mRNA vaccines on the general population and feels that early treatment of Covid-19 with other medicines (like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and monoclonal antibodies) are beneficial to those without co-morbidities as well as young and health people. He is worried about the toxicity of the spike proteins generated by the mRNA vaccine and feels there hasn’t been enough research as to what the harmful side effects of the vaccine may cause or not.
Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube have banned him. Podcasters can have their episodes in which they interview him removed from the internet. And the media has deemed him a danger because they claim that he is spreading misinformation. But is he? Since when are we not allowed to have a debate or a discussion on differing opinions (especially in science)?
Truckers’ (and farmers’) protest in Canada ignored by the media
Restrictions in Canada for protection against Covid-19 are extremely strict; in Ontario indoor gatherings are limited to 5 people (outdoor gatherings can only have 10 people); gyms, theaters, and indoor performance centers are closed; vaccine passports are required to enter pretty much any building. In Quebec, there was a night curfew in place up until January 17th and an announcement was made just last week that any adult without the vaccine will have to pay a financial penalty.
The truckers decided to peacefully protest and drove across Canada to gather in Ottawa. They call themselves the “Freedom Convoy” and their procession is over 45 miles long; the trucks in the lead are parked in the streets of downtown Ottawa with no intention to move until the restrictions are lifted. Farmers have also joined the Freedom Convoy and have parked their trailers next to the big rigs.
The greatest part about this protest is that it really is peaceful. As of today, Ottawa has reported no violence nor injuries.
Tom Brady is officially retiring
Tom Brady is retiring after 22 years in the National Football League. He may be the most decorated player in NFL history with seven Super Bowl rings and 5 of Super Bowl’s most valuable player awards, along with being the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, completions, and passing touchdowns.
He began his career with the New England Patriots in 2001. In the time he played with them, Brady helped them win 6 Super Bowls and following the 2019 season moved over to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helping them win the Super Bowl (making it his 7th) in 2020.
According to the NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, “Tom Brady will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play in the NFL. An incredible competitor and leader, his stellar career is remarkable for its longevity but also for the sustained excellence he displayed year after year. Tom made everyone around him better and always seemed to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments”
We wish you well, Tom, in your retirement and look forward to seeing what other great things you will do.
3 stories from the news this week
West Virginia Governor, shows a crowd his bull dog’s tush in response to Bette Midler’s rant
Bette Midler, a famous singer/actress, went on a tirade on Twitter in December of 2021, expressing her displeasure in West Virginia’s senator Joe Manchin and his views on not voting to kill the filibuster along with not voting for the democrat led voting rights bill and Joe Biden’s spending bill.
West Virginia’s governor, Jim Justice, fired back during his state of the state address this week listing all of WV accomplishments over the last few years and then showing his bulldog’s rear end to the crowd and the camera stating, “Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, kiss her hiney” This received a standing ovation from the members of the WV legislature.
Rescuers form human chain on collapsed bridge in Pittsburgh, PA
On Friday morning a 50 year old bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, PA trapping a bus full of people suspended on the bridge along with a few cars 150 feet down in the ravine.
On a usual day the bridge could see about 15,000 vehicles cross over it. Being that is was early in the morning when the bridge collapsed, it lucky that it was still quiet as things could have ended a lot worse.
Several cars ended up in the ravine but rescuers got all the passengers out safely by repelling down to reach them. The bus that was left suspended was close enough to the hard ground that some of the rescuers formed a human chain so the people on the bus could escape.
Fauci flip flops so many times, DeSantis made Fauci “flip flops” for his new governors ad
Since the beginning of the pandemic Dr. Fauci has flip flopped on many issues. Should the public wear masks or not? Should the public wear masks if one received the shot or not? Should children be kept home from school or are they not at risk from the Covid-19 virus? The list of Fauci’s flip flops goes on…
So, Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, capitalized on Fauci’s flip flopping and created an ad campaign for his next run as governor. The ad shows clips of all of Fauci’s statements followed by the camera panning out on red flip flops in the sand that read, “Freedom over Fauci” and “Fauci can pound sand”.
DeSantis has been criticized for the way that he has approached the virus that has shut down parts of the world; Florida has remained opened since at least June of 2020 with residents deciding mostly for themselves whether or not they will mask up or get the shot. DeSantis has brought to the forefront treatments for Covid-19 as something that is just as beneficial (or even more so) than the shot. And his numbers show that his approach is working.
Here’s to hoping that his ad campaign sparks more discussion on the benefits of what treatments are out there as well continuing his well deserved re-election to the office of Florida’s governor.
“My Cat Escaped Quarantine”
Children’s book coming soon!
Our cat was getting very concerned about why her family hadn’t left the house in months. So, when an opportunity presented itself, she escaped quarantine to investigate what happened to the outside world.
Making Masks
Want to know how you can help from home? If you have a sewing machine (or if you know how to needle sew) you can make masks!!! Follow the tutorial to make your own
Overthrowing Education
Check out the Podcast interview with host, BatSheva Frankel, and her podcast, Overthrowing Education.