Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Roland99
Roland99's Journal
Roland99's Journal
October 23, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/22/us/pandemic-unemployment-covid.html
Gut-wrenching. Heart-breaking. So many stories like theirs.
A former co-worker I still keep in touch with reached out to me a month ago. Hed still not received ANY unemployment from the state of FL. Had been laid off for about 3 months. Had the most seniority in his dept and he and another more senior person were let go and two younger ones kept.
Said hed been falling into depression. Hes married with 4 kids.
I helped him a little a few times and then he shared good news a couple weeks ago that he got a job better than hed had before. I was so thrilled for him
But so many still without any prospects struggling to not just get by but struggling to survive!
NYT - Out of Work in America
https://twitter.com/marclacey/status/1319604944551464960 As you go to work today realize that millions of Americans would do anything to be in your shoes. We teamed up with news organizations across America to capture joblessness in 2020. Please take a few minutes to read.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/22/us/pandemic-unemployment-covid.html
Americans have endured economic crises before but none quite like this one. To capture the depths of the suffering, The New York Times teamed up with local news organizations across the country earlier in the year to document the lives of a dozen Americans who found themselves out of work.
For months, we followed them as they dialed unemployment hotlines, applied to hundreds of jobs and counted every dollar in their bank accounts for rent and food. All of it while trying to survive a pandemic.
* She had Plan A. Now, its Plans B through Z
* Laid Off With a Baby on the Way
* Two Masters Degrees but Out of Work
* Broken Promises From One Job After Another
* Her Job Was a New Beginning and Then She Lost it
* A Funny Guy in an Un-funny Time
* From a Promising Career to a Dwindling Savings Account
* Watching Every Penny
* I Hope They Put Themselves in Our Shoes
* For a War Veteran, a Different Kind of Training
* A Couple Weeks Became Months on End
* A Career in Hospitality Now on Hold
For months, we followed them as they dialed unemployment hotlines, applied to hundreds of jobs and counted every dollar in their bank accounts for rent and food. All of it while trying to survive a pandemic.
* She had Plan A. Now, its Plans B through Z
* Laid Off With a Baby on the Way
* Two Masters Degrees but Out of Work
* Broken Promises From One Job After Another
* Her Job Was a New Beginning and Then She Lost it
* A Funny Guy in an Un-funny Time
* From a Promising Career to a Dwindling Savings Account
* Watching Every Penny
* I Hope They Put Themselves in Our Shoes
* For a War Veteran, a Different Kind of Training
* A Couple Weeks Became Months on End
* A Career in Hospitality Now on Hold
Gut-wrenching. Heart-breaking. So many stories like theirs.
A former co-worker I still keep in touch with reached out to me a month ago. Hed still not received ANY unemployment from the state of FL. Had been laid off for about 3 months. Had the most seniority in his dept and he and another more senior person were let go and two younger ones kept.
Said hed been falling into depression. Hes married with 4 kids.
I helped him a little a few times and then he shared good news a couple weeks ago that he got a job better than hed had before. I was so thrilled for him
But so many still without any prospects struggling to not just get by but struggling to survive!
October 23, 2020
Avoid those nationally embarrassing moments from now on
PSA - To all old guys in a hotel room with a very young flirty blond
THIS is how a shirt is tucked
Avoid those nationally embarrassing moments from now on
October 22, 2020
More at link
Inside the campaign to 'pizzagate' Hunter Biden
From one of the reporters that Grenell lit into in a pre-debate call earlier today
Pizzagate-style rumors in 2016 were largely confined to far-right message boards. This year, they are reaching the mainstream with help from a website boosted by Trump.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1244331
By Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny
Some of the same people who pushed a false conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton that first emerged in 2016 are now targeting Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, with similar falsehoods. Their online posts are garnering astronomical numbers of shares on social media.
The fantastical rumors, which NBC News is declining to repeat verbatim, echo specific plot points central to "pizzagate," a viral disinformation campaign that predates QAnon but also falsely alleges a vast conspiracy of child abuse.
...
The disinformation campaign appears to have been successful in its goal of generating a smear against the former vice president's son. According to Google Trends, "human trafficking" is now the third-most common related search term for "Hunter Biden" in the last year, after "laptop" and "New York Post," which point to search interest around the unconfirmed allegations that a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden contained evidence of crimes.
The New York Post published an article on Oct. 14 that it said was based on leaked private photos from Hunter Biden's personal hard drive, including photos that appeared to show the younger Biden sleeping and screenshots of unverified emails claiming that he had used his position on the board of an energy company to set up a meeting with his father, then the vice president. Both Bidens have denied any wrongdoing, with Joe Biden recently calling the allegations a "last-ditch effort in this desperate campaign to smear me and my family."
Some of the same people who pushed a false conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton that first emerged in 2016 are now targeting Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, with similar falsehoods. Their online posts are garnering astronomical numbers of shares on social media.
The fantastical rumors, which NBC News is declining to repeat verbatim, echo specific plot points central to "pizzagate," a viral disinformation campaign that predates QAnon but also falsely alleges a vast conspiracy of child abuse.
...
The disinformation campaign appears to have been successful in its goal of generating a smear against the former vice president's son. According to Google Trends, "human trafficking" is now the third-most common related search term for "Hunter Biden" in the last year, after "laptop" and "New York Post," which point to search interest around the unconfirmed allegations that a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden contained evidence of crimes.
The New York Post published an article on Oct. 14 that it said was based on leaked private photos from Hunter Biden's personal hard drive, including photos that appeared to show the younger Biden sleeping and screenshots of unverified emails claiming that he had used his position on the board of an energy company to set up a meeting with his father, then the vice president. Both Bidens have denied any wrongdoing, with Joe Biden recently calling the allegations a "last-ditch effort in this desperate campaign to smear me and my family."
More at link
October 22, 2020
SWEET!
https://www.mobilize.us/fl2020victory/event/350360/
there's been a recent show of support for Rep Eskamani to run for Gov against moRon DeathSantis, too
FL State Rep Anna Eskamani on with THE Mark Hamill for GOTV!
https://twitter.com/AnnaForFlorida/status/1319350003354066945SWEET!
https://www.mobilize.us/fl2020victory/event/350360/
About this event
MAY THE VOTE BE WITH YOU
On October 22st at 3 PM, save the galaxy (or maybe just Florida) with Mark Hamill and Rep. Anna Eskamani on an Early Voting Phone Bank. We will talk to Central Floridians to ensure they are turning out for the Biden/Harris ticket as well as Democrats up and down the ballot. Every vote counts and every call made brings us closer to victory in November!
MAY THE VOTE BE WITH YOU
On October 22st at 3 PM, save the galaxy (or maybe just Florida) with Mark Hamill and Rep. Anna Eskamani on an Early Voting Phone Bank. We will talk to Central Floridians to ensure they are turning out for the Biden/Harris ticket as well as Democrats up and down the ballot. Every vote counts and every call made brings us closer to victory in November!
there's been a recent show of support for Rep Eskamani to run for Gov against moRon DeathSantis, too
October 22, 2020
https://www.thehistorycenter.org/exhibition/the-ocoee-massacre/
Central FL voters - 'UNFAZED'. 100 YEAR anniversary of Ocoee Massacre
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1319095503771045889'UNFAZED': Voters waited in the pouring rain to cast their ballots early on Wednesday in central Florida. https://abcn.ws/3oeRwFx
https://www.thehistorycenter.org/exhibition/the-ocoee-massacre/
The 1920 Ocoee Massacre in Orange County, Florida, remains the largest incident of voting-day violence in United States history.
Events unfolded on Election Day 1920, when Mose Norman, a black U.S. citizen, attempted to exercise his legal right to vote in Ocoee and was turned away from the polls. That evening, a mob of armed white men came to the home of his friend, July Perry, in an effort to locate Norman. Shooting ensued. Perry was captured and eventually lynched. An unknown number of African American citizens were murdered, and their homes and community were burned to the ground. Most of the black population of Ocoee fled, never to return.
Events unfolded on Election Day 1920, when Mose Norman, a black U.S. citizen, attempted to exercise his legal right to vote in Ocoee and was turned away from the polls. That evening, a mob of armed white men came to the home of his friend, July Perry, in an effort to locate Norman. Shooting ensued. Perry was captured and eventually lynched. An unknown number of African American citizens were murdered, and their homes and community were burned to the ground. Most of the black population of Ocoee fled, never to return.
October 22, 2020
I'm being more pessimistic on the split for no party affiliation voters than we saw in 2016. Even with that slightly pessimistic viewpoint, Dems could conceivably have a sizeable lead as of this morning of ~381,000 votes...so far. That's a lot of ground to makeup from in-person voting from republicans
In 2016, a total of 9,618,915 were cast. 2,758,617 were vote-by-mail and election day numbers were close to that at 2,959,085. Total early in-person votes in 2016 were 3,876,753 and about 24k provisional ballots.
FL has already blown past vote-by-mail returns this year with about 3,200,000
SOOO...ESTIMATED current split between Biden/trump is 52.9/44.0 (ignoring other candidates)!
Florida early voting stats - Oct 22 - 23
https://twitter.com/Scr0dman/status/1319303257920053248#Election2020 #Florida #EarlyVote #MailInBallots
Summary of votes submitted in FL as of 10/22 8:27am
Dems w/a COMMANDING lead in Vote-by-Mail (+550k)
Reps w/a small lead in-person early voting (+91k)
applied a 50/40 split (Rep/Dem) for no party affiliation (was 47/43 in 2016)
Summary of votes submitted in FL as of 10/22 8:27am
Dems w/a COMMANDING lead in Vote-by-Mail (+550k)
Reps w/a small lead in-person early voting (+91k)
applied a 50/40 split (Rep/Dem) for no party affiliation (was 47/43 in 2016)
I'm being more pessimistic on the split for no party affiliation voters than we saw in 2016. Even with that slightly pessimistic viewpoint, Dems could conceivably have a sizeable lead as of this morning of ~381,000 votes...so far. That's a lot of ground to makeup from in-person voting from republicans
In 2016, a total of 9,618,915 were cast. 2,758,617 were vote-by-mail and election day numbers were close to that at 2,959,085. Total early in-person votes in 2016 were 3,876,753 and about 24k provisional ballots.
FL has already blown past vote-by-mail returns this year with about 3,200,000
SOOO...ESTIMATED current split between Biden/trump is 52.9/44.0 (ignoring other candidates)!
October 22, 2020
Chuck Schumer live - Amy Covid Barrett travesty
https://twitter.com/SenateDems/status/1319281178671628295
October 22, 2020
guess this means the evidence for 2nd-degree murder is stronger?
Judge dismisses 3rd-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, other charges remain
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/judge-dismisses-3rd-degree-murder-charge-against-derek-chauvin-other-charges-remainMINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge has dismissed the third-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, but denied the defense's motions to dismiss the other charges against him. Chauvin remains charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Judge Peter A. Cahill issued several critical rulings Thursday. He also denied the motions to dismiss the aiding and abetting charges against the other three officers charged in Floyds death: Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane.
Judge Cahill stayed the dismissal of Chauvin's third-degree murder charge for five days to allow the state to appeal the ruling.
Judge Peter A. Cahill issued several critical rulings Thursday. He also denied the motions to dismiss the aiding and abetting charges against the other three officers charged in Floyds death: Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane.
Judge Cahill stayed the dismissal of Chauvin's third-degree murder charge for five days to allow the state to appeal the ruling.
guess this means the evidence for 2nd-degree murder is stronger?
October 22, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheRealHoarse/status/1319267273039843328
Joe Biden leads President Trump in Pennsylvania with at least 5 points in four new polls.
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1319262514534907912https://twitter.com/TheRealHoarse/status/1319267273039843328
The worst of five recent polls has Biden up 5 in PA.
Hillary lost PA by about 4 votes per precinct. If Biden takes PA conclusively, this election isnt going to be a nail-biter
Hillary lost PA by about 4 votes per precinct. If Biden takes PA conclusively, this election isnt going to be a nail-biter
October 22, 2020
Looks like he hasnt quite fully realized the error of his ways
I Should Have Worn a Mask - Chris Christie
https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-should-have-worn-a-mask-11603315968 For seven months I was very careful about mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing. As someone with asthma, I knew I faced heightened risk. Then, at the Rose Garden nomination event for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and during debate preparations with President Trump, I let my guard down and left my mask off. I mistook the bubble of security around the president for a viral safe zone. I was wrong. There is no safe zone from this virus.
Three days after the presidential debate, I still felt fine. Thenall within 24 hourscame the fever, chills and body aches, severe pain and utter exhaustion, and hospitalization in the intensive-care unit. A week in the ICU offers time to reflect. I was fortunate to have good insurance, a fine hospital and the latest treatments. But I was also conscious of the viruss unpredictability. My doctors came in twice a day, told me I was doing better, and warned me that I could take a turn for the worse at any minute. Everyone in the hospital with Covid hangs on a thin thread.
When you get this disease, it hits you how easy it is to prevent. We are asked to wear cloth over our mouth and nose, wash our hands and avoid crowds. These minor inconveniences can save your life, your neighbors and the economy. Seldom has so little been asked for so much benefit. Yet the message will be broadly heeded only if it is consistently and honestly delivered by the media, religious leaders, sports figures and public servants. Those in positions of authority have a duty to get the message out.
...
This doesnt settle the larger political and scientific debate on how fast to reopen businesses and institutions. I remain a supporter of both strong public-health measures and rapid reopening. If leaders level with the American people, we can trust in the outcome. When Americans are given proper and consistent information, they will overwhelmingly make good health choices, including the wearing of masks. But that doesnt work if partisan media and public officials send mixed messages.
Three days after the presidential debate, I still felt fine. Thenall within 24 hourscame the fever, chills and body aches, severe pain and utter exhaustion, and hospitalization in the intensive-care unit. A week in the ICU offers time to reflect. I was fortunate to have good insurance, a fine hospital and the latest treatments. But I was also conscious of the viruss unpredictability. My doctors came in twice a day, told me I was doing better, and warned me that I could take a turn for the worse at any minute. Everyone in the hospital with Covid hangs on a thin thread.
When you get this disease, it hits you how easy it is to prevent. We are asked to wear cloth over our mouth and nose, wash our hands and avoid crowds. These minor inconveniences can save your life, your neighbors and the economy. Seldom has so little been asked for so much benefit. Yet the message will be broadly heeded only if it is consistently and honestly delivered by the media, religious leaders, sports figures and public servants. Those in positions of authority have a duty to get the message out.
...
This doesnt settle the larger political and scientific debate on how fast to reopen businesses and institutions. I remain a supporter of both strong public-health measures and rapid reopening. If leaders level with the American people, we can trust in the outcome. When Americans are given proper and consistent information, they will overwhelmingly make good health choices, including the wearing of masks. But that doesnt work if partisan media and public officials send mixed messages.
Looks like he hasnt quite fully realized the error of his ways
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Louisville, KY
Current location: Central FL
Member since: Thu Sep 16, 2004, 02:03 PM
Number of posts: 53,342