littlemissmartypants
littlemissmartypants's JournalTS Arthur, outer bands arrive
☆Just a reminder as we enter storm season, albeit early, that you can get automatic updates from the hurricane center in the pinned post on the opening page for the NC group.
Here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10697518
Posted is the direct link to the National Hurricane Center:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
and the five day updates, which can be found in the replies:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=5
☆The weather warning link is also in the pinned posts and automatically updates as well.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10697503
Stay safe and good luck everyone!
❤ lmsp
President Obama's Commencement Address:p
Cross post from Video and Multimedia forum.
Hat tip to ancianita.
In Case You Missed It -- Graduate Together 2020
President Obama's Commencement Address:
Hi, everybody. Aniyah, thank you for that beautiful introduction. I could not be prouder of everything you’ve done in your time with the Obama Foundation.
And of course, I couldn’t be prouder of all of you in the graduating Class of 2020 — as well as the teachers, and the coaches, and most of all, parents and family who guided have you along the way.
Now graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you have had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness, or a parent losing a job, or living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with the added pressures of social media, reports of school shootings, and the specter of climate change. And then, just as you’re about to celebrate having made it through, just as you’ve been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies — and, let’s face it, a whole bunch of parties — the world is turned upside down by a global pandemic. And as much as I’m sure you love your parents, I’ll bet that being stuck at home with them and playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.
Now I’ll be honest with you — the disappointments of missing a live graduation — those will pass pretty quick. I don’t remember much from my own high school graduation. I know that not having to sit there and listen to a commencement speaker isn’t all that bad — mine usually go on way too long. Also, not that many people look great in those caps, especially if you have big ears like me. And you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends once the immediate public health crisis is over.
It’s also pulled the curtain back on another hard truth, something that we all have to eventually accept once our childhood comes to an end. All those adults that you used to think were in charge and knew what they were doing? Turns out that they don’t have all the answers. A lot of them aren’t even asking the right questions. So, if the world’s going to get better, it going to be up to you.
That realization may be kind of intimidating. But I hope it’s also inspiring. With all the challenges this country faces right now, nobody can tell you “no, you’re too young to understand” or “this is how it’s always been done.” Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation’s world to shape.
Since I’m one of the old guys, I won’t tell you what to do with this power that rests in your hands. But I’ll leave you with three quick pieces of advice.
First, don’t be afraid. America’s gone through tough times before — slavery, civil war, famine, disease, the Great Depression and 9/11. And each time we came out stronger, usually because a new generation, young people like you, learned from past mistakes and figured out how to make things better.
Second, do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy — that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way — which is why things are so screwed up.
I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others. You won’t get it right every time, you’ll make mistakes like we all do. But if you listen to the truth that’s inside yourself, even when it’s hard, even when its inconvenient, people will notice. They’ll gravitate towards you. And you’ll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
And finally, build a community. No one does big things by themselves. Right now, when people are scared, it’s easy to be cynical and say let me just look out for myself, or my family, or people who look or think or pray like me. But if we’re going to get through these difficult times; if we’re going to create a world where everybody has the opportunity to find a job, and afford college; if we’re going to save the environment and defeat future pandemics, then we’re going to have to do it together. So be alive to one another’s struggles. Stand up for one another’s rights. Leave behind all the old ways of thinking that divide us — sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed — and set the world on a different path.
When you need help, Michelle and I have made it the mission of our Foundation to give young people like you the skills and support to lead in your own communities, and to connect you with other young leaders around the country and around the globe.
But the truth is that you don’t need us to tell you what to do.
Because in so many ways, you’ve already started to lead.
Congratulations, Class of 2020. Keep making us proud.
❤ lmsp
These are the places Covid-19 spreads in the real world, Bloomberg Opinion
Thread Reader
Bonjour, the unroll you asked for: @bopinion: These are the places Covid-19 spreads in the real world: 🖥Workplaces 🍽Restaurants ⛪️Churches 🎈Parties It… https://t.co/WPPQ0VITDT Enjoy 
🤖
Click the link above to read the less confusing version of the Twitter thread, referred to as the unroll. The actual Twitter feed is posted below.
❤ lmsp
https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1261808961369640967
These are the places Covid-19 spreads in the real world:
🖥Workplaces
🍽Restaurants
⛪️Churches
🎈Parties
It doesn't really spread here:
🌳Public parks
🏖Beaches
🛒Quick trips to the grocery store
https://t.co/gZJTHl52nr
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261397014895624194
Scientists are starting to get a handle on how the novel coronavirus behaves. We now know that the two drivers of the spread of the disease are:
1) Close contact
2) Crowding in closed space
https://t.co/LyScwtM7Sd
https://t.co/BYTS8tEKy2
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261403125174480899
You've probably heard that each infected individual transmits the virus to between two and three others on average.
But the important point, which is often missed, is that this is just an average
https://t.co/LyScwtuwtD
https://t.co/ZI9fR1Nak2
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261403126847795201
In the real world, most people transmit the disease to nobody, and a minority infect many others in super-spreading events.
Only 9% of infected people are responsible for 80% of the transmissions
https://t.co/LyScwtM7Sd
https://t.co/Kr1OH7s80r
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261403129008046082
People think if you get exposed, you'll automatically get sick or become infectious, but that's not always the case.
Even people exposed to sick family members in their homes don’t always get sick https://t.co/LyScwtM7Sd https://t.co/I7STH6sUvt
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261403133231718400
People passing by you in a supermarket are unlikely to infect you. ⛅️Outdoor environments appear much safer as well.
In one study, which followed hundreds of cases, all but one transmission occurred indoors https://t.co/LyScwtuwtD https://t.co/H4nvuwlnxX
https://twitter.com/bopinion/status/1261403135332909056
Your trip to the dentist is about to get more painful -- but not for the reason you might think
Dispatches from a Pandemic
‘It’s really the Wild West out there.’ Your trip to the dentist is about to get more painful — but not for the reason you might think
Published: May 13, 2020 at 4:19 p.m. ET
By Elisabeth Buchwald
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-really-the-wild-west-out-there-your-trip-to-the-dentist-is-about-to-get-more-painful-but-not-for-the-reason-you-might-think-2020-05-12
One dentist has spent nearly $35,000 on disinfectant equipment, including oral high-speed aerosol evacuation units, ozone generators and ultraviolet lights
Before coronavirus, dentists were not required to wear N95 masks. MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images
Dentists will likely be feeling the pain too during your next visit.
After losing over a month’s worth of revenue following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide only emergency services, dentists are eager to see their patients again.
But doing so comes at a hefty cost.
To lure patients back and ensure his own safety as well as his staff’s, Anthony Ceccacci, a dentist and owner of Madison Avenue Smiles, a New York City-based dental practice, said he’s gone on a financial limb with scant guidance from health authorities.
For $85, he’s offering finger-stick antibody tests. He’s also asking all of his patients to rinse their mouths with iodine prior to being seen.
More at the link.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-really-the-wild-west-out-there-your-trip-to-the-dentist-is-about-to-get-more-painful-but-not-for-the-reason-you-might-think-2020-05-12
❤lmsp
Win the Era Endorsements
https://staging.wintheera.com/endorsements/Pete Buttigieg
Meet the candidates endorsed by Win the Era
Win the Era supports candidates who are lifting up the issues facing this and subsequent generations; who are committed to building a sense of belonging in our country; who are running pioneering campaigns; who are proposing and supporting meaningful, bold policies; and who model the values and spirit of our campaign.
•Gina Ortiz Jones
US House TX-23
•Michelle De La Isla
US House KS-2
•JA Moore
SC House-15
•Sharice Davids
US House KS-3
•Jaime Harrison
US Senate, SC
•Christine Hunschofsky
FL House-96
•Cal Cunningham
US Senate, NC
•Kate Schroder
US House OH-1
•Josh Shapiro
PA Attorney General
•Levar Stoney
Mayor of Richmond, VA
•Lamont Robinson
IL House-5
•Lauren Underwood
US House IL-14
•Jevin Hodge
Maricopa County AZ Board of Supervisors
•Roy Cooper
NC Governor
•Lucy McBath
US House GA-6
•Anthony Brown
US House MD-4
•Sandra Jauregui
NV House-41
•Annie Kuster
US House NH-2
•Malcolm Kenyatta
PA House-181
•Yvonne Lewis Holley
NC Lieutenant Governor
•Don Beyer
US House VA-8
•Sydney Batch
NC House-37
More at the link.
https://staging.wintheera.com/endorsements/
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
Visit the link to learn more about each endorsement and to follow links to their Web pages, including those where you can donate to their campaigns.
❤ lmsp
This restaurant in Amsterdam introduced 'quarantine greenhouses'
This restaurant in Amsterdam introduced 'quarantine greenhouses' so diners can eat while social distancing
By Leah Asmelash, CNN
Updated 2:08 PM ET, Thu May 7, 2020
People have dinner in a so-called quarantine greenhouses in Amsterdam, on May 5, 2020 as the country fights against the spread of the COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.
(CNN)Missing restaurants while social distancing? You're not alone. One restaurant in the Netherlands, though, has found a solution.
Mediamatic ETEN, a restaurant in Amsterdam, is offering a four-course vegetarian menu for diners -- served to guests while they sit in their own personal quarantine greenhouses.
Right now, the trial service is only being offered to family and friends of staff, and all upcoming reservations are sold out, according to the restaurant's website.
A group of friend have dinner in a so-called quarantine greenhouses in Amsterdam, on May 5, 2020 as the country fights against the spread of the COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.
Still, as many places begin to loosen restrictions on social distancing, this type of greenhouse dining could take off.
More at the link.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/world/dutch-restaurant-reopen-greenhouse-trnd/index.html
❤ lmsp
Just keep in mind that when you doff the skull face covering
you take care not to drag the exposed sides/surface of the fabric across your face and eyes or you'll risk spreading the virus all over your face and in your hair.
You must carefully fold the outer surface in on itself as you doff it and launder in hot soapy water before you don it again.
Better yet, get two and you'll have one at the ready while the other is laundered. ❤ lmsp
I Hired a Team of Secret Shoppers to Find Out How Businesses Were Opening in Dallas. It's Not Good.
I Hired a Team of Secret Shoppers to Find Out How Businesses Were Opening in Dallas. It’s Not Good.
Mark Cuban's Weblog
Posted on May 7, 2020
I wanted to get an understanding of what opening meant to businesses around Dallas. Were they opening? What precautions were they taking? Were employees in safe environments? And bigger picture, I wanted to know if these are places that I would feel safe taking my family to.
So I hired a company that specialized in this type of project, https://shiftsmart.com/, and asked them to let me know how Dallas businesses were responding to the Open Order for Texas.
We will do this again a couple more times so we can learn what the trends are and try to learn from it.
This is what we found:
Methodology:
We called ~1000 restaurant and retail locations based on popularity (we used # of reviews on Yelp by category as a proxy) to assess full re-open rate (open for dine-in, in-person shopping etc.)
We conducted physical audits at ~300 locations across restaurants and retail locations in Dallas to assess compliance against state re-opening protocols
Overview:
1)Re-opening Rate: Only 36% of businesses chose to open on the opening weekend. Media coverage, showcasing owner sentiment and infection statistics, paint a picture of a large degree of latent fear in the marketplace.
2) Aggregate Degree of Safety Protocol Compliance – By Locations: Overall – 96% of businesses were non-compliant across all mandatory protocols and all locations. The extent of non-compliance is dramatic with ~1/3 of all locations being <50% compliant across mandatory protocols as established by the Governor’s office. The chart below breaks out the degree of compliance across mandatory compliance % buckets.
More at the link.
http://blogmaverick.com/2020/05/07/i-hired-a-team-of-secret-shoppers-to-find-out-how-businesses-were-opening-in-dallas-its-not-good/
Researchers Describe How People With Anxiety Perceive the World Differently
Researchers Describe How People With Anxiety Perceive the World Differently
(This was difficult to cut and paste. I apologize in advance for any lack of continuity in the article.)
https://www.powerofpositivity.com/people-with-anxiety-perceive-world-differently/
Unfortunately, a lot of people still believe that those claiming to have mental illnesses just make them up and it’s “all in their head.” However, a new study in the journal Current Biology might finally put the stigma to rest. Researchers found that people who have anxiety perceive the world differently because of differences in their brain. Therefore, the sufferer doesn’t choose to have anxiety; it just happens to them based on genetics and past experiences.
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel discovered that it boils down to the brain’s plasticity, or its ability to change and form new connections based on exposure to different stimuli. This will determine how a person reacts to that stimuli. In their study, researchers found that people diagnosed with anxiety can’t distinguish between safe and threatening stimuli as well as people who do not have anxiety.
Scientists found that those suffering from anxiety had lasting plasticity in their brains long after coming into contact with a stimulus, meaning that the brain couldn’t differentiate between new, non-threatening situations and familiar ones. The inability to distinguish between the two stimuli, in turn, causes anxiety. Anxious people tend to put all experiences in one category, in other words, due to their inability to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations.
Researchers noted that people with anxiety cannot control this reaction to stimuli since it’s due to a fundamental difference in their brain.
THE STUDY
For the study, the participants were trained to associate three specific sounds with one of three outcomes: money loss, money gain, or no consequence. In the next part of the study, participants listened to approximately 15 tones and researchers asked if they had heard them before or not.
To “win” the tone-identifying game, participants would have to differentiate between the old and new sounds, and not overgeneralize them. The study authors found that anxious participants had a higher likelihood than non-anxious individuals of confusing the new sounds with the old ones.
This didn’t happen due to a learning disability or hearing problem, but rather a misperception in the tones they heard. They simply linked the sounds associated with money loss or gain to the new sounds, resulting in confusion.
Researchers also found that, during the exercise, people with anxiety showed differences in the amygdala, a part of the brain that governs our response to fear. According to the authors, the results of the study may explain why some people develop anxiety disorders and others don’t.
Subscribe to our newsletterResearchers Describe How People With Anxiety Perceive the World DifferentlyRESEARCHERS DESCRIBE HOW PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY PERCEIVE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLYanxietyANXIETY
Unfortunately, a lot of people still believe that those claiming to have mental illnesses just make them up and it’s “all in their head.” However, a new study in the journal Current Biology might finally put the stigma to rest. Researchers found that people who have anxiety perceive the world differently because of differences in their brain. Therefore, the sufferer doesn’t choose to have anxiety; it just happens to them based on genetics and past experiences.
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel discovered that it boils down to the brain’s plasticity, or its ability to change and form new connections based on exposure to different stimuli. This will determine how a person reacts to that stimuli. In their study, researchers found that people diagnosed with anxiety can’t distinguish between safe and threatening stimuli as well as people who do not have anxiety.
Scientists found that those suffering from anxiety had lasting plasticity in their brains long after coming into contact with a stimulus, meaning that the brain couldn’t differentiate between new, non-threatening situations and familiar ones. The inability to distinguish between the two stimuli, in turn, causes anxiety. Anxious people tend to put all experiences in one category, in other words, due to their inability to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations.
Researchers noted that people with anxiety cannot control this reaction to stimuli since it’s due to a fundamental difference in their brain.
THE STUDY
For the study, the participants were trained to associate three specific sounds with one of three outcomes: money loss, money gain, or no consequence. In the next part of the study, participants listened to approximately 15 tones and researchers asked if they had heard them before or not.
To “win” the tone-identifying game, participants would have to differentiate between the old and new sounds, and not overgeneralize them. The study authors found that anxious participants had a higher likelihood than non-anxious individuals of confusing the new sounds with the old ones.
This didn’t happen due to a learning disability or hearing problem, but rather a misperception in the tones they heard. They simply linked the sounds associated with money loss or gain to the new sounds, resulting in confusion.
Researchers also found that, during the exercise, people with anxiety showed differences in the amygdala, a part of the brain that governs our response to fear. According to the authors, the results of the study may explain why some people develop anxiety disorders and others don’t.
“Anxiety traits can be completely normal, and even beneficial evolutionarily. Yet an emotional event, even minor sometimes, can induce brain changes that might lead to full-blown anxiety,” lead researcher Rony Paz said.
The new research provides further proof that no one asks for mental illness, and people shouldn’t have to apologize for having them. Mounting evidence shows that mental illnesses have genetic and psychological causes, and that those suffering have dramatic differences in their brains.
Despite all the research continuing to show the mechanics behind mental illness, the stigma is still very much alive. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 25 percent of people with a mental health disorder feel like others understand what they go through on a daily basis.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER WAYS PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY LOOK AT THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY:
SOCIAL SITUATIONS SEEM DAUNTING.
People with anxiety disorders tend to have a hard time with social cues and might misinterpret facial expressions or body language. Here are just a few ways that people with anxiety perceive social situations differently:
They might think that people are talking about them behind their back (even if they aren’t).
They may have a difficult time reading facial expressions.
Starting and keeping a conversation going may seem impossible.
Social situations can feel downright draining.
They will judge themselves too harshly most of the time. You might hear them say things like, “I’m not funny/smart/interesting enough to hang out with these people.”
They may avoid social outings as a result.
THEY ENJOY STAYING INDOORS ALONE RATHER THAN BEING OUT WITH FRIENDS.
For a lot of people with anxiety, the world can feel overwhelming. With so many people to see and places to go, the choices seem endless. For people without anxiety, this fact might seem exciting. However, those with the disorder would rather keep their choices slim and stay inside. Too much stimuli can quickly overwhelm someone suffering from anxiety, especially if they also identify as an introvert.
Many people with anxiety greatly benefit from a calm environment. A relaxing night curled up on the couch with some hot tea and a good book will often suffice.
THEY OFTEN FEEL LIKE THEY CAN’T RELAX.
For someone with anxiety, it can feel like having energy locked up in your body with nowhere to go. This pent-up energy can wreak havoc on the body, causing symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweaty palms and feet, stuttering, and difficulty focusing. Exercise and/or meditation can help a lot of people, but others benefit from therapy as well.
People without anxiety might come home from work and shut their brains off from the day behind them, but the mind of the anxious never stops. People with anxiety may feel like their brain controls them, and often look forward to bedtime when they can finally catch a break.
THEY FEAR THAT PEOPLE HAVE BAD INTENTIONS.
Those with anxiety often have a hard time trusting people. Even for those without social anxiety, starting and maintaining friendships doesn’t happen easily for anxiety sufferers. Some of them might feel like people have bad intentions for them and will take advantage of them if they get too close. Their brains are always on the lookout for the next threat, and this includes people as well.
If they do have friends, it will take a long time for them to feel comfortable getting close to them.
THEY HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH BEING PERFECT.
People with anxiety have a tendency to hold themselves and others to impossible standards. They are vulnerable to both internal and external pressures and will try endlessly to achieve perfection. Of course, some stress and anxiety can help us achieve goals, but too much can cause our plans to backfire. If an anxious person doesn’t reach their goal, they might give up entirely. Or they may fail to see their own limits and push themselves past their comfort zone.
Perfectionism is a dangerous characteristic of anxiety; though it might seem harmless, it can cause people to develop distorted and obsessive thinking patterns. Those with anxiety have a hard time accepting defeat and will stop at nothing to reach their self-imposed goals.
EVERYTHING IS STRESSFUL.
Because people with anxiety have an overactive fear response, they may react as if the world hangs in the balance of a decision they’ve been asked to make. In other words, they may seem highly frazzled or stressed out when doing something as simple as talking; they’re just reacting based on their perception of the world. Since those with anxiety have a hard time relaxing, the world can seem overwhelming with all of the stimuli and triggers anxiety
Loud sounds, bright lights, or chaotic environments might stress out some people with anxiety. Others might respond negatively to conversations, while the decision of what to eat might trigger someone else. In other words, people with anxiety already feel on edge, so the slightest thing might set them off. They have a very thin emotional skin, if you will, so they can get wounded quite easily.
THEY NEVER FEEL GOOD ENOUGH.
No matter if it’s their job, relationship, friends, or a social event, they never feel good enough for the life they lead. They will be overly critical of their job performance and might constantly feel like they’re being scrutinized by their coworkers. They might feel like they’re failing their partner due to self-perceived flaws and a distorted self-image. Friendships may seem unstable due to feeling inadequate in their social life.
In the eyes of someone with anxiety, what they do and say will never measure up. They’re on a constant quest for perfection. This incessant need to become better might stem from a verbally abusive parent or bullies at school. Likewise, similar experiences may have molded their image of themselves. No matter where the feeling comes from, people with anxiety have a hard time changing their view of themselves. They tend to have a negative self-image, and likely need more encouragement and support due to this.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For those with anxiety disorders, daily life can feel like hell on Earth. They have to try to make it through the day with their brains on overdrive. Additionally, they must constantly defend themselves to people who have no idea what they deal with. We hope this article shed some light on the battles that people with anxiety disorders face. The world needs a better understanding of this potentially debilitating disorder.
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
As someone who has struggled with anxiety and panic attacks I think self-awareness and knowledge are helpful for reducing symptoms. I hope others reading this find it as helpful as I did.
❤ lmsp
The most annoying part of vote by mail in NC
is that you have to complete and mail in a two page form to request an absentee ballot. This form cannot be emailed but can be downloaded as a PDF and printed out but must be either hand delivered or snail mailed so you can get a so called "absentee" ballot.
Request form PDF: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Forms/NCAbsenteeBallotRequestForm.pdf
More info on absentee ballot voting here:
https://www.ncvoter.org/absentee-ballots/
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayMember since: Tue Aug 28, 2012, 07:58 PM
Number of posts: 22,632
