Demovictory9
Demovictory9's JournalReason Melania dropped her smile at Trump's inauguration
https://twitter.com/CaslerNoel/status/1339671975527104512?s=09https://twitter.com/lauraapollo/status/1339680090662309890?s=19
Trump approval 43.6% disapproval 52.5%
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/French President Macron tests positive for COVID-19
https://apnews.com/article/emmanuel-macron-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-b88c7ec3a89ec2269b83a9aba3b66ed9PARIS (AP) — Wearing a white medical mask, French President Emmanuel Macron went ahead with a planned speech by videoconference Thursday, hours after testing positive for COVID-19 following a week in which he met with numerous European leaders.
The French and Spanish prime ministers and the EU Council president were among many top officials self-isolating because they had recent contact with him.
Macron took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared” on Thursday morning and will self-isolate for seven days, in line with national health authorities’ recommendations, the presidency said in a brief statement. It did not detail what symptoms Macron experienced or what treatment he might be receiving.
The 42-year-old president “will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,” the statement added. His wife, Brigitte, 67, tested negative on Thursday. She has no symptoms and will self-isolate as a precaution, her office said.
On Thursday afternoon, Macron took part, as planned, in a roundtable on French aid to the world’s poorest countries — but via videoconference instead of attending in person.
Wearing a high-protection, medical-grade mask — instead of the fabric versions emblazoned with the French flags he often wears — he showed no apparent sign of being affected by the disease, speaking in a clear, loud voice. He did not mention the virus in his speech.
After 9-Year Fight, Couple Ordered to Dump Superloud Frogs
After 9-Year Fight, Couple Ordered to Dump Superloud Frogs
French couple still hopes to save their pond and its breeding amphibians
A French couple is being forced to drain their pond under court order because of the racket caused by its breeding frogs. The outcome is the result of a nine-year legal battle in which Michel and Annie Pecheras fought to save their pond in the small village of Grignols, Dordogne.
https://res.cloudinary.com/leetchi/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,fl_lossy,g_center,h_520,q_80,w_715/v1607633956/27833f18-86dc-4e55-8571-6afae7877792.jpg
Around 2008, the couple re-dug an old pond that had previously been filled in, though they say they moved it farther away from neighbors. The distance apparently wasn't enough for neighbor Jean-Louis Malfione, who sued in 2012 over the croaks of breeding frogs in the pond. A bailiff then determined the frogs' croaks during mating season registered at 63 decibels in the open window of Malfione's bedroom, per the Guardian. The Telegraph reports that's about as loud as an operating washing machine or vacuum.
The case was thrown out in 2014, then revived before landing with a judge who sided with Malfione this month, per the Guardian. From Dec. 3, the Pecheras will have 90 days to drain the pond, which is more than 3,000 square feet, and get rid of the frogs. Otherwise, they say they'll be forced to pay nearly $16,000 to Malfione, plus a $180 fine for each day of delay. Work has already begun. But the Pecherases haven't completely given up their fight. "In the North of France, municipalities give grants for the creation of ponds in gardens. Is there a difference between the north and the south of France?" the two write in an online petition calling to "save the frogs." It has received more than 96,000 signatures in three days. Meanwhile, a local environmental group is appealing the decision to France's highest court.
https://www.newser.com/story/300112/court-orders-eviction-of-frogs-as-loud-as-a-vacuum.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=uol&utm_campaign=rss_world_login
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke commemorates his scandal-plagued tenure with flattering portrait
True to form, Zinke commemorated his scandal-plagued tenure atop the federal agency this week with a portrait of himself riding a paint horse beneath a towering butte in Bears Ears shortly before he and President Donald Trump gutted protections. It is based on a picture of Zinke during his 2017 visit and was unveiled during a ceremony Wednesday at the Interior Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. Attendees, including Zinke’s wife and former Navy intelligence officer Donald Bramer, posted pictures of the event to social media.
https://twitter.com/CorbinHiar/status/1336486690538598400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336486690538598400%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fenvironment%2F2020%2F12%2Fryan-zinkes-official-portrait-is-a-final-slap-in-the-face-to-native-american-tribes%2F
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/862395568819011584
DeVos urges career staff to 'be the resistance' as Biden takes over
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/15/betsy-devos-biden-education-department-445900DeVos urges career staff to ‘be the resistance’ as Biden takes over
The secretary's remarks come after nearly four years of frequently sparring with the career employees of her department.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged career employees at the Education Department on Tuesday to “be the resistance” when the Biden administration comes into power next month, according to a recording of her remarks obtained by POLITICO.
During a department-wide virtual meeting to discuss the shift to the new administration, DeVos acknowledged that most of the agency’s thousands of career employees “will be here through the coming transition and beyond.”
“Let me leave you with this plea: Resist,” DeVos said. “Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what’s right for students. In everything you do, please put students first — always.”
An Education Department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks. The department also would not say whether DeVos plans to stay in office until Jan. 20.
Landlord removes front door over late rent - woman uses closet door to cover opening for 4 days
https://fox59.com/news/landlord-removes-front-door-over-late-rent-after-woman-loses-job-during-pandemic/
?w=1280
ENTON, Mo. (KTVI) — A Missouri woman said her landlord took off her front door because she was two months late on rent, but a local attorney says that violates a state statute.
Hannah McGee lost her restaurant job due to COVID-19 and is behind on her rent, totaling $1,000 owed to her landlord. She said she’s lived in her Fenton apartment for three years without any issues, and her mom has rented the apartment next door for the last 13 years.
“He’s always been a good landlord. I guess it just took one slipup,” McGee said. “I’ve lived here without a problem, no incidents whatsoever. I’ve been on time every month, but since COVID happened, I lost my job. I was working in a restaurant.”
McGee put her closet doors in front of the space where the front door used to be to try and trap heat inside. “At night, it gets definitely really cold,” she said. “It’s kind of unbearable without it.”
Her 4-year-old daughter is spending the nights next door with her grandmother, whom she calls Nana, to stay warm.
https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/outpouring-of-support-for-fenton-woman-after-landlord-removed-her-front-door/
According to McGee, a series of events—a broken-down car and losing her job due to the pandemic—left her two months behind in rent owing $1,000.
“He did it without a word,” she said. “I just went off to make a phone call to try and collect rent for him and he went and took my door. So, for four days I was without a door. It was cold in here.”
McGee used closet doors to try and block the opening. A friend started a GoFundMe page for Hannah and her 4-year-old daughter Evy.
Since Monday evening, the page has raised thousands of dollars.
“Then yesterday, you guys came out and did your story and I woke up to good news this morning,” says McGee. “For one, the landlord said the buyer trying to buy this property told him to put the door back on.”
By Monday night, the door was returned. And on Tuesday morning, the generosity of others surprised the young mom.
“Then I woke up and saw the GoFundMe is doing well and there’s enough for me to pay up on my rent and buy a new car and hopefully get a new place for me and Evy,” McGee said. “So, I’m stoked today.”
And a whole lot warmer after spending four days without a front door.
Children Love Snow Days. The Pandemic May End Them Forever.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/nyregion/nyc-schools-snow-days.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=HomepageChildren Love Snow Days. The Pandemic May End Them Forever.
In New York City and elsewhere, classes will be held online no matter how bad storms are this year in a shift that makes some parents wistful.
“Snow day.” These two words have charmed New York children for generations, conjuring thoughts of sledding down Central Park’s Pilgrim Hill or building snowmen at Forest Park in Queens; of strapping on ice skates and heating up hot chocolate.
But as school districts adapt to the pandemic by moving classes online, the ability to teach and learn remotely could make the beloved snow day a thing of the past. In New York City, the season’s first big snowfall, which is expected to begin blanketing the streets on Wednesday, will simply mean another day of school in front of a screen for students.
The city’s school system, the nation’s largest, is one of many districts across the United States that plan to forgo the tradition of canceling classes in response to heavy snow this year. Instead, schools are preparing for the now-familiar routine of logging on for virtual lessons, plowing ahead remotely even when winter weather hits.
The shift could be permanent. School leaders in several areas, including the city, are considering whether to continue the online approach to snow days even after most students fully return to in-person learning after the virus has been curbed.
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Still, with the virus already depriving students of several other traditions — a typical back-to-school, prom, graduation — some parents said they planned to declare their own snow day on Thursday if, as predicted, some parts of the region get more than a foot of snow.
Sarah Allen, a parent in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, said if streets near her home are coated, her four children will not be attending classes as usual.
“I felt like no matter what kind of learning we’re doing this year,” she said, “this isn’t something that needs to be taken away from kids who have already lost a lot, ranging from not being able to see friends to losing parents to Covid.”
Trump retweets prominent attorney who says Georgia governor Brian Kemp 'will soon be going to jail'
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-retweets-prominent-attorney-who-says-georgia-governor-brian-kemp-will-soon-be-going-to-jail/ar-BB1bX3FI?li=BB141NW3&ocid=iehpPresident Donald Trump retweeted a post on Tuesday by a lawyer allied with his campaign who claimed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp "will soon be going to jail."
"President Trump @realDonaldTrump is a genuinely good man," Atlanta-based attorney Lin Wood wrote. "He gave @BrianKempGA & @GaSecofState every chance to get it right. They refused. They will soon be going to jail."
Trump has hammered Kemp and other top Republican officials in Georgia for weeks as they rejected his bid to overturn the election results
Christian 'financial guru' and radio host Dave Ramsey throws large indoor Christmas party
Christian ‘financial guru’ and radio host Dave Ramsey throws large indoor Christmas party
Dave Ramsey, a Christian radio host and “financial guru,” threw a huge indoor Christmas party at his Tennessee headquarters, continuing months of downplaying the COVID pandemic.
The Saturday night party, held at Ramsey Solutions in Franklin, just outside Nashville, had a 1,500-person invite list and workers were encouraged to not wear masks to “avoid “making the guests feel uncomfortable,” violations of Tennessee’s COVID public health guidelines.
“There was absolutely no [social] distancing being practiced,” an anonymous worker told the Nashville Scene, estimating that 1,000 guests, many sans mask, attended.
The state has a mask mandate for public areas, but not for private property.
According to other anonymous attendees, Ramsey hired a large private security contingent to make sure uninvited guests did not get to observe what happened at the party. Several media outlets reported being intimidated away from the party’s entrance by private security.
Ramsey has previously encouraged the spread of COVID by not requiring his employees to wear masks, calling other public health measures “totalitarian,” holding large conferences at the company’s headquarters to skirt responsible business’ temporary rules and referring to the rising death totals as a hoax.
https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-covid-dave-ramsey-crank-indoor-christmas-party-20201214-2xexwxsxnbdhnplvyg7sxegmcm-story.html
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