Actress and #MeToo leader Rose McGowan has accused comedian Bill Maher of whispering a crude comment about his body when she appeared on his show "Politically Incorrect" in the late 1990s.

Although nearly two weeks have passed since Georgia Governor Brian Kemp allowed restaurants to reopen dining room seating, owners are reticent to resume business as usual. 

Tekashi 6ix9ine just released his first new song following his early release from prison amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Fox NFL Sunday co-host Terry Bradshaw predicted on Saturday that despite the coronavirus outbreak, the NFL would continue to hold games.

The NCAA has made it clear that unless college campuses are open to the entire student body in the fall, there are no plans to risk the health of student-athletes for the sake of sports. 

Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada explains how to create a piece of artwork out of succulent plants

Reworking a cramped master bath for accessibility allows everyone room to move

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows the proper way to prune a branch without damaging the tree

Apply basic carpentry techniques to primed boards and molding to add a formal, elegant touch to any room

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva helps a homeowner patch a hardwood floor to make it look seamless

Today on Political Rewind , reports that medical facilities are not releasing enough information on coronavirus. What information is missing, and what does this mean for the public? And, voting by mail is now a crucial but contentious tool for residents to participate in upcoming elections. What’s the latest on this form of voting?

Today on Political Rewind , president of the American Medical Association Dr. Patrice Harris joined us to discuss her observations on how medical professionals are faring as they fight the virus.

Wednesday on Political Rewind , the pandemic reveals fault lines of unequal access in our society. Health care and community leaders are highlighting a disproportionate impact of the public health crisis on black and African American communities. We look at the contributing factors in Georgia and across the country.

Thursday on Political Rewind , the ongoing public health crisis has given doctors, public officials and many Georgians a series of challenging decisions as society grapples with an unprecedented situation. On our show today, we discuss how somber decisions regarding public health such as who gets ventilators or an ICU bed, or how vaccines are tested are made.

Friday on Political Rewind , the primary has been postponed to June 9 so officials can protect poll workers and voters during the coronavirus pandemic. But political campaigns for state and congressional positions on the ballot have not stopped. So how are candidates campaigning under these challenging circumstances?

Today on Political Rewind , Georgia agriculture takes a hit from the coronavirus. Farmers face concerns over exposure to the virus and uncertain retailers cutting demand. We heard from Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black on how the ongoing public health crisis is affecting the state’s farming businesses.

Tuesday on Political Rewind , Gov. Brian Kemp announced gyms, salons, bowling alleys and other specific indoor facilities will be able to reopen by Friday, with restaurants and theaters able to reopen next week. These businesses must comply with social distancing and other safety requirements. The move has drawn sharp criticism from elected leaders and commentators who say the move comes too soon and is not backed by enough data.

Wednesday on Political Rewind , the political consequences of the pandemic. The governor’s recent decision to slowly re-open businesses in Georgia has drawn criticism and national attention. How will voters respond to the public health efforts of elected officials at all levels of governments in this crucial election year?

Thursday on Political Rewind , the governor says his decision to reopen the state is driven by data. What will be the consequences of Georgians going out and attempting to resume life as normal? We’ll ask two public health experts for their opinions.

Friday on Political Rewind , mayors from across the state discuss how they are handling the coronavirus pandemic. How are municipal leaders responding to Gov. Brian Kemp’s latest move and how do they think their constituency will respond?

Monday on Political Rewind , we discussed the upcoming 2020 elections, and how campaigns are handling the shelter-in-place conditions found across the state and the country. Nearly 830,000 people have applied for absentee ballots for the 2020 combined primary so far. That represents a huge increase in applications over 2016’s primary, and reflects efforts by officials and the public to avoid the spread of coronavirus from in-person voting.

Tuesday on Political Rewind , small businesses weather the storm during the coronavirus crisis. How are Georgia’s stores, bars, restaurants, cinemas and bookstores handling the current situation?

Wednesday on Political Rewind , our guest discusses the mental toll of COVID-19. We're joined by Dr. Raymond Kotwicki, the chief medical officer at Skyland Trail, one of the premiere nonprofit mental health treatment centers in the Southeast.

Thursday on Political Rewind , food banks are struggling to feed the hungry as the pandemic continues. As food networks are disrupted, farmers, grocers and food banks collaborate in an effort to improve access. We talk to some of the leading food banks in Georgia to see how they are meeting the crisis.

Friday on Political Rewind , Gov. Brian Kemp lifts a shelter-in-place order for many Georgians across the state. His press secretary joins us to discuss the decision. What will the political fallout look like for officials across the country as multiple states begin easing restrictions?

Monday on Political Rewind , the challenges of holding elections amidst a public health crisis. We spoke to the current and former secretaries of state who joined us to talk about managing this year's elections amid the dangers of coronavirus. Panelists : Brad Raffensperger - Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox - Former Georgia Secretary of State, former candidate for governor, current Dean of the Walter F. Georgia School of Law at Mercer University Al Scott - Chatham County Commission Chairman Susan Catron - Savannah Morning News Executive Editor

Tuesday on Political Rewind , though the next meeting of the state legislature is still a topic of debate, the main topic representatives will be discussing is almost certain; the budget. Gov. Brian Kemp and legislative leaders told state agencies last week to plan on a 14% cut in their budgets. And politics does not stop amidst pandemic.

Wednesday on Political Rewind , the coronavirus pandemic is complicating an already arduous budget in Georgia. The continuing cost of the state response, in addition to a loss of revenue and economic activity, has led Gov. Brian Kemp to last week call for significant cuts to all state agencies.

Thursday on Political Rewind , a metric that gives fresh perspective on how to view Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to reopen the state: the number of new people infected by each person infected by COVID-19. That number went down during shelter-in-place orders in Georgia. How do the experts expect this rate to change now that restrictions have been partially lifted?

Friday on Political Rewind , a brief look at the two-month timeline that led up to murder charges this week in the case of Ahmaud Arbery. New developments draw into question decision-making at the local level.

My [six-year-old] kid wrote a song called, "I Wonder What's Inside your Butthole" Quite honestly, it slaps. Twitter | Threadreader (Be sure to check out the remixes)

I feel like I got caught with my pants down on this SiP and I don't want it to happen again; but I also don't want to go down a rabbit hole of antisocial paranoia. Can you recommend resources for me?

So... you know what I'm talking about, right?

When this COVID stuff landed, my house was empty of baking supplies, because early spring is keto diet time for me. I had close to no freezer space, because I rarely used my freezer. Thank goodness I happened to have plenty of toilet paper; but that was a relative fluke. And then boom -- all of a sudden -- there's no f'ing flour to be had! It was not clear where or how I was going to GET toilet paper!

I never want to be in that situation again.

What I'd really like is a book, or website, ideally, that will help me think through and weigh priorities about how to Be Readier, going forward; taking into account a generally normal suburban N American lifestyle. I have questions like, what are the kinds of generators, under what conditions will I be glad I had one, and what are the safety tradeoffs? What are the various options for making water drinkable? What stuff has a generally vulnerable supply chain? What are the things I might not have thought of, without which normal life will degrade significantly? (TP! Menstrual supplies! Stuff like that.)

All that said, I am not looking for instructions on how to build a bunker, you know what I'm saying...

I know there are a million prepper websites. I don't want to sift through all of them; and I know many of them will be at a "homesteading" level that is not appropriate for me. So: are there resources you'd recommend?

My wife and I love to garden, and it has become our main recreation during the lockdown. We have a jumble of tools we've bought cheap or been gifted from others, but would like to upgrade to great tools that will last many years. We're happy to pay for quality.

I bought my wife a Felco secateur for her birthday this year, and she has a nice Craftsbury stainless steel transplant spade that I think will last years. The rest of our tools are cheap (like Harbor Freight), or beat up, with a few solid enough shovels from different Home Depot type brands.

What other tools do you like for your garden? We have a small lot (~0.3 acre) and are doing a lot container (indoors and out) and raised bed gardening right now, but tend to our trees and in-ground plantings. We don't have acres and acres or big plantings--just a home hobby garden.

DJ techno/trance mixes - good. Swiss train driver pov videos - good. Swiss train driver pov videos set to techno mixes - double plus good! From Thomas H.

I have discovered a love of a genre of media I cant' really describe. In the past few weeks I've fallen in love with being intrigued/puzzled and I'm seeking more of the experience. It started with Knives Out then straight to Agatha Christie movies, took a detour through the computer games Oxenfree & Outer Wilds, Gone Girl also hit the spot and ended in a glorious late night binge last night of Russian Doll. I am seeking your recommendation for entertainment that scratches that whodunnits/whydunnits/whatdunnits itch.

The entertainment doesn't have to necessarily be who dunnits, though they can be. They don't have to tackle existential issues either, though again they can. I would prefer interesting non traditional characters, or at the very least for the women in them to not be the "prize" if it's an older movie/book. I love me an unreliable narrator. Something you can consume a second time after you've reached the end & see how it was all there all along if only you'd known what to look for. Conclusions don't have to give all the answers or even be happy, but at least end with some sense of satisfaction. Please help me find my. All suggestions appreciated but please, no horror or terror porn or gratuitous violence or gore. ie murders, if they happen, take place off screen or not in great detail.

"I was still shocked by how much had changed, and how quickly." After climbing out of the Grand Canyon, Kim Stanley Robinson reflects on how culture is and may be changing under the impact of COVID-19, from charismatic mega-ideas to societies within societies.

(Previously) (SLNewYorker)

Four functions of markets - "The period from 2008 until now has been a kind of undead neoliberal era. Post Great Financial Crisis, neoliberal ideas have been discredited among much of the public and are actively contested even within governing elites. But, absent consensus on some new set of social heuristics, not much has actually changed. Material interests in the continuity of institutions shaped by neoliberalism remain strong."[1]

Continuity now is broken. When this pandemic is "over" (whatever that means), the undead bones of neoliberal governance may well yet again gather themselves from the chaos and reconstitute the suave, smooth-talking vampire to whose predations we have grown unhappily accustomed.[2] But they may not. We may find ourselves in a period of social experimentation and change.[3] If so, as we diminish (not eliminate!) the role of markets, it is useful I think to understand the variety of functions that markets serve, so that framers of new institutions understand what will be excised, what may sometimes need to be replaced. So. Here are four functions of markets:

1. Markets serve as Hayekian information processors
2. Markets naturalize outcomes, defusing social conflict
3. Markets "flip the incentives" surrounding resource utilization
4. Markets launder history

Obviously, the list is not exhaustive.

• Singapore is a cautionary tale - "The lesson: you can't beat this virus without taking care of your most vulnerable workers."
• 7 things we must do before we open up - "We asked American experts if they thought we could do it. Their answer? None of you are close to being ready."[4]
• GOP conflation of the public interest with corporate/investor interests - "GOP demands to immunize businesses from liability for death and injury due to workplace infection amounts to a very frank acknowledgment that re-opening endangers the life and health of workers and risks broader spread of infection... which implies a view verging on sociopathic class warfare: fatal losses to workers and communities are tolerable but financial losses to the investor class is not."

• The U.S. Needs Way More Than a Bailout to Recover From Covid-19 - "Shore up the markets, sure, but don't stop there. It's time for Congress and the White House to do things that have been unthinkable since JFK's moonshot. It's time to go big."
• Plutocratic grift - "We'll need to reform our political economy of public private parasitism."
• Productive Public-Private Partnering In Times Of Public Crisis - "The American economy has always been 'mixed,' partnering public with private ownership and control. In times of crisis the public role both has to and always grows larger. Here's how to do it now."[5,6] (via)

• Satya Nadella: crisis requires co-ordinated digital response - "We need citizens and customers to demand partnership across sectors."
• See No Evil - "Software helps companies coordinate the supply chains that sustain global capitalism. How does the code work—and what does it conceal?" (via)
• Will the Coronavirus Create a More Progressive Society or a More Dystopian One? - "A progressive turn is certainly possible, but so is its antithesis: a further upsurge in right-wing populism, and the strengthening of antidemocratic forces." (via)

• The Class Politics of the Dollar System - "Managing an international public good." (via)
• Fixing the Bailout Scammers: The Ten Percent Solution - "No one in policy circles actually believes in the market... The people in power believe in using the government to give themselves as much money as possible. Usually they can do this through structuring the market so that money flows upward."[7] (via)
• Workers need financial security and bargaining power - "The fact that progressive policymakers don't automatically and intuitively appreciate the immense advantage of enhanced UI over a paycheck guarantee speaks volumes about their level of awareness of the real lives of low wage workers. These extra dollars will change lives... Left-leaning policymakers should fully leverage enhanced UI to extract maximum financial assistance and maximum bargaining power for lower wage workers as they confront a severe economic downturn, a predatory labor market and rampant disregard for worker health and safety... What workers need now is economic security, financial flexibility and institutional advantages that will allow them to drive a hard bargain."[8]

Terri Windling (03/2020), "Once upon a time in Paris...": "As the vogue for fairy stories evolved in the 1670s and '80s, Madame d'Aulnoy emerged as one of the most popular raconteurs in Paris ... she soon formed a glittering group around her of nonconformist women and men, as well as establishing a highly successful and profitable literary career ... So how, we might ask, did Perrault become known as the only French fairy tale author of note?" Elizabeth Winter (12/2016), "Feminist Fairies and Hidden Agendas": "the term contes de fées ... was coined by ... d'Aulnoy in 1697, when she published her first collection of tales." Volker Schröder (2018-2019): this collection "is often described as 'lost' or 'untraceable'" and its "sequel has become just as scarce"; but d'Aulnoy's tales are available online, and mixed reviews such as those of the Brothers Grimm may call to mind her childhood marginalia: "if you have my book and ... don't appreciate what's inside, I wish you ringworm, scabies ... and a broken neck."

A couple of articles that are free to read online break down specifics of d'Aulnoy's stories. In "A Transformed Woman," part of her occasional column On Fairy Tales at Tor.com, Mari Ness discusses Madame d'Aulnoy's "The White Cat," a story that has also been recommended previously on Metafilter. And in "Early Modern French Feminine Narratives: Subverting Gender Roles and Sexual Identity in Mme d'Aulnoy's Beauty or the Fortunate Knight (1698)," [PDF] Harold Neeman discusses the story also known as "Belle-Belle" (likewise recommended previously on Metafilter).

More general thematic analyses of work by d'Aulnoy and her peers include Bronwyn Reddan's "Scripting Love in Fairy Tales by Seventeenth-century French Women Writers" [PDF] and "Thinking Through Things: Magical Objects, Power, and Agency in French Fairy Tales" [PDF] (the latter available temporarily from Project MUSE) and also Meghan Kort's "Imagining Girlhood in Seventeenth-Century Female-Authored Fairytales."

Works by several other authors writing in French from the 17th C. to the 19th C. illuminate d'Aulnoy's connections and her legacy (often via the collection Four and Twenty Fairy Tales, which is also at Gutenberg):

• Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier (Wikipedia): "The Discreet Princess; or The Adventures of Finetta," as discussed in Mari Ness's "Enchantment and Distrust." L'Héritier has also been credited as the co-author of the queer and/or trans (avant la lettre) romantic fairy tale, "Histoire de la Marquise-Marquis de Banneville," along with Perrault and L'Abbé de Choisy ("Une Collaboration Inattendue au XVIIe Siècle").
• Catherine Bernard (Wikipedia): Inès de Cordüe, which contains the story "Riquet à la houppe," which would later be retold by Perrault in a version available in English.
• Henriette-Julie de Murat (Wikipedia): "Perfect Love"; "Anguillette"; "Young and Handsome"; "The Palace of Revenge"; "The Prince of Leaves"; and "The Fortunate Punishment." Notes. See also Mari Ness's "Imprisonment and the Fairy Tales of Henriette Julie de Murat."
• Catherine Durand (Wikipedia.fr): Les petits soupers de l'esté, ou avantures galantes, avec l'origine des fées, which may only be available in English from Black Coat Press--one of many translations there by science fiction author Brian Stableford.
• Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (Wikipedia): "Fairer Than a Fairy"; and "The Good Woman." Notes.
• Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (Wikipedia): "The Story of Beauty and the Beast." Notes. But see also Andrea H. Everett's thesis, Villeneuve's "La belle et la bête" (1740): An Annotated Edition in English. Incidentally, both translations include the surprising second half of the story in which Beauty and the Beast turn out to be cousins.
• Marguerite de Lubert (Wikipedia): "The Princess Camion"; "Princess Lionette and Prince Coquerico." Notes.
• Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (Wikipedia): "The Prince Désir and the Princess Mignone"; "Prince Chéri"; "The Widow and Her Two Daughters"; "Prince Fatal and Prince Fortuné." Notes.
• Sophie Rostopchine, Countess of Ségur (Wikipedia): "Blondine, Bonne-Biche, and Beau-Minon"; "Good Little Henry"; "History of Princess Rosette"; "The Little Gray Mouse"; and "Ourson." See also Claire-Lise Malarte-Feldman's "La Comtesse de Ségur, a Witness of Her Time" [PDF] ("the adult reader today will find more than the dark sadomasochist that some critics have found"), available temporarily from Project MUSE.
• George Sand (Wikipedia): Légendes rustiques, available at Gutenberg in French, purports to tell local legends in a realist mode, but it also references fairies, ogres, and the fairy tale tradition in France. The version at Gallica features amazing illustrations by her son, e.g. "Les Demoiselles" or "Les Lavandières ou Laveuses de Nuit."

The silver lining of social distancing is that reduced carbon emissions have led to a resurgence of wildlife in human settlements as diverse as London,
Chicago,
Manhattan,
Buffalo,
Indianapolis,
Peterborough,
New Jersey,
Japan,
Scandinavia,
Athens,
Antarctica,
cabbage farms, and
Toronto. Nature is also totally healing on
the Thames,
the Hudson,
other urban rivers,
the ocean floor, and
Crystal Lake. Reduced air pollution means you can even get a better view of
the Moon, or
Zoom. Maybe we were the virus all along?

MeFite odinsdream recently came across some old abandoned police sketch software for Macintosh systems from the 1980s, then wrapped it up in a web-based emulator, and now you can play with it in your browser! Make your own face sketches. [via mefi projects]

So you're trying to spice up your video conferences and looking into custom backgrounds (Zoom tutorial; Microsoft Teams guide; Skype guide), but what image to pick? Studio Ghibli shared 8 suitable movie backgrounds [via Spoon Tamago and Mltshp], or you can get official Star Wars scenery [via Mltshp]. Or you could browse through One Perfect Shot, a Twitter account from Film School Rejects [also via Mltshp]. Or get artistic and pick up something from the The British Museum's "major revamp" of its digital collection, with nearly 1.9 million images free to use for anyone under a Creative Commons 4.0 license [via Open Culture, who link to more interesting and educational resources; via Mltshp].

When I got back home and was trying to write about Jah B., doing my best to stake out some understanding of what was going on musically in Kingston in the late Fifties and early Sixties, I ran into the riddle that bedevils every person who gets lost in this particular cultural maze, namely, where did ska come from? That strange rhythm, that chop on the upbeat or offbeat, ump-ska, ump-ska, ump-ska... Did someone think that up?

[many links may be NSFW]

In his inaugural food column, Beowulf Thorne included recipes for gingerbread pudding, Thai chicken curry, and vanilla poached pears, plus a photo of a naked blond man spread-eagled in a pan of paella. Eat your cereal with whipping cream, he advised readers, and ladle extra gravy onto your dinner plate. "Not only does being undernourished reduce your chances of getting lucky at that next orgy, it can make you much more susceptible to illness, and we'll have none of that," Wulf wrote.

"Get Fat, Don't Die," the first cooking column for people with AIDS, ran in every issue of Diseased Pariah News, the AIDS humor zine that Wulf started and edited from 1990 to 1999.

Some archival collections, while technically separate, produce more meaning when viewed in tandem. Although they are housed on opposite ends of the vault, I have always felt this way about the papers of Arion Stone and his friend Beowulf Thorne, who until his 1999 death was an editor of the AIDS humor zine Diseased Pariah News.

Vice: There's been a lot of response to the new DPN online archive. Why do you think people remember it so fondly?
Tom Ace: I think the impression that people got from our magazine is not something you forget.

What was your target audience?
Gay men like us who were living with HIV and AIDS at the time. Tom Shearer, in the first issue, wrote, "Our editorial policy does not include the concept that AIDS is a Wonderful Learning Opportunity and Spiritual Gift From Above. Or punishment for our Previous Badness."

Wulf used to say that the magazine was "A combination of Spy and Good Housekeeping, for the HIV set." From the start, DPN set out to be sensible. We saw AIDS as a disease, and our essential element was humor. We didn't seek advertising. I used to cite Mad and Consumer Reports as our two main inspirations.

What To Check Before Taking Your Machine To The Shop

Can you read your grandma's handwritten recipe cards, or your great-grandfather's old letters? Turn your cursive skills to something useful -- help an archivist transcribe a document! The United States National Archive's "Citizen Archivist" initiative seeks volunteers to help out with documents from a wide range of areas, from correspondence from job-seekers at the Schyuylkill Arsenal during the US Civil War to the 1975 trial of Leonard Peltier: https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist But if these topics don't interest you, there are lots more projects under the fold.

Libraries and archives are turning to volunteers to help out with transcribing handwritten documents, tagging them, and adding comments to existing transcriptions. All of these activities help make often inaccessible historical documents available to the public, both by making them readable and by making them easier to find in online catalogs and search engines.

Help the Smithsonian Institute make historical documents and biodiversity data more accessible by transcribing field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, currency proof sheets, photo albums, manuscripts, biodiversity specimens labels, and more. (previously, previously, previously)

The Library of Congress has several transcription campaigns going on right now. If your Spanish is good, they're in particular need of people to help transcribe documents written in Spanish, Latin, and Catalan between 1300 and 1800, and open the legal history of Spain and Spanish colonies to greater discovery.

If your Spanish is good and you've got some paleography skills, Neogranadina offers opportunities for students, researchers, and history buffs to contribute to the cataloging of thousands of digitalized documents from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries held by Colombian archives.

Volunteer with the Boston Public Library to turn its collection of handwritten correspondence between anti-slavery activists in the 19th century into texts that can be more easily read and researched by students, teachers, historians, and big data applications.

Freedom on the Move is a transcription project that draws on an archival collection housed at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. With the advent of newspapers in the American colonies, enslavers posted "runaway ads" to try to locate fugitives. Additionally, jailers posted ads describing people they had apprehended in search of the enslavers who claimed the fugitives as property. Transcribers can help transform the ads into a searchable database. (previously)

Chicago's Newberry Library seeks help in transcribing letters and diaries that reveal everyday life in the 19th and 20th century. Areas include family life in the Midwest, American Indian history, and U.S. western expansion.

University College London's project to transcribe original and unstudied manuscript papers written by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the great philosopher and reformer, has won multiple awards.

Interested in colonial US history? Harvard's libraries need volunteers to help transcribe 18th-century handwritten materials from its North America Collection.

The Library of Virginia has a plethora of transcription projects, from private papers and business records that contain biographical details of enslaved people, to petitions, court records, summonses, patents, accounts, proceedings, returns, grants, proclamations, and more from Virginia's colonial past.

Help transcribe "Information Wanted" advertisements taken out by former slaves searching for long lost family members. The ads taken out in black newspapers mention family members, often by name, and also by physical description, last seen locations, and at times by the name of a former slave master.

Phillips Academy seeks volunteers to help transcribe legal documents, letters, books, and original works of several members of the Phillips family including Samuel Phillips (founder of Phillips Academy Andover) and his uncle John Phillips (founder of Phillips Exeter Academy).

The United Kingdom's National Archives "Africa Through a Lens" project aims to improve knowledge of colonial period Africa photographs. They seek volunteers who might recognize anything or anyone in the photographs, or can help identify inaccuracies in the descriptions and help us to map the images for which they don't have locations.

Stanford University has multiple transcription projects up and running, including materials related to the 1906 earthquake, the papers of railroad mogul/robber baron Leland Stanford, and more.

The Georgian Papers Programme (GPP) is a ten-year interdisciplinary project to digitize, conserve, catalogue, transcribe, interpret and disseminate 425,000 pages or 65,000 items in the Royal Archives and Royal Library (UK) relating to the Georgian period, 1714-1837.

The papers of the War Department, which burned in 1800, recorded not just the military history of the early United States, but Indian affairs, veteran affairs, naval affairs (until 1798), as well as militia and army matters. Papers of the War Department 1784-1800, an innovative digital editorial project, seeks to reconstruct this lost archive through a painstaking, multi-year research effort available online to scholars, students, and the general public.

From the Page, a software for transcribing documents and collaborating on transcriptions, has a impressive list of transcription projects that may be of interest.

"Firing whistleblowers isn't just a side-effect of macroeconomic forces, nor is it intrinsic to the function of free markets. It's evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison." Tim Bray, VP and Distinguished Engineer at Amazon, resigns.

He talks about (archive link in case his blog is down) the power dynamics that led to his resignation:

The victims weren't abstract entities but real people; here are some of their names: Courtney Bowden, Gerald Bryson, Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham, Bashir Mohammed, and Chris Smalls. I'm sure it's a coincidence that every one of them is a person of color, a woman, or both. Right?

...

Amazon is exceptionally well-managed and has demonstrated great skill at spotting opportunities and building repeatable processes for exploiting them. It has a corresponding lack of vision about the human costs of the relentless growth and accumulation of wealth and power. If we don't like certain things Amazon is doing, we need to put legal guardrails in place to stop those things. We don't need to invent anything new; a combination of antitrust and living-wage and worker-empowerment legislation, rigorously enforced, offers a clear path forward.

Don't say it can't be done, because France is doing it.

...

Amazon Web Services (the "Cloud Computing" arm of the company), where I worked, is a different story. It treats its workers humanely, strives for work/life balance, struggles to move the diversity needle (and mostly fails, but so does everyone else), and is by and large an ethical organization. I genuinely admire its leadership.

Of course, its workers have power. The average pay is very high, and anyone who's unhappy can walk across the street and get another job paying the same or better.

Spot a pattern? At the end of the day, it's all about power balances. The warehouse workers are weak and getting weaker, what with mass unemployment and (in the US) job-linked health insurance. So they're gonna get treated like crap, because capitalism. Any plausible solution has to start with increasing their collective strength.

173 years ago, the Choctaw Nation extended great generosity to the Irish people by donating famine relief during the Irish Potato Famine, despite having only recently survived the Trail of Tears themselves (previously). Today, the Irish people are paying that generosity forward by donating to the Navajo and Hopi nations en masse to support their struggles against the current coronavirus.

While flu season is an annual occurrence, the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 infections has drawn more attention to what individuals can do to fight viral infections.

While the following natural health and healing suggestions are not a replacement for professional medical advice and treatment, research has shown these strategies may strengthen immunity and improve symptoms. 

Those with symptoms are being urged to stay at home and utilize telemedicine services to gain a doctor’s advice. 

Even if you’re not infected, be sure to practice the recommended steps to avoid the virus: frequent handwashing, “social distancing” from other people, and staying at home as much as possible.

Dr. Neil Nedley, a physician and president of Weimar Institute, told Pastor Doug Batchelor in a recent interview that taking N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements can help develop antibodies against the infection. He also suggested zinc supplementation and urged a plant-based diet of foods rich in antioxidants—including broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, and garlic, as well as fruits including berries and plums.

Note: Please consult with your physician before utilizing these natural remedies, especially if you have severe symptoms, are on any form of medication, or have a special condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. If you’re concerned about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 infection, check the advice at coronavirus.gov.

The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. You are encouraged to confirm any information obtained from or through this website with other sources and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician.

1. Take a Contrast Shower

At the first sign of a cold or flu, give yourself a “contrast shower.” The sooner you do it, the more effective it is. This treatment increases the number of circulating white blood cells and can ward off a full-blown infection.

• Turn the water as hot as you can tolerate (105 to 110° F).
• After a few minutes, turn the cold water on. Start with a mild contrast. Jumping up and down and rubbing your skin while in the cold water will help. Leave the cold on for about 30 seconds. Never leave it on so long that you actually feel chilled. This will have an undesirable effect (if you feel chilled, turn the hot water back on until you feel warm; then try a shorter application of cold or milder temperature).
• Repeat this contrast three times, ending with cold. Dry yourself briskly and go to bed for at least one hour. Repeat this treatment 1 to 2 times daily.

Note: If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other circulatory impairment, use only a very mild contrast.

2. Rest!
Continuing your normal level of activity usually results in worsened symptoms and a longer illness. Particularly if you have a fever, go to bed so that your body can do the work of healing without interference.

3. Avoid Antibiotics, if Possible
Colds and influenza are caused by viruses. Antibiotics fight only bacterial infections, such as strep throat. They can also upset the healthy bacterial balance of the digestive tract. Try an herbal preparation such as garlic or echinacea. These can help the body fight infection without harmful side effects. (Use echinacea only when fighting an infection; otherwise, it can lose its effectiveness.)

4. Take Vitamin C at the First Sign of Symptoms
Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of a cold or flu (1,000 mg in the morning, 500 mg in the afternoon).

5. Eat Simply
Avoid sugars and fats and limit juices and fruit, especially dried fruit (citrus fruits are preferable). Eliminate dairy products, which aggravate mucus-related symptoms. Drink plenty of fluids. Water, soups, and broth are all suitable, up to three quarts a day.

6. Keep Hands, Feet, Neck, and Ears Warmly Clothed
Blood flow to the nasal structures falls as the temperature of the extremities falls. Viruses prefer the resultant lower temperature and sluggish circulation of the nasal passages. This is why a chilled person has lowered resistance to upper respiratory infections.

7. Get Fresh Air, but Avoid Drafts
Keep your room warm (68 to 72° F), but not hot. Do deep breathing exercises, preferably outside.

8. Get a Little Sun Outdoors, but Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Chilled
Sunlight boosts the immune response and raises beneficial hormones that will help you feel better.

9. Don’t Be Too Eager to Reduce a Fever
Fever is a defense mechanism the body uses to fight infection. If you feel chilled, you are in the heating stage of a fever. Take steps to warm yourself. When you feel hot and are sweating, you have moved into the cooling stage of the fever. This is often referred to as “fever breaking.”

10. For Nasal Congestion

• Drink hot broth or hot tea, such as peppermint or ginger
• Add plenty of garlic and onion to soups and eat while hot
• Use saline nose drops: Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 1 cup warm water. Use with a clean eyedropper or nasal spray bottle.
• Use a water vaporizer with eucalyptus essence
• Apply a hot sinus compress
• Use “breathing strips” found in the First Aid section of drug stores

11. For a Sore Throat

• Gargle with saltwater: 1/4 teaspoon salt to 1 cup warm water
• Use zinc lozenges
• Use a water vaporizer, especially at night
• Apply a hot compress to the throat

12. For a Cough

• Drink hot peppermint or ginger tea with a teaspoon of honey
• Honey mixed with fresh lemon juice can also soothe a cough, but use sparingly
• Use a water vaporizer with eucalyptus essence
• Apply a hot chest pack

13. Take an Acidophilus Preparation
This may help fight off viral and bacterial infections by ensuring an abundance of beneficial bacteria in the bowel.

14. Reduce Stress
Avoid dwelling on how bad you feel or how much you’re missing. Read light and uplifting material or listen to soothing music. According to research done at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the more positive your attitude, the less severe your symptoms may be.

15. If Symptoms Are Severe, See a Physician
Severe symptoms include a fever above 104° F or one of 102° F that lasts more than a day, severe or persistent sore throat, ear pain, stiff neck, wet chest sounds, colored mucus or sputum, a cough that lingers more than a week after other symptoms have cleared, etc. These symptoms may indicate a more serious illness. 

16. Avoid Spreading the Infection to Others
Stay home and use disposable tissue to cover coughs and sneezes and for blowing your nose. Don’t prepare food for others, sit or stand close to others, and wash your hands frequently.

17. When You Start Feeling Better, Don’t Shift Back Into Full Gear
This usually results in a relapse. Stay low (and even in bed) for a few extra days. Make a gradual transition to normal activity.

Dear friends of Amazing Facts International,

We are living in unprecedented times.

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically transformed how we live and do business; of course, we are all being urged to isolate ourselves to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The state of California, in which Amazing Facts operates, is also now in a virtual lock-down, enforcing “shelter-in-place,” and non-essential businesses are closing everywhere.

With this in mind, we wanted to update our friends on how Amazing Facts is responding to the crisis.

While we are adhering to local, state, and national recommendations and ordinances, we want you to know that we are still actively spreading the gospel … without spreading germs!

Of course, Amazing Facts has been asked to restrict our onsite operations, and we are complying. For the foreseeable future, most of our team will be safely working from home so that our mission can continue.

Fortunately, Amazing Facts is a media ministry that operates two TV networks, so we are exempt from many statewide restrictions that require complete closure. This means that we are still able to do our work with a minimized crew at our headquarters to continue basic operations—including shipping Bible studies and witnessing resources.

However, the office building is closed to the public for their safety. Please do not make plans to visit until the all-clear is given.

The good news is that Amazing Facts is still broadcasting present truth!

• Our YouTube sermons and websites have many thousands of visitors every day, searching for Bible answers in these extraordinary times.
• Amazing Facts TV (aftv.org) and our recorded programs on partner networks are still reaching millions around the globe
• Over 200 radio stations are broadcasting God’s truth across our nation.

That means that although many people are now home-bound, Amazing Facts is still reaching their hearts with truth-filled lessons, including through our online and mail-based Bible School programs.

And while Pastor Doug is not able to travel, he is still preaching around the world, presenting new messages each week that will continue to be broadcast online globally. We will still be broadcasting our Sabbath School Study Hour and worship services every Sabbath—with a slimmed-down crew, right from our new office worship room.[PQ-HERE] 

These trying times are loaded with gospel opportunity as people are looking for answers. This is a prime time for us to pray and move forward with the last-day work, proclaiming the hope of Jesus’ soon return.

Please pray for Amazing Facts and for God’s protective hand to be over our ongoing work of evangelism. And pray for our fellow citizens, especially those traumatized by this crisis.

His message is our mission!

This past weekend, more than 400,000 viewers tuned in to watch Pastor Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts International and senior pastor of Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church, present several live programs, including Sabbath School and worship services, setting a stunning new record in total viewership.

Because the novel coronavirus is spread through human contact, governments have asked churches and other houses of worship to suspend in-person meetings for the time being. Thus, an uptick in online viewing was expected following the many “shelter-in-place” orders across the United States, Canada, and other countries.

This presented a unique opportunity for Amazing Facts and Granite Bay Church. A 2019 survey of pastors by LifeWay Research showed that only 22 percent livestreamed their services. While that number likely grew this past weekend, Granite Bay services have been broadcast via the Internet and Amazing Facts TV to viewers around the world long before the start of this pandemic. When restrictions on public meetings were put in place, the ministry was ready to respond—and the results were extraordinary!

Said Pastor Doug, “The massive viewership numbers for our Sabbath services are gratifying considering the circumstances. Much of our online viewership was also on Sunday morning, meaning we reached a Christian audience not fully aware of the three angels’ messages. We’re grateful for the visitors, and we thank God for this opportunity of sharing His message online.”

From March 27 to 29, three programs were broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, Amazing Facts TV (aftv.org), and other online venues. A small crew shot the programs from the W.O.R.D. Center campus, the new headquarters for Amazing Facts and the future site of the Granite Bay church.

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On Friday night, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jëan Ross, vice president of evangelism at Amazing Facts, hosted a special program called Prophecy and the Pandemic: Is There a Connection?, which attracted 138,000 views. On Saturday morning, Sabbath School Study Hour saw 54,000 viewers, and the weekly Sabbath worship service 430,000. As each view could have also represented an entire household tuning in, the Word of God may have reached countless more!

This time of crisis is a vital time for spreading the gospel, and Amazing Facts International is dedicated to doing just that. Thank you for your support during this difficult but profound time for God’s work! Your continued support is much appreciated.

Prophecy and the Pandemic: Is There a Connection?