The 50 Craziest Things That Have Happened In Florida In 2020 So Far

Poison control begs Texans to quit drinking bleach: 'Stop -- it won't cure COVID-19'

Raw Story
August 25, 2020
By Travis Gettys

Nearly 50 north Texans have ingested bleach this month, and the region’s poison control center is begging residents to stop.

The North Texas Poison Center issued a warning this week after 46 cases of bleach ingestions were called in prompted by “misleading and inaccurate information circulating online” about preventing the spread of the coronavirus, reported KTVT-TV.

President Donald Trump suggested in April that an “injection inside” the body with disinfectants such as bleach or isopropyl alcohol may help fight the coronavirus, and medical experts and manufacturers alike quickly urged the public not to follow that advice.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/poison-control-begs-texans-to-quit-drinking-bleach-stop-it-wont-cure-19/


No doubt they were toasting the start of their convention of assclowns

National Zoo's female giant panda has a new 'miracle' cub

Source: Washington Post

By Michael E. Ruane
August 21, 2020 at 6:58 p.m. EDT

Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s female giant panda, delivered a “miracle” cub Friday — becoming at 22 the oldest giant panda to give birth in the United States and giving Washington its first giant panda cub in five years, the zoo said.

The cub was born about 6:30 p.m., after Mei Xiang had been in labor for about 3½ hours. It could be heard on the zoo’s panda cam, as its mother licked it.

The pregnancy had been “a miracle” because at her age Mei Xiang had a less than 1 percent chance of having another cub, the zoo said.



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/zoo-panda-gives-birth/2020/08/21/c5b1f7b2-df30-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html?

CAR PARADES FOR BIDEN

I just read a post about a golf cart parade for Biden at The Villages in Florida, of all places.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213946029#post3

What a great way to celebrate Joe Biden and draw attention to his campaign!

This is something many of us at DU could do in our communities between now and the election. And on Election Day.

I'm going to do this. Just get a half dozen or more fellow Democrats to hang signs on their cars, drive in a row and honk. No parade permits needed. People do this for birthdays and graduations in my neighborhood.

Spread the word.

That was breathtaking!

The speech, the sounds, the faces, the flags, the flashing headlights, the fireworks!

I have tears in my eyes, a smile on my face, and hope in my heart.

A potential new weapon in the fight against COVID-19: Food coloring

August 20, 2020
By The Conversation
Raw Story

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

Our biomedical engineering lab has developed a way to potentially neutralize viruses lingering in the air using aerosols of FDA-approved food coloring dyes. Aerosols are tiny bits of solid or liquid matter suspended in air.

Our idea was inspired by photodynamic therapy, which is a medical treatment, including for certain types of cancer. Photodynamic therapy uses a photosensitizer, a chemical that reacts with oxygen in the presence of light, to produce oxygen free radicals. These radicals are highly reactive, meaning they trigger other chemical reactions, including ones that kill harmful pathogens.

Instead of using expensive medical photosensitizers, we have identified several FDA-approved food coloring dyes that can be used to generate free radicals in visible light. We use ultrasound to generate small aerosols containing the food coloring so that the dyes can float and linger in the air. The aerosols are barely visible, and their small size and short lifespan in light means they don’t stain surfaces.

We used this technique to produce a device, Photodynamic Airborne Cleaner, that disinfects pathogens floating in the air. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-of-its-kind photodynamic therapy aerosol generator for airborne disinfection.

More at link

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/a-potential-new-weapon-in-the-fight-against-19-food-coloring/


"It doesn't stain"... I get the feeling we could all soon be covered in tiny red, green and purple spots.

Baby chicks arrive dead as Maine farmers wonder why formerly reliable USPS shipments aren't working

Raw Story
August 19, 2020
By Sarah K. Burris

"The past several weeks have brought stories of seniors and veterans not getting their prescriptions because of the U.S. Postal Service’s slowdown by the Trump administration. Small businesses are now suffering as shipments are delayed and now farmers are facing problems.

The Portland Press Herald reported Wednesday that a Maine farmer went to the post office to pick up 800 baby chicks that he had ordered for his family farm, Pine Tree Poultry. They’ve been processing cage-free chicken meat for years, and for the first time, the baby chicks were all dead.

“We’ve never had a problem like this before,” said Pauline Henderson. This isn’t her first order, but it’s certainly the first to end like this. “Usually they arrive every three weeks like clockwork. And out of 100 birds, you may have one or two that die in shipping.”
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She isn’t the only one with the problem, either; any birds that went through the Postal Service’s processing center in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, died, impacting farms in Maine and New Hampshire."


https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/baby-chicks-arrive-as-maine-farmers-wonder-why-formerly-reliable-usps-shipments-arent-working/


Thank you, Susan Collins.

Don't mess with USPS

From Rep. David Trone (D-Maryland):

"It’s more important than ever for us to show our support for the U.S. Postal Service and stand up against this political attack.

This week, I’m running a #DontMessWithUSPS campaign on social media. Take a photo of yourself outside of your local post office or blue box, tag my Twitter account @RepDavidTrone, and I will retweet you.

I look forward to showing the Trump Administration just how critical USPS is to all Marylanders."

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) was on to the USPS plot 4 months ago

note the date:

Dem Lawmaker Accuses Trump of Sabotaging the Postal Service to Control Mail-In Voting

Meaghan Ellis
Independent Journal Review
April 24, 2020

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is accusing President Donald Trump of having calculated motives for refusing to bail out the United States Postal Service (USPS).

During his discussion with SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah, Raskin noted the reason he believes Republicans oppose mail-in ballots. He also discussed the important role USPS will play in the upcoming presidential election.

“They don’t want to have a real election. We are going to be depending on the Post Office to deliver people their ballots and then have them return their ballots through the mail,” Raskins said, adding, “It’s another reason for not just Donald Trump but the whole Republican party to hate the Post Office.”

Raskin went on to express why believes Trump and the Republicans will attempt to sabotage postal services in order to control it, oversee mail-in voting, and interfere in the general election in November.

https://ijr.org/dem-lawmaker-accuses-trump-of-sabotaging-the-postal-service-to-control-mail-in-voting/

Sen. Chris Van Hollen on the USPS situation, early voting

From an email to constituents this morning.

"I have heard from many of you who are experiencing mail delays – including for essential mail such as medication and retirement checks. I want to be clear: the current slowdown in mail delivery is unacceptable and is imposing unnecessary hardship on Marylanders and communities nationwide. These problems are driven by the pandemic and recent changes implemented by the new Postmaster General – and Trump campaign contributor and ally – Louis DeJoy, and they must not be allowed to continue.

That’s why I’ve called for an immediate reversal of these changes and am working in the Senate to open an investigation, provide emergency funds to the Postal Service, and fight against any efforts to privatize it. My office has also reached out to our local post offices to investigate and get details on their operations. As Americans continue to rely on USPS, and especially since millions plan to exercise their right to vote by mail in November, we cannot let these problems persist.

Americans deserve to know that when they post their ballot or pay a bill by mail, it will be delivered on time. They should have peace of mind knowing their fundamental right to have their voice heard in our government has been fulfilled. While we push for these changes at the Postal Service, it’s critical that every Marylander knows how to safely cast their ballot this fall – including by early voting, which starts on October 26."

my boldfacing