'I was just being sarcastic'

 Last Thursday Donald Trump suggested that people inject disinfectant into their lungs in order to cure coronavirus, and then claimed the next day that he was just being sarcastic.
For those catching up, during his coronavirus press conference on Thursday, Trump literally asked medical experts on his coronavirus task force if people could inject disinfectant or even UV light (no, really) into their bodies as a means of fighting COVID-19. (They can't. Please don't do that.)
The next day the White House tried to claim that Trump was taken out of context, only for Trump to ruin that excuse by claiming he was actually being sarcastic. The White House didn't have a good explanation as to why a sitting president would joke about a plague that has already killed more than 50,000 people, and video of the exchange doesn't support the interpretation that Trump was joking. Not even Fox News accepted that excuse.

 

Unsurprisingly, his comments were widely mocked — even disinfectant maker Lysol got involved, saying in a statement that "under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route). After all, poison can kill. By Friday night, it was reported that Trump would be ending his daily coronavirus briefings. Whoops!
Now we've learned something new from Donald Trump. While the nation is tuning into these briefings for accurate information, Trump is just testing out his newest comedy material.

How are you spending your self isolation ??

 

 

I find that my mind meanders in weird and wacky directions, lately. I was sitting in my window today watching my neighbour, Lou, mow his lawn. It was warm and he was braving the slight breeze, shirtless. I was trying to count the moles on his back, which are fairly large, when it occurred to me that they could be buttons: the 'mow the lawn' button, the 'wash the car' button, the 'clean the bathrooms' button. Lou's wife has created a perfect husband robot. No … wait a minute, they're little eyes. Lou has eyes all over his back and they are, presently, all focused on my house. They have spotted me in my window.

 

I always suspected Lou was an alien. No one smiles all the time.  And it's a very insincere smile, like it was cut from a magazine and pasted on his face. And no one, human, is so neighbourly and helpful. I'll wager he was sent here from a hostile planet to assess how quickly Covid 19 is decimating the human race. Covid was, obviously, a creation of the the aliens, introduced to earth to annihilate all life and enable them to take possession of our planet and drain it of its' resources. Their own planet, of course, is a barren wasteland with a completely polluted atmosphere. 

 I've noticed that Lou, frequently, sticks his finger in his ear and wiggles it. He's probably adjusting the receiver, implanted there, so he can hear his orders from the mother ship over the noise of the lawn mower.

 

What about that wife of his? She takes two walks at precisely the same times every day . She is always well dressed and groomed and walks briskly. She takes a dog with her as a cover. I believe she goes to a designated spot to beam up to the ship and present her observations to her superior officers.

 

I feel it is my duty to my fellow humans to stop this conspiracy, somehow. How can I send a message to the alien leader that we are not to be trifled with? Wait a minute.... Lou likes to barbecue almost daily. They eat an awful lot of meat; strange looking meat, that just might be …. No! Surely they're not cannibalistic!

I could plant some sort of explosive device in the barbecue that would detonate when Lou turned the gas on …. Wait a minute....

 

Oh shit! There's the phone.

"Hello Sweetheart."

" Oh, we're just fine; just hanging around the house."

" How are the twins? ….."

Who Sez there's a shortage of masks??

Not at Walmart there ain't

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovative,eh?

Gotta love em

 

Stay safe

 

Pandemic ?? It's just a cold .... or maybe 'fake news' created by the Democrats

At least he's 'consistently' dreadful

 

 

Good Deeds

We’re all in this together.

It’s the refrain we’ve heard over and over, from the neighbour you follow on Instagram to the most powerful politicians in the world.

And the fact is, it’s true. As the coronavirus pandemic has seized the collective consciousness and kept us all (hopefully) in our homes, it’s clear that every Canadian is affected. And moreover, that we need to rely on each other more than ever to get by, whether that’s (paradoxically) staying away from each other or lending a hand whenever we can.

 

Customer Leaves Entire $1,200 Stimulus Check as Generous Tip for Family-Owned Restaurant

 

 

 

 

Like so many small businesses being forced to adapt to social restrictions amidst the novel coronavirus shutdowns, this Arkansas steakhouse has been struggling to make ends meet—but thankfully, one of their regular customers gave them a much-appreciated financial windfall.

Despite the difficulties of remaining open during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the Colonial Steakhouse restaurant in Pine Bluff has managed to stay open by maintaining a team of four employees to offer curbside pickup for three days of the week.

Last week, one of the restaurant’s regular customers decided to leave a hefty tip for their takeout order—and the staffers were stunned by the amount.

The customer tipped the Colonial Steakhouse $1,200—which was the customer’s entire stimulus check issued by the federal government to relieve the financial burden of the pandemic.

“We just started crying and thanking God because it came at a time that most of our staff really needed it,” said manager Allison Hall.

Hall went on to say that times have been tough on the restaurant and they were elated to be on the receiving end of such a generous gesture.

 

***

Tina from Washington

“I decided to order takeout to do my little part to help support local restaurants. I ordered through DoorDash. Unfortunately, no driver ever showed up to the restaurant to make the delivery. I called the restaurant and offered to pay for the food and have the owner take the food for his own family. I explained that I didn’t need the food but had ordered it just to support his restaurant. He was having none of that. He insisted on bringing the food to me himself after the restaurant closed. And he did just that ... and more. When I looked through my order, there was something extra. It was sticky rice with sliced mango around it, like a flower. There was a note in marker scrawled on the top of the box that said, ‘Thank you so much for your support. :)’”

 

***

 Stephanie  

New York

“A teenage boy in our church has been struggling with a brain tumor. He cannot have visitors, obviously. The members of our church and his friends in the community decided to show him love and support last night by doing a ‘drive-by.’ Hundreds of cars drove slowly past his house tooting their horns. How encouraging that we can still find creative ways to reach out to each other!”

 

***

Maureen

Conneticut

My friend Heather texted me to check in. She manages a local Starbucks and asked if we could use some coffee. As parents of two young girls (2 and 4) trying to work from home for the first time, of course we needed coffee! She asked about our preferences and promised to drop off a pound of freshly ground coffee that afternoon. When I opened the door to her package, I found not just coffee, but a ‘self-isolation survival kit’ complete with activities for the kids, a mini daffodil plant, a bottle of wine, scratch-off lottery tickets and other treats. I was so grateful, I teared up. It felt like a big, warm hug to know that someone had thought about our whole family and was taking care of us.”

 

***

Barb and Dale

Kitchener Ontario

Barb and Dale's great-grandson had to spend his fifth birthday confined to his high-rise apartment. His dad had a friend at the local fire department and asked him if he could arrange to have a fire truck come to the building and drive around the large circle in front, with the siren going. Apparently, the little boy was enamoured of fire fighters and their trucks. A fire truck arrived with lights flashing and sirens blaring on the day, followed by a long line of cars filled with family members honking and waving. The parade made the circuit out front several times to the absolute delight of the little boy. He will remember that birthday for the rest of his life.

 

You may think these good deeds are not so very noteworthy, but you would be wrong. They prove that ordinary people can be extraordinary. They can be caring, compassionate, kind and have enough love for fellow humans to share, generously.

 Stay safe and stay well, Shadow

 



Thank You

 

 

Special, heart-felt thanks to my grandson and hero, Shayne on the frontline at Lakeridge Health Hospital in Oshawa Ontario.... Also to all his colleagues and health care workers, at the hospital, many thanks and love to all. 

Facts about Covid 19 you may not know

Photograph by Anthony Kwan, Getty

Wet markets, like this one in Macau, are found throughout Asia and sell fresh vegetables, fruit, seafood, and meat.

Until earlier this year, most people had never heard of the term “wet market,” but the coronavirus pandemic has thrust it into the limelight. A wet market in Wuhan, China, called the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, is believed to be the source of COVID-19. And it is where the first cases started showing up.

Somewhat akin to farmer’s markets and found around the world, wet markets are typically large collections of open-air stalls selling fresh seafood, meat, fruits, and vegetables. Some wet markets sell and slaughter live animals on site, including chickens, fish, and shellfish. In China, they’re a staple of daily life .
SARS was a more deadly virus but Covid 19 is far more contagious so it is much harder to control or contain.

 

Saliva and mucous from a sneeze can carry farther than the social distance of six feet  / two metres. As observed in this freeze frame photography, doctors' estimate of a safe distance is incorrect. Also the droplets stay airborne longer than first estimated

The pandemic is giving people vivid, unusual dreams. Researchers are trying explain why withdrawal from our usual environments—due to social distancing—has left dreamers with a dearth of “inspiration.” Science has long suggested that dream content and emotions are connected to wellbeing while we’re awake. Bizarre dreams laden with symbolism allow some dreamers to overcome intense memories or everyday psychological stressors within the safety of their subconscious. Nightmares, on the other hand, can be warning signs of anxieties that we might not otherwise perceive in our waking lives. With hundreds of millions of people sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic, some dream experts believe that withdrawal from our usual environments and daily stimuli has left dreamers with a dearth of “inspiration,” forcing our subconscious minds to draw more heavily on themes from our past. You might find yourself back in school or summer camp. You may see people you have not seen for a long time. The lack of day to day new experiences has your unconscious mind reaching into the past to provide you with scenarios. If you are having bad dreams lately, it may be caused by the stress of the pandemic, the loss of a job or economic worries or emotional fatigue from isolation. People closer to the pandemic threat—health-care workers, those living in epicenters, and those with affected family members—are more likely to experience outbreak-influenced dreams. They may dream of patients on respirators, struggling to breathe or dying. According to an ongoing study the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France initiated in March, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 35 percent increase in dream recall among participants, with respondents reporting 15 percent more negative dreams than usual. Multiple studies have shown that our waking activities create a slide reel of memories that influence the content of our dreams. Emotions carried over from the day can influence what we dream about and how we feel about it within the dream itself. Reducing or restricting sources of everyday memories—by being stuck alone in quarantine—may limit the content of dreams or cause the subconscious to reach for deeper memories.



Stay home - stay safe- stay well

WE CAN BEAT THE DAMN VIRUS

 

He just can’t help himself.

President Trump joked about being “involved in” models during a coronavirus briefing at the White House on Friday. The quip came while the president was fielding questions about the trajectory of the pandemic.

"The models show hundreds of thousands of people are going to die and you know what I want to do? I want to come way under the model," he said. “The professionals did the models and I was never involved in a model. At least this kind of a model, (smirk)".

Vice President Mike Pence, standing stoically behind the president, did not laugh

First Lady Melania Trump said she was a model before meeting Trump in 1998. They married in 2005. That lady puts up with a lot of his bull-ca-ca.
  The president owned a modeling agency for 18 years, Trump Model Management, which closed in 2017 and not without controversy over operations. Its roster reportedly included Paris Hilton and Carol Alt. 

Trump also nurtured aspiring fashionistas while presiding over the Miss Universe Organization, where participants found their boss’s management style very proactive, according to Rolling Stone.

“I’m allowed to go into the dressing rooms because I’m the owner of the pageant,” Trump told Sirius XM host Howard Stern in 2005. "Therefore, I’m inspecting it… ‘Is everyone OK?’ You know, they’re standing there with no clothes. And you see these incredible-looking women. And so I sort of get away with things like that.”

So who’s the biggest COVIDIOT of them all ?

Such an 'amusing little pervert'.

Alternate fuels are a reality

Buses making their rounds thanks to sewage!

Northern Europe is world champion of clean transportation. Moreover, the city of Oslo (Norway) aims to become a “car-free capital” by 2020. Their main objective is to restrict the traffic of cars in the city center.
Sweden has put in place a public transport network, which operates only through renewable energies. Buses run with wastewater and are 90% less polluting than before. The city of Stockholm no longer uses diesel or other fuel and is often referred to as a model of ecology.
In partnership with the French-Canadian operator Keolis, the city recovers wastewater and sends it directly to a biomethane production plant. Buses can cover a distance of 8 km, thanks to rechargeable batteries, in barely 6 minutes. The buses also have a hybrid biodiesel-electricity engine.

“In Stockholm, it is the waste of the city that produces gas to power the buses,” says Jean-Pierre Farandou, owner of Keolis and French operator responsible for the operation of a portion of the buses in Stockholm.

This system is so conclusive that 90% of the pollution related to public transport is avoided. It is also 80,000 tons less CO2 sent into the atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of 40,000 gasoline cars in circulation.

Used Cooking oil for Fuel

Did you know that 95% of food oils used in restaurants or at home are usually incinerated, end up in the trash or in the sink? Dumping of used cooking oil is one of the main causes of water pollution in cities in Europe.
A French company has decided to give them a second life. Gecco recovers them in catering and also in recycling centers. One of their Belgian partners sells them to biodiesel plants in Europe.

The fuel in question is a B30: a biodiesel composed of a mixture of vegetable oil (30%) and conventional diesel (70%). It is used to supply the public transportation fleets in some cities in northern France. Their goal is to offer a B100 version to vehicles. A 100% vegetable fuel by spring 2019.
This project called BIOHEC LIFE aims to develop a social economy sector based on the use of used food oils for the production of fuel from the environment.

According to Alicia Bachelet, this project was born from a report. “A territory generates waste and therefore needs energy. But with a little imagination, this waste can become the energy of the territory.”

Transforming this type of waste into an alternative resource to oil and natural gas is a well-oiled inspiration!

 

 Germany: Launch of the world’s first hydrogen train

 

Good news for the planet! Germany has put into service the first passenger trains in the world, fueled by a hydrogen fuel cell.It’s a real zero-emission revolution with little noise. Especially since these trains emit only water vapor and condensed water. Equipped with fuel cells, they transform the hydrogen stored on the roof and ambient oxygen into electricity.Lithium ion batteries also make it possible to store the energy recovered during braking for reuse in the acceleration phases

“With the hydrogen fuel cell, we are betting on the future to meet the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the huge needs of clean public transport.” Said Jörg Nikutta, head of the German division of Alstom.

 According to Le Figaro, a recent study by the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen could account for nearly a fifth of the total energy consumed by 2050.
“This would contribute up to 20% of the reduction required to limit global warming to 2 ° C.” Says the Hydrogen Council. According to this study, hydrogen could supply 10 to 15 million cars and 500,000 trucks by 2030. The annual demand for hydrogen could globally be multiplied by ten by 2050. It represents 18% of the energy demand total final in the 2 ° C scenario.
In the long term, hydrogen could generate a turnover of 2500 billion dollars and create more than 30 million jobs.

 

Inauguration of Africa’s largest wind farm

With a population of some 1.2 billion, the African continent is the second most populous continent, but, paradoxically, the least electrified. 665 million people are reported to live without electricity on a daily base, Is a big an issue!

Polluting energies and lack of accessibility.

Flame thermal power plants are coal, oil or natural gas power plants. It is the most widespread energy model on the African continent. Their mode of operation is simple: the heat released by the combustion of fuel oil, gas or coal is used to produce energy.

However, this type of energy is not without risk to the environment. In addition to generating emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases, the use of thermal energy depends on fossil sources with physically limited and non-renewable reserves.

According to the World Bank, in sub-Saharan Africa, the electricity grid covers only a very small part of the countries. In addition, electricity, which is quite expensive, can cost up to 3 times more than in America. Under these conditions, the most modest households unfortunately do not have the means to benefit from the current and remain in darkness.

Kenya’s choice seems to be an interesting and encouraging path for the future.

Life-saving solutions for the future?

Renewable energies, including wind energy, are energies that do not require any fuel. Considered clean, wind does not create a greenhouse effect and does not produce radioactive and toxic waste. It is free energy, available in one of the windiest places in the world.

On July 19, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated the country’s first wind farm. The colossal infrastructure includes 365 wind turbines with a production capacity of 310 megawatts. Installation cost ? $879 million.

This project will increase the country’s electricity production by 13% and reduce dependence on any other energy source. It will also protect the country in the event of droughts and shortages, as it will ensure the supply of energy needed for the country to function properly.

Today, 85% of Kenya’s energy is renewable. Something to inspire many others.

 

Come on Canada! Get moving on alternative fuels. Catch up to the rest of the world. We have loads of sewage (no kidding),  used canola oil and, Lord knows, the prairies have an abundance of wind.

Pep Talk from Justin

This afternoon, Justin Trudeau addressed the House of Commons with the  message that even as we stand apart, we must stand united in our resolve to do what we must until COVID-19 is defeated.

As Canadians across the country face this outbreak together, the government is taking action to support families, workers, and businesses. And as the Prime Minister said today, our job as Canadians is to respect the dignity and sanctity of every single human life – whether they be rich or poor, young or old, ailing or healthy. He's a little preachy and sanctimonious but I think his heart is in the right place.

HUH? .. President Trump want to mine the Moon?

 

President Trump wants the United States to start mining on the Moon for minerals.

The US president recently signed an executive order stating America has the right to explore and use resources from outer space.
The order also said the US did not see space as a common area for resources, and didn't need permission of international agreements to get started.
But why does he want to mine in space? And what are the benefits?



    

Don't forget he created a 'Space Force' last year (whatever that is).  Maybe it's a 'Space Mining Force'
 

'Extending life beyond Earth'

According to Sarah Cruddas, mining the Moon will help humans travel further in space, to places like Mars.
Sarah's a space journalist and says the Moon can become "an intergalactic gas station" - because it has the resources needed for rocket fuel - like hydrogen and oxygen.
Having a gas station in space means rockets can travel further into space before worrying about running out of fuel.
"It's like not taking a kitchen sink when you go on holiday. We shouldn't need to take everything with us when we go into space," Sarah says.
Exploring deeper is important because space has lots of resources which can be used to benefit our planet.

Professor Benjamin Savacoo says the world is moving towards renewable energy sources because of climate change and needs those resources.
"We are currently depleting the resources we have," Benjamin tells Newsbeat.
Benjamin is professor of energy policy at University of Sussex and says mining more materials in space can help build items such as electric cars - which will be good for the environment in the long-term.
"Metals such as lithium or cobalt - which you need - are mainly in places like China, Russia or Congo. And it's difficult to get them."
He says it can be complicated trying to source materials from different suppliers around the world, all of which have different rules.
"Mining on the Moon, with one entity, might be easier," he adds.
Sarah says mining those materials on Earth in places like Congo, is "done in horrible conditions".
But Benjamin does warn that in space mining doesn't offer a short-term fix for climate change on
earth.

Satellites inform us of the mineral and chemical makeup of the moon

US-China tensions

One of the reasons behind President Trump's decision to mine on the Moon could be a lack of access to minerals for the US compared with other parts of the world.
"The US has lost the race - other countries are ahead, like China and Russia," says Benjamin.
Materials mined by China have been made available around the world.
"It will be really attractive to people like President Trump if you are able to get minerals in a place where the Chinese aren't - like space."
There has been tension between the US and China since President Trump came to power, and Benjamin says this is a chance for him to assert "dominance and leadership".

What about the law?

President Trump's order is clear that international law won't apply to US efforts in space - but laws about what humans can do off-planet are less well defined.
"Space law is developing, it's something that will change over time," Sarah says.
No country "can claim to own the Moon", but currently it's like maritime law: "If you go there, find it and mine it - it's yours to keep."
Benjamin says setting our sights on outer space may be inevitable because of climate change happening here on our planet.
"One of the arguments people make is space is the only place left to go because we'll eventually mess up our Earth so much," he says.
"That viewpoint demands space exploration as the only viable alternative for the future of humanity."

Many planets have resources that we can use on earth

Can it happen in our lifetimes?

According to Sarah, "the technology is there" and progress is fast because there are more private companies involved.
"Before, it was always government funded. But with private companies and individuals, there's more money and ambition," she said.
"We're going to see huge advances on things like mining on the Moon, mining asteroids and the sea, and humans visiting Mars. That's all feasible within our lifetime."
Ultimately, though, Sarah says it's "all a part of something greater".
"It's all part of being involved in extending humanity beyond Earth."

The Good News is ....

          

New Yorkers are giving nightly ovations to health workers.
 

 As the latest unemployment numbers show, people across the country are struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. That's why actor and director Tyler Perry helped out grocery shoppers in two hard-hit cities in the outbreak. On Wednesday, he paid for customers' groceries at 29 Winn-Dixie locations during shopping hours for seniors and high-risk individuals, the company said. In Atlanta, he picked up the tab at 44 Kroger stores.

 A New York City landlord is giving his 200 tenants one less thing to worry about amid the coronavirus pandemic as he waived rent for the month of April. "I want everybody to be healthy. That's the whole thing," Mario Salerno stated, emphatically. He said after some of his tenants told him that they were worried about paying rent because they lost their jobs due to the pandemic, he decided to take action.

 

A group of nurses in Nashville prayed together on the helipad atop the hospital in an uplifting scene during the coronavirus crisis. They prayed for patients and their families.

 

 Inspiring photo shows medical workers flying to New York to fight coronavirus

 

Surgeon, Elvis Francois, on a break, sings "Lean on Me"

Bon Jovi pitches in by washing dishes at his non profit restaurant, JBJ Soul Kitchen. His kitchen is feeding  hundreds of homeless or desperate folks during the pandemic.
 

 A senior citizen, married for 67 years, honors his wife by standing outside of her window at the nursing home where she has been isolated due to the Covid 19 pandemic.


Father Scott Holmer, a Catholic priest at a parish in Maryland, has started hearing drive- thru confessions  in his church's parking lot for the duration of the pandemic. He keeps the regulation six feet social distance from the driver's window.
 

New Yorkers sing to each other from their apartments to cheer each other up and prove that isolation does not have to mean that you are alone.

The good news is, that during an emergency or a disaster, people step up to the plate and prove they are compassionate, generous and human. Stay safe and stay well.

Truth and fiction ... Covid 19

TRUE or FALSE?

COVID-19 only spreads in hot and humid climates.

FALSE

Current evidence shows that COVID-19 can spread in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather.

TRUE or FALSE? Cold weather can kill COVID 19

FALSE

Cold weather and snow cannot kill COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? A vaccine is available to protect against COVID-19.

FALSE

There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19.  The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.


TRUE or FALSE? COVID-19 only infects older people and individuals living with chronic conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart disease).

FALSE

COVID-19 infects people of all ages, including children. However older people and individuals living with chronic conditions appear to be more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with the virus. People of all ages need to take steps to protect themselves. This is why it is important to wash your hands often, and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Pets can spread COVID-19.

FALSE

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans. However, you should always wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds after touching pets. As a precautionary measure, if you have COVID-19 symptoms or are self-isolating due to contact with a COVID-19 case, you should follow similar recommendations around animals as you would around people in these circumstances.


TRUE or FALSE? Some diets can protect you from getting COVID-19?

FALSE

There is no evidence that diets such as low carb diet can protect your from getting COVID-19. Eating healthy food is good for your overall health. However, the best protection against getting COVID-19 remains washing your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Social media provides good advice on COVID-19

FALSE

You should only go to reliable sources for the source of truth on COVID-19. This includes www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19, Government of Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO).  Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on social media and in some cases the misinformation can be harmful to individuals if followed.  It is important to use reliable sources of information. There is currently no cure for COVID-19. The best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Antibiotics are effective in preventing and treating COVID-19?

FALSE

COVID-19 is a virus, and therefore antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. If you are hospitalized for COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.

Beware of social media rumors and fake news about Covid 19. Stay safe and stay healthy.