The latest recap of the news you may have missed… we’re assuming by accident.
Corvallis Manor Outbreak Over
Residential care facility Corvallis Manor is coming out of their COVID-19 outbreak with 121 cases and six deaths. In all, care facilities in Oregon have seen 13,060 cases and 1,180 deaths. Luckily, the vaccine is slowly but (hopefully) surely making its way out to everyone. We may see the control of this yet.
Keeping Woke When Black History Month is Over
It’s called “Black in Oregon: 1840 – 1870” and is at the Benton County History Museum in Philomath until April 17. This exhibit took a circuitous route to Benton County – beginning as archives and last displayed at a Salem coffeehouse. But the experiences of Black Americans in Oregon is important whether they arrived as slaves or arrived free, because all of them faced serious legal and social inequities due to the color of their skin. This exhibit was produced by Oregon Black Pioneers.
Identity Theft & Unemployment Claims
The Oregon Employment Department has seen a ten-fold increase in identity theft problems in 2020 – a trend seen nationwide. The high number of unemployment claims has created a hole in the system which cybercriminals exploited to siphon up to $200 million from Washington state and over $11 billion in California. Oregon isn’t releasing the amount lost to dissuade future thefts. OED has seen large waves of claims at times, and says that is when fraud is most likely to happen; they are adding employees to work through these issues. So, watch your mail for unexpected letters from the government.
COVID Takes Yet Another Thing Away
Yes, COVID really is the Grinch that just keeps taking. Now it might take away 11 Oregon farms that make up our mink industry. Mink have been proven to be an animal that can catch this nifty new virus and then mutate it; generously giving it back to the people they likely caught it from. All of the farms raising mink may have to close down by the end of the year if this bill passes in Oregon.
Is This Really Where We’re At?
Making the news this week,,, Republicans in the Oregon Senate decided to come to work. Last week, the petulant children we elected to run things decided that, rather than going to work and talking their differences of opinion over with the other people we elected, they would hide away behind their own front doors (read Mothers’ skirts) and stick their tongues out. While this was an improvement to last year when they put fingers in their ears and sang “I am not listening” over and over, it was still a childish response to not getting their way. This week, they are choosing to return to work… something we pay them to do.
Does OSHA Hate Florence?
The Little Brown Hen Café in Florence was fined nearly $18,000 by Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for COVID violations, including exposing their workers to coronavirus. Trying not to play favorites, OSHA then fined Firehouse Restaurant & Lounge (again, of Florence) more than $18,000 for violations dating since Dec. 26. If it feels like OSHA has something against the small coastal town, then we’ll need to take into consideration the fact that residents have threatened violence against inspectors. Feels like the state is finally putting its money where its mouthwas.
Andrew Cuomo Continues to Implode
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has had a couple bad weeks lately. He came to attention nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic for his excellence in handling the overwhelming number of cases and deaths in the state. Now, it seems that he had under-reported the number of people who died from the coronavirus in residential care centers by approximately 50%. This week, it has come out that Cuomo has berated and belittled people who work for him and, most concerning, he has possibly sexually harassed at least three women who have worked with him. Guess those of us at The Advocate who got Andrew Cuomo tattoos will have to look into laser treatments.
You Cannot Buy These on a Boat
You Cannot Buy These with a Goat
You Cannot Buy Them Here or There
You Cannot Buy Them Anywhere
Six books by Dr. Suess will no longer be published due to racist and insensitive imagery. According to Dr. Suess Enterprises, ceasing to publish these books is part of their goal to ensure Dr. Suess is available to all communities and families. The decision was made last year. Books which will no longer be available are “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” which includes inappropriate images of Asian people, “If I Ran the Zoo” which includes images of African people in grass skirts and bare chested, “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!.” and “The Cat’s Quizzer” – the reasons for discontinuing the last four were not provided. So very soon you will not be able to buy these, Sam-I-Am.
Capitol Architects? Try Capitol Heros!
Everyone remember that “little fuss” over in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6? Turns out the protestors (rioters, insurrectionists, assholes) caused over $30 million in damages, according to Capitol Architect J. Brett Blanton. What many don’t know is that the architects not only sheltered employees and congressional staff on Jan. 6, but a few made a fast trip to the roof to reverse air flow to clear irritants from the air while their work and equipment were destroyed. There’s also the money we’re all paying to keep a security fence around our representatives so none of them are hurt (injured, killed, murdered).
“No company should have this much influence…”
Australia passed a law requiring Facebook and Google to pay Australian journalists when their stories are posted on the tech company’s platforms. Facebook responded by blocking any posts that included news – even posts coming from the news sources. However, those “news posts” included emergency broadcasts coming from the government; a move that came as several fires and flood warnings were issued. Google is no angel here; they also threatened to retaliate by moving their search functions out of the country. And they said that technology would better humankind.
In Other Tech News…
One of the last bastions of do-it-yourself technology has been forced to close its door. Many might know Fry’s Electronics for their fanciful interiors and exteriors (check a few out here), but any west coast techie you ask will remember Fry’s as the place to get any part imaginable for your computer. Built on the 1980’s computer boom where fully assembled computers were more expensive than build-it-yourself fabrications, Fry’s was faltering in recent years as computers became cheaper and almost disposable. Technology people of the world, take off your hats.
Former Qanon Talk March 4
Calling out several news sources for directing themselves and their family members toward conspiracy theories and Qanon supported briefings, former believers and family of believers spoke out in a video with CNN. Most alarming is that, noting that the presidential inauguration used to be on March 4, Qanon believers think that Donald Trump will come back and legally be the 19th president. They also believe that there will be a major, worldwide reset of the financial systems used which will forgive all of their debts – including mortgages. Most Qanon members do not believe that Joe Biden is actually president, that he’s not even real but a fake person wearing a mask. None of those interviewed knew who Q was, in fact one didn’t know she was in Qanon.
On the Disgusting Side of Things…
The coach for the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team, John Geddert, was supposed to turn himself in to the police in Michigan on Friday, Feb. 21. Geddert faced 24 felonies in connection to the abuse of the young women he trained – the charges included human trafficking, criminal Sexual conduct, and lying to a peace officer. When he failed to show up, his body was found at his home. Geddert, age 63, died from suicide, saving himself and the American people from another trial. Our hopes go out to the women who were hurt that they will recover from what was done to them.
And you thought your hair had grown long during the pandemic!
A feral sheep in Australia came to the people nearby with 78 pounds of fleece on its back – enough wool to make 490 pairs of socks or 61 sweaters. Since sheep need to be shorn at least once a year, this little guy was malnourished and having trouble seeing around all that hair. Named Baarack by its rescuers, the sheep seems to have been ear-tagged once, although the tag had ripped out. Baarack is being cared for at his new home.
Notes to End Black History Month On
The boulevards of Harlem have some well known names – Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X – and an impressive park named for Marcus Garvey. Not as well known as his counterparts, Garvey was one of the first Black people to talk about dignity and destiny. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, dressed in military regalia, and gave speeches that ignited the call for equal rights in the people who came after him. To continue your education on remarkable Black people who have influenced our world, check out this series from Throughline.
Boulevards in the future…
…may hold the name of Merryl Tengesdal. She is the first and (currently) only African American woman to fly the U-2 aircraft. Tengesdal was raised by a single mother, she put herself through college, earned a degree in electrical engineering, and became a helicopter pilot for the Navy. Tengesdal then joined the Air Force where she became a U-2 pilot before retiring. Just to keep things chaotic, she is now a foster mom. Everyone at The Advocate wants to be Tengesdal when we grow up.
By Sally K Lehman