Hello, Friends. How are you? Did you have a good week? We have been tackling lots of renovation tasks and learning new skills, like brick laying and making limewash paint. It feels good to learn new things.
We don’t have big plans this week — possibly a day trip to Le Mans, or maybe a visit to the reclaimed building materials yard. How about you?
Ready for your weekend link list? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
-Great news! “Pregnant and breastfeeding women have a robust responses to the Pfizer & Moderna COVID vaccines and pass the immunity on to their babies.”
–Just 12 anti-vaxxers are responsible for almost 2/3rds of anti-vaccine content circulating on social media platforms. (They must be de-platformed!!)
–An essay about King Arthur stories that I enjoyed.
–How to Collect $1.4 Trillion in Unpaid Taxes.
–Being snobby about romance novels.
-The only plank of the GOP platform that all factions agree on is making voting more difficult.
–The Secret Life of the White House. This is about the residence staff.
-Apryl Stott, the illustrator who created our birth announcements, has a best-selling children’s book — it has 300+ five-star reviews! It’s about kindness and it’s so good.
Here are some tweets I saved for you:
–I want answers too. The price of insulin in the U.S. is ten times more expensive than other countries.
Just 3 companies control nearly all of our insulin supply: Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk. Shocker: it turns out they raise prices in tandem—at least 13x in 10 years—while patients are rationing or starving themselves to try to cut costs. I want answers. pic.twitter.com/AtkH3OonTs
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) March 26, 2021
-If Stacey Abrams says it’s cowardice, I believe her.
#SB202 suppresses voters, criminalizes compassion & seizes election authority from local + state officials. In 11 years, I never witnessed a massive bill approved at such speed and signed in such desperation. This wasn’t efficiency or principle. This is cowardice. #gapol
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) March 25, 2021
1/2
imagine voting for or signing legislation that makes it CRIMINAL to provide water to anyone, much less someone waiting in line to vote
— josie duffy rice (@jduffyrice) March 26, 2021
Once I interviewed Snoop Dogg for a magazine, and he told me about a time he stayed in a 7-star hotel. I said, “I didn’t know a hotel can get 7 stars.” He said, “That’s ‘cause you’re not a player.” I still can’t believe how hard I walked into that.
— Alex Scordelis (@alexscordelis) March 20, 2021
-There is nothing special about that number.
64 of the 100 current members of the US Senate were born when there were fewer than 50 states. There is nothing special about that number.
— Connor Ewing (@ConnorMEwing) March 23, 2021
See you all at the next climate strike:) https://t.co/4zgekg5gd0
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) March 25, 2021
We analyzed data on 1,127 killings by police in 2020 – finding alternative responses to mental health, traffic violations and other non-violent situations could substantially reduce fatal police violence nationwide. A thread (1/x). https://t.co/stp7V46Jms pic.twitter.com/xilRRKWL2U
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) March 15, 2021
-It’s a good question.
If you don't need a mask because God will protect you then why the f*ck do you need a gun?
— Brown Eyed Susan (@smc429) March 24, 2021
-Our priorities are so weird.
Me: Calls to refill birth control on day 21 of 28 day pack because I’m going on vacation. Told I need a prior auth from insurance company to refill before day 25.
— Emily Porter, M.D. (@dremilyportermd) March 23, 2021
Also me: Walks into a gun store because I’m having a bad day and walks out with a gun 10 min later.
-When are we allowed to talk about gun control?
–Now go look at 2019 coverage.
not that anyone in the DC media cares, but border apprehensions this year are on pace to match 2019.
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) March 21, 2021
now go look at 2019 news coverage.
Was it a “crisis” when there was a 690% surge in unaccompanied minors in Trump’s last nine months in office?
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) March 22, 2021
Was it a “crisis” when he used the pandemic to expel 13,000 children?
Instead of debating semantics, media need to better contextualize and explain how we got here.
–You’re not doing a damn thing to protect them or us anyway.
A resounding fuck you to anyone whipping up fear of immigrants and non-white folks by claiming they commit violence against women. Half ARE women, they experience more violence as a result of their marginalization, and you’re not doing a damn thing to protect them or us anyway.
— feminist next door (@emrazz) March 23, 2021
-Remember what minimum wage was supposed to do?
If you ever want to just have your mind break at how much economics have changed over the last 60 years, go re-read Ramona and Her Father where a home-owning family in Portland is saved from financial ruin by the dad getting a job as check-out clerk at a grocery.
— Maggie Koerth (@maggiekb1) March 22, 2021
–Money absolutely does buy happiness.
As someone born into poverty and almost didn’t survive long enough to escape it and now is making a living wage I can say with absolutely certainty that money absolutely does buy happiness. Anyone who says differently is lying or has never skipped meals.
— 🌽🌽 Erica, The White Trash Socialist 🌽🌽™️ (@herosnvrdie69) March 22, 2021
-The comments and retweets on this are pure delight.
I hope you have such a good weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
Love your blog and have been moved to comment for the first time to say *thank you* for the info on the pregnant/lactating moms vaccine study. Have been waiting for this news and haven’t seen it anywhere else so am really grateful you shared. Have a lovely weekend!
That cop/gun violence report is enlightening and infuriating.
The tweet about Ramona and Her Father reminded me that we lost Beverly Cleary just last week. What an icon of children’s lit! Her characters are so true to life and timeless.
Whenever I see media coverage about the “surge” of migrants from Central America, I think about how meaningless figures are without context, and I think about how sensational the photos are. Photos of caged poor people may make a lot of Americans feel inundated and threatened, rather than compassionate and charitable (here’s a good example). In February 2021, there were 100,441 migrants who attempted entry. But CBP has 58,000 employees. And the U.S. has 400,000 kids currently in foster care. On one particular day last month, there were 2,800 unaccompanied minor kids waiting to get into shelters that only had 500 beds. But we already know putting these kids in jail-style shelters is bad for them psychologically, dangerous during a pandemic, etc. So let’s not freak out that now we are being pushed to find better solutions, like changing the rules so these children’s own relatives aren’t afraid to identify themselves and seek temporary custody. We aren’t resolve the constant pressure driving illegal immigration just by throwing up more tent cities, so we need to think bigger.
Le Vieux Mans is BEAUTIFUL and have a chocolate crêpe in Le Roy d’Ys crêperie! It is so delicious, I spent my whole life trying to redo the same one in my kitchen.
I love that article about the King Arthur legends! In college I did a semester-long project on Arthurian legend and how it evolved from its origins to the present. It’s a story that won’t die: for literally 1,000 years or more, almost every English-speaking generation has retold the Arthur story, but with a new twist. Everyone was using the story to say something about their own world.
Meanwhile, the original-ish Arthur stories are frequently not what we think. Did you know that in one of the earliest versions, Arthur had 3 wives, each of them named Guinevere?
How is vaccine distribution going there? Have you guys been able to get yours yet? Here in CA its finally picking up speed thank goodness.