In this season of giving, I hope you'll donate to our Pass the Love campaign with @PHAnews. We've delivered more than 888,000 healthy meal kits to families in Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. And with your support, we can reach even more: https://t.co/s0WCBvE8HKpic.twitter.com/89sWiu1cr4
Remember the Holocaust and the people taken from us. Never forget how it came to be: little by little…hateful rhetoric, fear-mongering, visible designations of discrimination, white supremacist ideology…all festering until reality reflected rhetoric… #HolocaustMemorialDaypic.twitter.com/xEFNuWhdFx
Didn’t realize you’d posted that here, and just posted it in response to an earlier comment on the previous post. (I’ll be more awake tomorrow – maybe!)
Heard the story of the 98 year old survivor & her great grandson getting her story on Tic Toc. I loved their relationship. It was on CBS Mornings this morning. Hope this link posts!
On a totally frivolous note & full of that oldie silliness (y’all know who amongst us shook a leg to this back in the day😂) & just to make you grin, totally necessary sometimes these days! Happy Friday:💃💞
Caroline Randolph Williams was so supportive tonight, on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show, of President Biden and has quite the story to tell, including the fact she’s related to Justice Thurgood Marshall. Hadn’t seen her in a while, and glad Lawrence had her on again. Fabulous bio: https://carolinerandallwilliams.com/about/
@caroranwill Loved seeing you on @TheLastWord tonight with Lawrence, hearing your inspiring remarks about President Biden's upcoming choice of a Supreme Court Justice nominee. Hope we see you on the show many times during the process, to offer your views. https://t.co/LaAI1QxBeQ
JUST IN: Emergency crews Friday were on the scene of a bridge collapse in Pittsburgh, just hours before President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the city to talk about the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that includes bridge maintenance. https://t.co/23r7LNCFYlpic.twitter.com/QKbbxxN41l
I’ve driven through the Pittsburgh area (my Mother was born nearby, and I took her back a couple of times) and may have even ventured on that bridge, decades ago. Apparently, it’s 50 years old. Glad nobody was killed, to the best of my knowledge.
@POTUS is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time. The President will proceed with trip planned for today and will stay in touch with officials on the ground about additional assistance we can provide.
🐾 Hello, hoomans. My name is Willow Biden, I am 2 years old and I just became First Cat. Even though my brother is named Commander and he is bigger than me, I am purrfectly certain I will be in charge. Meoweee! #Willow#COTUS 🐈 pic.twitter.com/7vcBPgVEx6
— The Oval Pawffice® 🇺🇸 DOTUS Fans (@TheOvalPawffice) January 28, 2022
🐾I used to be a farm cat, I think that’s pawbably code for stray. My meowmy @FLOTUS named me Willow from Willow Grove, PA where I was born. I got noticed by meowmmy Jill Biden after I jumped up on stage, and interrupted her remarks during a campaign stop in PA. #COTUSpic.twitter.com/wztuqzj7B2
— The Oval Pawffice® 🇺🇸 DOTUS Fans (@TheOvalPawffice) January 28, 2022
"The grants … are focused on groups with female, LGBTQ and Black and indigenous leaders because their communities are at the greatest risk."https://t.co/XySFZvE41c
Think I’ve watched enough “news” for a while! Arghh.
Reporter on @MSNBC expresses shock that the presser with @SecDef and JCS Chair was so serious, at this phase of the Ukraine situation. Defense Dept must be prepared to activate/deploy 24/7/365. Doesn't mean they will or are pushing for it or deciding. It's called READINESS.
This morning, the Frick Park Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh. This afternoon, I visited the site and met with local officials. Jill and I are keeping those injured in our prayers, and we’re grateful for the first responders. They deserve an incredible amount of credit. pic.twitter.com/s6JwRiFpRX
Another school board removing another heralded book from its curriculum: "To Kill a Mockingbird" will be removed from the Mukilteo WA School District's ninth-grade English/Language Arts required reading list.https://t.co/xBeKP9nGfW via @KING5Seattle
They think we can't read the books they're banning, but that's not true.
Books like, "Maus" by Art Spiegelman, "1984" by George Orwell, "Night" by Elie Wiesel, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and many more are available online.
I blame President Biden for the snow. And when he personally shoveled my walk, he wasn't fast enough. And when he brought me a mug of hot cocoa, he almost forgot the tiny marshmallows and chocolate-chip cookies. And he calls that a cashmere throw? He's a COMMIE SOCIALIST FAILURE
On this day thirteen years ago, I signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It was the first law I signed as President, and was a first step to closing the wage gap for women. pic.twitter.com/cbtrOm3a6c
Today, we still have more work to do to create a more equitable workforce, but Lilly remains an inspiration to me and so many others. https://t.co/Lgo0PckkAJ
My grandpa used to say “if you aren’t man or woman enough to put your name on it & your reputation behind it , then it ain’t worth being said or done.” There is a lot of unnamed bullshit in politics, but no one can ever say that I don’t work my ass off for what I believe in.
BREAKING: This very same 76% of Americans were no where to be found the last 246 years when "all possible nominees" meant "only white males" 99.999999% of the time😒 https://t.co/rwmV7MkoZB
I’m so glad that not all Blacks folks walk in lock step.
I maintain that it hurts every time America “remembers” the atrocity of the Holocaust when it does nothing to “remember” the atrocity of Slavery. America should have at least one day of Remembrance of all who were stolen and forced into Slavery.
I literally thought that same thing, one night last week. That was such an eye-opener for so many people who watched it – the whole country was talking about it. I just remember crying.
And, of course, the reason I happened to think of it was because I saw LeVar Burton on social media! He’s now 64 years old, which I find hard to believe.
NBC News confirms: Fulton County DA Fani Willis is asking the FBI for security help a day after Trump told his supporters to hold 'the biggest protests we've ever had' in cities with prosecutors who are investigating him. @NBCNews
Trump uses language he knows caused the Jan 6 violence; suggests he’d pardon the Jan 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy; threatens prosecutors; and admits he was attempting to overturn the election.
2. It's vitally important to not just keep the #SenateBlueIn22 to retain control of judicial appointments, but to *pad* the majority to help prevent a couple of wayward Dems from throwing sand in the gears of President Biden's agenda. Donate today! https://t.co/skfJzFDiDX
For Irish fishermen, confrontation with Russia is a matter of protecting their livelihood
“Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation,
talks about the economic back story for Irish fishermen, already facing a challenge brought on recent by Brexit negotiations, and why their fishing grounds are a finite resource they can’t afford to share with the Russian navy.”
How Picking On Teachers Became an American Tradition
“The war on teachers is back. This week, in Virginia, new Gov. Glenn Youngkin set up a “tip line” to report teachers who teach “divisive” ideas. And in Florida, lawmakers proposed a bill to install cameras in classrooms to monitor supposedly subversive teaching. That builds on a bill called the “Stop WOKE Act,” introduced late last year and sponsored by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which would allow parents to sue schools for teaching so-called critical race theory. It’s tempting to see these efforts as merely ridiculous, and pranksters immediately flooded Youngkin’s “tip line” with knock-knock jokes and fake tips about “divisive” teaching at Hogwarts. But, as one Virginia teacher reflected, Youngkin’s tactics represented a very serious “threat to education.” That teacher added: “You want to know what I teach, just ask.”
My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life.
By Viet Thanh Nguyen
“Mr. Nguyen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Sympathizer” and the children’s book
“Chicken of the Sea,” written with his then 5-year-old son, Ellison.”
EPA Moves to Restore Obama-Era Rules on Power Plants
Agency says controlling toxic emissions reduces cancer risks and neurodevelopmental delays in children
Trump’s new confession: He wanted Pence to overturn the election
We know Donald Trump wanted to “change the outcome” and “overturn the election” because he’s now admitted it in writing.
The Fight for Asian American Studies
After a year that put a spotlight on anti-Asian racism, students around the country have been petitioning their schools to create curriculums that reflect the moment.
On a Saturday afternoon in September, the kind of day most college students would spend sprawled on a quad, soaking up the moments that still feel like summer, the Dartmouth Asian American Student Collective was getting organized. Its members had gathered to finalize a mission statement and a petition to circulate across campus.
Their goal? Persuade the administration of Dartmouth College to create an Asian American studies program.
Why Russia’s thawing permafrost is a global problem
MICHEL MARTIN (host): “While climate policy may be a way to challenge Russia in the future,
climate change is threatening that country now. That’s especially true of its permafrost, that soil that remains frozen year-round. Permafrost is warming much faster than scientists had once thought. That’s dangerous for Russia because two-thirds of the country rests on permafrost. When it melts, the ground is less solid, and that could be disastrous for cities and critical infrastructure like buildings and oil pipelines.
Joshua Yaffa recently wrote about all this for The New Yorker magazine. He’s their Moscow correspondent and traveled to Siberia to track the changes to Russia’s permafrost. When we spoke, he explained why this melting is concerning for Russia and the world.”
JOSHUA YAFFA: “It’s worrying for two reasons.
The first is, let’s say, local. As the ground essentially thaws, in some cases, large ice wedges melt, turning to water, creating large underground puddles. Of course, what’s ever built on top of that earth begins to buckle and sway and even collapse, and we’ve seen that in Russian cities. We saw that in the summer of 2020 with the collapse of a large diesel tank in the city of Norilsk that led to an environmental catastrophe that Greenpeace compared to the spill of Exxon Valdez. So we have these issues that affect local infrastructure, local ecosystems.
There’s a second issue, which I think is more worrying for all of us, really,
and that has to do with the greenhouse gases that are released from permafrost as it thaws. Permafrost is, essentially, a really wonderful and efficient natural cold storage facility. It’s swallowed up all manner of organic material, from tree stumps to woolly mammoth haunches, over the millennia and kept it locked in a kind of long-term cryogenic slumber. But as the permafrost thaws, that material defrosts. Microbes in the soil begin to awaken, and a process of decomposition begins. And that process releases both carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. So what we’re seeing happen is massive amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, which is not a local problem, of course, but really a global problem.”
This day 1865: Slavery came one step closer to being abolished when the House passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The Senate had already passed it. By December it would be ratified by the required 3/4 of states. Sadly, Lincoln didn't live to see it pic.twitter.com/FtRPp6qif2
Jackie Robinson changed baseball, and paved the way for so many others who would follow. As we celebrate his birthday and the start of Black History Month, we honor Jackie’s courage and recognize his incredible legacy. pic.twitter.com/GeQ363Iygb
Today marks the start of #BlackHistoryMonth! The U.S. dedicates February to remembering and honoring the sacrifices and contributions of Black Americans to diplomacy and America’s success. pic.twitter.com/EiAeDkJ9nM
Peering in to send a big hug all around for a fruitful Black History Month, perhaps it will finally sink in to reality how much we are all people who share the same needs….
And to wish everyone an auspicious Lunar Year of The Tiger, may the year bring peace and understanding so much needed in this fragile planet of ours.
Good West Coast Black History Month morning Nerdy & TOD family. Although it is the shortest month in the calendar year, we make the best of it just like we Black people do with every scrap America gives our race of people.
“Guided by the tireless leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus,
House Democrats are leading the charge on Capitol Hill to build a more inclusive democracy and advance the cause of justice for every American.”
Trump Confessed To Seditious Conspiracy And Could Face 20 Years In Prison
“He is saying make my day, if you come after me, I am going to stir up my angry mobs, and you will suffer.
He has been so threatening to the district attorney in Atlanta, that she now has formally announced that she is criminally investigating him, and needs FBI protection.
Merrick Garland has said that he will not stop just with the people on the ground, he will follow the evidence where it leads. But he does not have to follow a trail of bread crumbs here.
As Jamie Raskin pointed out, Representative Raskin, the impeachment manager for the second impeachment, as he pointed out the other day, this is a smoking gun. You do not have to look any further.”
(Please see Whoopi Goldberg (Colbert) discuss anti-semitism, she says race is about skin color, then apologizes.)
imho…thankyou for the privilege (NW) of writing here, even though words cannot come close to how life feels for another. The fact that race is a creation, a signal, a tool, not real, not separate biological entities, one species, only variation, all of us the result of history and adaptation…knowing that skin coloring hair eyes nose lips are phenotypic things used to forward non-existent ‘race’.
….best wishes with love for Black History Month.
Black History Month serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America—our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations. pic.twitter.com/nW7Fe3YbOx
The Obama Diary 
Powerful Words
Didn’t realize you’d posted that here, and just posted it in response to an earlier comment on the previous post. (I’ll be more awake tomorrow – maybe!)
Sobering segment on ABC NEWS tonight on Holocust survivors.
Heard the story of the 98 year old survivor & her great grandson getting her story on Tic Toc. I loved their relationship. It was on CBS Mornings this morning. Hope this link posts!
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/holocaust-survivor-lily-ebert-98-takes-to-tiktok-to-share-her-story/#app
Thank you for the link!!!
On a totally frivolous note & full of that oldie silliness (y’all know who amongst us shook a leg to this back in the day😂) & just to make you grin, totally necessary sometimes these days! Happy Friday:💃💞
Happy Friday *tomorrow*, for TOD Fam who are this side of Friday! 😂😇💃💞
Happy Friday *tomorrow* to you, too, Gazelle!
Back atcha, JB! 😘💞
Caroline Randolph Williams was so supportive tonight, on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show, of President Biden and has quite the story to tell, including the fact she’s related to Justice Thurgood Marshall. Hadn’t seen her in a while, and glad Lawrence had her on again. Fabulous bio: https://carolinerandallwilliams.com/about/
Goodnight, TODville – and all the ships at sea!
I’ve driven through the Pittsburgh area (my Mother was born nearby, and I took her back a couple of times) and may have even ventured on that bridge, decades ago. Apparently, it’s 50 years old. Glad nobody was killed, to the best of my knowledge.
INCREDIBLE.
The bridge collapsed without warning???…are there not stress tests performed on bridges to prevent this…wow
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMZq-_XsA4KCKk?format=jpg
So cute!
Think I’ve watched enough “news” for a while! Arghh.
A Friday Michelle Obama in red appreciation post! ❤️
💝
Laugh du jour.
Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed 13 years ago.
That was a fabulous day!
Yes it was!
HA! HA!
Love it!
Good for him!
I suppose the press or whom ever thought that this would be a good poll…
I’m so glad that not all Blacks folks walk in lock step.
I maintain that it hurts every time America “remembers” the atrocity of the Holocaust when it does nothing to “remember” the atrocity of Slavery. America should have at least one day of Remembrance of all who were stolen and forced into Slavery.
That is a great idea. We need to celebrate our diversity with admitting the truth about our history.
Re-tweeted and followed
Just because this has become our TOD Fam pick-it-up song! Posting it again, to bring that sense of joy! 💃💞 A luta continua!😷
Morning everyone…thank you for this, Gazelle:)
Good morning!
SOON:
It will be telling at how the anti black folks handle Black History Month
These are my thoughts too..
the Anti Black white folks will…the moderates…i wonder if they will be silent???
I literally thought that same thing, one night last week. That was such an eye-opener for so many people who watched it – the whole country was talking about it. I just remember crying.
And, of course, the reason I happened to think of it was because I saw LeVar Burton on social media! He’s now 64 years old, which I find hard to believe.
gGail44, what a great idea!!!!
💯🎯agree. My daughter and I talked about this movie two days ago and said the same thing.
Whoa! Check this out! 😃
For Irish fishermen, confrontation with Russia is a matter of protecting their livelihood
“Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation,
talks about the economic back story for Irish fishermen, already facing a challenge brought on recent by Brexit negotiations, and why their fishing grounds are a finite resource they can’t afford to share with the Russian navy.”
Yea for the Irish fishermen. 👏👏👏🙂🙂🙂
in a face to face they’d have his guts for garters.
verbally…eh.
imo!
(by ‘his’ referring to Monsieur Putin)
—RM just reported (Wapo) that Russians will not be messing in the fishermen’s area.
–btw she looks totally fab.
Biden Administration Releases Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Governments
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/31/biden-administration-releases-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-guidebook-for-state-local-tribal-and-territorial-governments/
How Picking On Teachers Became an American Tradition
“The war on teachers is back. This week, in Virginia, new Gov. Glenn Youngkin set up a “tip line” to report teachers who teach “divisive” ideas. And in Florida, lawmakers proposed a bill to install cameras in classrooms to monitor supposedly subversive teaching. That builds on a bill called the “Stop WOKE Act,” introduced late last year and sponsored by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which would allow parents to sue schools for teaching so-called critical race theory. It’s tempting to see these efforts as merely ridiculous, and pranksters immediately flooded Youngkin’s “tip line” with knock-knock jokes and fake tips about “divisive” teaching at Hogwarts. But, as one Virginia teacher reflected, Youngkin’s tactics represented a very serious “threat to education.” That teacher added: “You want to know what I teach, just ask.”
(https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/01/history-of-spying-on-teachers.html)
—btw teachers are revered in other developed countries.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/29/opinion/culture/book-banning-viet-thanh-nguyen.html)
My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life.
By Viet Thanh Nguyen
“Mr. Nguyen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Sympathizer” and the children’s book
“Chicken of the Sea,” written with his then 5-year-old son, Ellison.”
Biden Administration Tackles Super-Polluting Methane Emissions
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/31/fact-sheet-biden-administration-tackles-super-polluting-methane-emissions/)
EPA Moves to Restore Obama-Era Rules on Power Plants
Agency says controlling toxic emissions reduces cancer risks and neurodevelopmental delays in children
(https://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-moves-to-restore-obama-era-rules-on-power-plants-11643664569)
Trump’s new confession: He wanted Pence to overturn the election
We know Donald Trump wanted to “change the outcome” and “overturn the election” because he’s now admitted it in writing.
Benen: (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-s-new-confession-he-wanted-pence-overturn-election-n1288267)
Fact Sheet:
A Year Advancing Environmental Justice
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/26/fact-sheet-a-year-advancing-environmental-justice/)
The Fight for Asian American Studies
After a year that put a spotlight on anti-Asian racism, students around the country have been petitioning their schools to create curriculums that reflect the moment.
On a Saturday afternoon in September, the kind of day most college students would spend sprawled on a quad, soaking up the moments that still feel like summer, the Dartmouth Asian American Student Collective was getting organized. Its members had gathered to finalize a mission statement and a petition to circulate across campus.
Their goal? Persuade the administration of Dartmouth College to create an Asian American studies program.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/style/asian-american-studies-dartmouth.html)
Why Russia’s thawing permafrost is a global problem
MICHEL MARTIN (host): “While climate policy may be a way to challenge Russia in the future,
climate change is threatening that country now. That’s especially true of its permafrost, that soil that remains frozen year-round. Permafrost is warming much faster than scientists had once thought. That’s dangerous for Russia because two-thirds of the country rests on permafrost. When it melts, the ground is less solid, and that could be disastrous for cities and critical infrastructure like buildings and oil pipelines.
Joshua Yaffa recently wrote about all this for The New Yorker magazine. He’s their Moscow correspondent and traveled to Siberia to track the changes to Russia’s permafrost. When we spoke, he explained why this melting is concerning for Russia and the world.”
JOSHUA YAFFA: “It’s worrying for two reasons.
The first is, let’s say, local. As the ground essentially thaws, in some cases, large ice wedges melt, turning to water, creating large underground puddles. Of course, what’s ever built on top of that earth begins to buckle and sway and even collapse, and we’ve seen that in Russian cities. We saw that in the summer of 2020 with the collapse of a large diesel tank in the city of Norilsk that led to an environmental catastrophe that Greenpeace compared to the spill of Exxon Valdez. So we have these issues that affect local infrastructure, local ecosystems.
There’s a second issue, which I think is more worrying for all of us, really,
and that has to do with the greenhouse gases that are released from permafrost as it thaws. Permafrost is, essentially, a really wonderful and efficient natural cold storage facility. It’s swallowed up all manner of organic material, from tree stumps to woolly mammoth haunches, over the millennia and kept it locked in a kind of long-term cryogenic slumber. But as the permafrost thaws, that material defrosts. Microbes in the soil begin to awaken, and a process of decomposition begins. And that process releases both carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. So what we’re seeing happen is massive amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, which is not a local problem, of course, but really a global problem.”
(https://www.npr.org/2022/01/22/1075108299/why-russias-thawing-permafrost-is-a-global-problem)
Facts, always hard to grasp: I’m 75 years old. My maternal grandfather was born in 1885. That’s how close we are, generationally, to this date.
This is something that cannot be stated too often…
Just an FYI, in case it comes to yr area:
https://www.mccarter.org/dreamingzenzile#ABOUTTHESHOW
💞💞
Morning everyone. Happy Black History Month…so many important people to celebrate.
Beyond anger. This is such bullshit
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-library-books-banned-schools-rcna12986
Read the reasons why certain parents want these books banned…BANNED.
Peering in to send a big hug all around for a fruitful Black History Month, perhaps it will finally sink in to reality how much we are all people who share the same needs….
And to wish everyone an auspicious Lunar Year of The Tiger, may the year bring peace and understanding so much needed in this fragile planet of ours.
Prayers to all, Light All Around.
WMPW
🕊💙🐅🪔🐅💙🕊
Good West Coast Black History Month morning Nerdy & TOD family. Although it is the shortest month in the calendar year, we make the best of it just like we Black people do with every scrap America gives our race of people.
We Rise! ✊🏾🙋🏾♀️💖
Black History Month founder showed how schools should teach about race
By DeNeen L. Brown
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/02/01/carter-woodson-miseducation-negro-schools/)
Pelosi Statement on Black History Month
“Guided by the tireless leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus,
House Democrats are leading the charge on Capitol Hill to build a more inclusive democracy and advance the cause of justice for every American.”
(speaker.gov)
Laurence Tribe:
Trump Confessed To Seditious Conspiracy And Could Face 20 Years In Prison
“He is saying make my day, if you come after me, I am going to stir up my angry mobs, and you will suffer.
He has been so threatening to the district attorney in Atlanta, that she now has formally announced that she is criminally investigating him, and needs FBI protection.
Merrick Garland has said that he will not stop just with the people on the ground, he will follow the evidence where it leads. But he does not have to follow a trail of bread crumbs here.
As Jamie Raskin pointed out, Representative Raskin, the impeachment manager for the second impeachment, as he pointed out the other day, this is a smoking gun. You do not have to look any further.”
(https://www.politicususa.com/2022/02/01/laurence-tribe-trump-confessed-to-seditious-conspiracy-and-would-face-20-years-in-prison.html)
Don’t give the driver more time to foment violence.
(Please see Whoopi Goldberg (Colbert) discuss anti-semitism, she says race is about skin color, then apologizes.)
imho…thankyou for the privilege (NW) of writing here, even though words cannot come close to how life feels for another. The fact that race is a creation, a signal, a tool, not real, not separate biological entities, one species, only variation, all of us the result of history and adaptation…knowing that skin coloring hair eyes nose lips are phenotypic things used to forward non-existent ‘race’.
….best wishes with love for Black History Month.
New post.