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Dennis Donovan
Dennis Donovan's Journal
Dennis Donovan's Journal
April 8, 2020
WHO pushes back at Trump, countries shouldn't politicize CV if they don't want 'more body bags'
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/04/08/coronavirus-latest-news/
WHO pushes back at Trump, says countries shouldn’t politicize coronavirus if they don’t want ‘more body bags’
BREAKING: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director-general, said countries should unify or risk worsening the coronavirus pandemic. His comments came after President Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold funds from the U.N. agency, saying it “seemed to be very China-centric.”
WHO pushes back at Trump, says countries shouldn’t politicize coronavirus if they don’t want ‘more body bags’
BREAKING: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director-general, said countries should unify or risk worsening the coronavirus pandemic. His comments came after President Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold funds from the U.N. agency, saying it “seemed to be very China-centric.”
April 8, 2020
Andrew Cuomo" All New Yorkers will be able to vote absentee on the June 23rd
https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1247929924498923524
Andrew Cuomo ✔@NYGovCuomo
#BREAKING: All New Yorkers will be able to vote absentee on the June 23rd primaries.
New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between their health and their civic duty.
12:50 PM - Apr 8, 2020
Andrew Cuomo ✔@NYGovCuomo
#BREAKING: All New Yorkers will be able to vote absentee on the June 23rd primaries.
New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between their health and their civic duty.
12:50 PM - Apr 8, 2020
April 8, 2020
Big banks took "free money' in 2008. They're turning their back now on small businesses, SBA officia
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/08/video-sba-official-blasts-big-banks-over-failure-quickly-distribute-loans/
“What they are saying is ‘I don’t give ... a hoot about the small businesses,’ " one SBA district director said in a candid call with business owners.
By Aaron Gregg and Renae Merle
April 8, 2020 at 9:32 a.m. EDT
A high-level Small Business Administration official criticized several big banks over their reticence to get involved in a $349 billion federally subsidized small business lending program, in a recorded teleconference obtained by the Washington Post.
The comments from SBA Nevada district director Joseph Amato offer a rare candid glimpse behind the scenes at the frustrations federal officials face as they work with banks to quickly ramp up one of the most ambitious economic stimulus programs in American history. The webinar features Amato talking candidly about the $349 billion program on a Zoom teleconference that was recorded and provided to The Post.
SBA officials did not immediately provide comments for this story. Bank of America and Wells Fargo didn’t immediately return emails seeking comment.
Asked for comment, a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson referred to a conference call between Trump and industry executives Tuesday afternoon during which its co-president, Gordon Smith, said the bank had already taken 375,000 applications for $40 billion in loans.
Amato also said there are challenges with implementing the SBA’s disaster loans program, noting the small government agency is struggling to deal with more than 3 million loan applications it received in a matter of days.
He chided the big banks for taking bailout money in 2008, only to abandon small businesses at a time when funding is desperately needed.
</snip>
“What they are saying is ‘I don’t give ... a hoot about the small businesses,’ " one SBA district director said in a candid call with business owners.
By Aaron Gregg and Renae Merle
April 8, 2020 at 9:32 a.m. EDT
A high-level Small Business Administration official criticized several big banks over their reticence to get involved in a $349 billion federally subsidized small business lending program, in a recorded teleconference obtained by the Washington Post.
The comments from SBA Nevada district director Joseph Amato offer a rare candid glimpse behind the scenes at the frustrations federal officials face as they work with banks to quickly ramp up one of the most ambitious economic stimulus programs in American history. The webinar features Amato talking candidly about the $349 billion program on a Zoom teleconference that was recorded and provided to The Post.
SBA officials did not immediately provide comments for this story. Bank of America and Wells Fargo didn’t immediately return emails seeking comment.
Asked for comment, a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson referred to a conference call between Trump and industry executives Tuesday afternoon during which its co-president, Gordon Smith, said the bank had already taken 375,000 applications for $40 billion in loans.
Amato also said there are challenges with implementing the SBA’s disaster loans program, noting the small government agency is struggling to deal with more than 3 million loan applications it received in a matter of days.
He chided the big banks for taking bailout money in 2008, only to abandon small businesses at a time when funding is desperately needed.
</snip>
April 8, 2020
Obviously not the most important thing going on right now. But I'm a fan of NASA so...
NASA's 'Worm' Logo Will Return to Space
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/science/nasa-logo-worm-spacex.html
The “worm” logo was designed by Bruce Blackburn. He and his design firm partner, Richard Danne, overhauled the visual appearance for NASA in 1975. Credit...NASA
The new old logo, dropped in the 1990s in favor of a more vintage brand, will adorn a SpaceX rocket that is to carry astronauts to the space station in May.
By Kenneth Chang
April 8, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
It was designed for NASA in the 1970s, and it hasn’t been back to space since the 1990s. But in 2020, it will head to orbit once more.
We’re talking about “the worm.”
It’s a logo that a generation grew up with — a minimalist twisting of red letters that is nicknamed after terrestrial invertebrates. NASA used it from 1975, when it was introduced as part of a cleaner visual redesign for the space agency, to 1992, when it was kicked to the side.
But the familiar yet long unused modern symbol will be seen on the side of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when two NASA astronauts, Douglas G. Hurley and Robert L. Behnken, head to the International Space Station, a mission scheduled for the second half of May. They will be the first to launch to orbit from American soil since 2011, and the new old logo was dusted off to commemorate the milestone.
In 1992, Daniel S. Goldin, then NASA’s administrator, decided that the best way to excite people about the future was to harken to the agency’s heady early days. He resurrected an earlier insignia with a different nickname — “the meatball.”
</snip>
The “worm” logo was designed by Bruce Blackburn. He and his design firm partner, Richard Danne, overhauled the visual appearance for NASA in 1975. Credit...NASA
The new old logo, dropped in the 1990s in favor of a more vintage brand, will adorn a SpaceX rocket that is to carry astronauts to the space station in May.
By Kenneth Chang
April 8, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
It was designed for NASA in the 1970s, and it hasn’t been back to space since the 1990s. But in 2020, it will head to orbit once more.
We’re talking about “the worm.”
It’s a logo that a generation grew up with — a minimalist twisting of red letters that is nicknamed after terrestrial invertebrates. NASA used it from 1975, when it was introduced as part of a cleaner visual redesign for the space agency, to 1992, when it was kicked to the side.
But the familiar yet long unused modern symbol will be seen on the side of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when two NASA astronauts, Douglas G. Hurley and Robert L. Behnken, head to the International Space Station, a mission scheduled for the second half of May. They will be the first to launch to orbit from American soil since 2011, and the new old logo was dusted off to commemorate the milestone.
In 1992, Daniel S. Goldin, then NASA’s administrator, decided that the best way to excite people about the future was to harken to the agency’s heady early days. He resurrected an earlier insignia with a different nickname — “the meatball.”
</snip>
Obviously not the most important thing going on right now. But I'm a fan of NASA so...
April 8, 2020
The GOP as it is today needs to be banished as a political party. Their behavior *during a fucking pandemic* is not compatible with a liberal democracy.
When this is all over, people had better be prosecuted for putting thousands of lives at risk.
"RNC is trying to force in-person voting instead of mail-in ballots, putting American lives at risk"
https://twitter.com/RepDonBeyer/status/1247850426407542784
Rep. Don Beyer ✔@RepDonBeyer
To clarify, by "take over" she means we want to make it so people can vote without literally risking their lives.
By "the RNC is fighting hard to stop them" she means that the RNC is trying to force in-person voting instead of mail-in ballots, putting American lives at risk.
7:35 AM - Apr 8, 2020
Rep. Don Beyer ✔@RepDonBeyer
To clarify, by "take over" she means we want to make it so people can vote without literally risking their lives.
By "the RNC is fighting hard to stop them" she means that the RNC is trying to force in-person voting instead of mail-in ballots, putting American lives at risk.
Ronna McDaniel ✔@GOPChairwoman
“Democrats are attempting to use the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to take over elections. Again. And to do so permanently.” — @pnjaban
The RNC is fighting hard to stop them! https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/coronavirus-elections-wisconsin-democrats-harmeet-dhillon …
7:35 AM - Apr 8, 2020
The GOP as it is today needs to be banished as a political party. Their behavior *during a fucking pandemic* is not compatible with a liberal democracy.
When this is all over, people had better be prosecuted for putting thousands of lives at risk.
April 8, 2020
Unseen villains. Top-secret cures. In their quest for reassurance during the pandemic, many people are worsening more than just their own anxiety.
By Max Fisher
April 8, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
<snip>
“It has all the ingredients for leading people to conspiracy theories,” said Karen M. Douglas, a social psychologist who studies belief in conspiracies at the University of Kent in Britain.
Rumors and patently unbelievable claims are spread by everyday people whose critical faculties have simply been overwhelmed, psychologists say, by feelings of confusion and helplessness.
But many false claims are also being promoted by governments looking to hide their failures, partisan actors seeking political benefit, run-of-the-mill scammers and, in the United States, a president who has pushed unproven cures and blame-deflecting falsehoods.
The conspiracy theories all carry a common message: The only protection comes from possessing the secret truths that “they” don’t want you to hear.
</snip>
NYT: Why Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Flourish. And Why It Matters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/world/europe/coronavirus-conspiracy-theories.htmlUnseen villains. Top-secret cures. In their quest for reassurance during the pandemic, many people are worsening more than just their own anxiety.
By Max Fisher
April 8, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
<snip>
“It has all the ingredients for leading people to conspiracy theories,” said Karen M. Douglas, a social psychologist who studies belief in conspiracies at the University of Kent in Britain.
Rumors and patently unbelievable claims are spread by everyday people whose critical faculties have simply been overwhelmed, psychologists say, by feelings of confusion and helplessness.
But many false claims are also being promoted by governments looking to hide their failures, partisan actors seeking political benefit, run-of-the-mill scammers and, in the United States, a president who has pushed unproven cures and blame-deflecting falsehoods.
The conspiracy theories all carry a common message: The only protection comes from possessing the secret truths that “they” don’t want you to hear.
</snip>
April 8, 2020
CNN Poll: Majority of Americans now say the federal govt has done a poor job of preventing CV spread
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/politics/cnn-poll-coronavirus-april-8/index.html
By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Polling Director
Updated 6:03 AM ET, Wed April 8, 2020
(CNN)A majority of Americans -- 55% -- now say the federal government has done a poor job preventing the spread of coronavirus in the United States, up eight points in about a week, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS as the nationwide death toll from the virus rose above 12,000.
Eighty percent feel the worst of the outbreak is yet to come, most (55%) feel President Donald Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak, and 37% say they have grown more concerned about coronavirus in the last few days, far outpacing the 5% who say their fears have eased recently.
About 1 in 5 (22%) say they personally know someone who has been diagnosed with the virus, a figure that is double the share who said so in a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted just two weeks ago.
Just under half (46%) say it is at least somewhat likely that they or someone in their family will contract the coronavirus, and there are deep disparities by socio-economic status and partisanship in Americans' level of confidence that they will be able to get treatment should they become ill with the virus.
</snip>
By Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Polling Director
Updated 6:03 AM ET, Wed April 8, 2020
(CNN)A majority of Americans -- 55% -- now say the federal government has done a poor job preventing the spread of coronavirus in the United States, up eight points in about a week, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS as the nationwide death toll from the virus rose above 12,000.
Eighty percent feel the worst of the outbreak is yet to come, most (55%) feel President Donald Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak, and 37% say they have grown more concerned about coronavirus in the last few days, far outpacing the 5% who say their fears have eased recently.
About 1 in 5 (22%) say they personally know someone who has been diagnosed with the virus, a figure that is double the share who said so in a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted just two weeks ago.
Just under half (46%) say it is at least somewhat likely that they or someone in their family will contract the coronavirus, and there are deep disparities by socio-economic status and partisanship in Americans' level of confidence that they will be able to get treatment should they become ill with the virus.
</snip>
April 8, 2020
November...
Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November: Sources
Source: ABC News
"Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event," a source says.
By Josh Margolin and James Gordon Meek
April 8, 2020, 4:01 AM
As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting.
Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document’s contents.
The report was the result of analysis of wire and computer intercepts, coupled with satellite images. It raised alarms because an out-of-control disease would pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in Asia -- forces that depend on the NCMI’s work. And it paints a picture of an American government that could have ramped up mitigation and containment efforts far earlier to prepare for a crisis poised to come home.
"Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event," one of the sources said of the NCMI’s report. "It was then briefed multiple times to" the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s Joint Staff and the White House.
</snip>
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intelligence-report-warned-coronavirus-crisis-early-november-sources/story?id=70031273&cid=social_twitter_abcn
November...
April 7, 2020
Cross gently, Hal.
Hal Willner, Film and TV Music Producer (SNL), Dies at 64 apparent coronavirus
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hal-willner-dead-film-tv-music-producer-was-64-1288993
The 'Saturday Night Live' staffer apparently contracted coronavirus.
Film and TV music producer Hal Willner, who worked many years on Saturday Night Live, has died apparently due to coronavirus complications, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. He was 64.
Willner died Tuesday. His cause of death has not been determined, but a rep for NBC said he had symptoms consistent with the noval coronavirus. However, he had not been officially diagnosed.
On March 24, Willner suggested he had contracted for the virus, writing in part on Twitter, "In bed on upper west side."
His work spanned film, TV and live events, but he was most well known for assembling tribute albums, such as 1981's Amarcord Nino Rota. His final was 2013's Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.
He worked on SNL as a music sketch music producer since 1981.
</snip>
The 'Saturday Night Live' staffer apparently contracted coronavirus.
Film and TV music producer Hal Willner, who worked many years on Saturday Night Live, has died apparently due to coronavirus complications, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. He was 64.
Willner died Tuesday. His cause of death has not been determined, but a rep for NBC said he had symptoms consistent with the noval coronavirus. However, he had not been officially diagnosed.
On March 24, Willner suggested he had contracted for the virus, writing in part on Twitter, "In bed on upper west side."
His work spanned film, TV and live events, but he was most well known for assembling tribute albums, such as 1981's Amarcord Nino Rota. His final was 2013's Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.
He worked on SNL as a music sketch music producer since 1981.
</snip>
Cross gently, Hal.
April 7, 2020
Heroes even wash dishes. Is there any wonder why he got the sendoff he did from the crew?
Capt Crozier taking care of dishes so jr crew could eat Thanksgiving dinner
https://twitter.com/barbarastarrcnn/status/1247584568615620610
Barbara Starr ✔@barbarastarrcnn
This was Captain Brett Crozier washing dishes last Thanksgiving in the scullery while @TheRealCVN71 was underway in Pacific so junior crew members could get time for holiday meal. (This is how its done) . US Navy photo Airman DJ Schwartz.
1:58 PM - Apr 7, 2020
Barbara Starr ✔@barbarastarrcnn
This was Captain Brett Crozier washing dishes last Thanksgiving in the scullery while @TheRealCVN71 was underway in Pacific so junior crew members could get time for holiday meal. (This is how its done) . US Navy photo Airman DJ Schwartz.
1:58 PM - Apr 7, 2020
Heroes even wash dishes. Is there any wonder why he got the sendoff he did from the crew?
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