Move over “Crying Jordan,” there’s a new Michael Jordan meme in town. The face Jordan makes during “The Last Dance” when hearing Isiah Thomas explain his reasoning for walking off the court without shaking hands has become a favorite for those on social media fond of memes.
Meet Katie Miller. Since October of last year, she’s been the press secretary for Vice-President Mike Pence. Because of her job, she’s tied to the hip of the VP. Whatever he’s doing…and no one really knows what that is….she’s there, right by his side. Last week, Katie Miller tested positive for Covid-19. It’s another case of the disease that has infiltrated the White House
What happens when someone you’ve been in contact with tests positive? It’s self-quarantine time! Fourteen days of taking yourself out of public. Fourteen days of getting away from people. Fourteen days of trying to keep the people closest to you safe and healthy. It’s not that tough. It’s only two weeks. Two short weeks.
Three of the members on the coronavirus task force have done that. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Robert Redfield and Stephen Hahn have all gone into self-quarantine. All have tested negative, and will continue to work from their homes, but better safe than sorry. Why risk anyone’s health if not necessary.
But guess who is back at work today? MIKE PENCE!!!
Yes, the person who works the closest to a person who has tested positive for the virus doesn’t feel it’s necessary to quarantine himself. The decision shouldn’t surprise anyone. This is a guy who felt it was fine not to wear a mask when he visited the Mayo Clinic. At a time where the entire world is told to practice social distancing and to wear masks in public, Mike Pence feels it’s not necessary for him to follow these simple guidelines. He’s above all this. Privilege!
It’s easy to dis on Pence for this, but you know he’s taking his marching orders from the man directly above him. He sees what Donald Trump says and does, and Pence follows him like the good little lackey that he is. Anything to stay on the presidential ticket this November. Anything to avoid going back home to Indiana.
However, we’ve heard that the White House isn’t all that calm about the disease that is infiltrating its building. Trump threw one of his infamous hissy fits when he found out that one of his personal valets tested positive for Covid-19. He expected his staff to protect him at all costs. Apparently that’s what kings do. They put themselves above the people working for them…way above.
Other staff members are speaking out. Kevin Hassett is a top economic adviser to Trump. Sunday, on the CBS news program “Face the Nation”, he said:
“I think I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing. It’s a little bit risky”
Hassett followed up by saying he needed to serve the nation. What he really meant was he had to keep coming in to serve Trump. Not doing so would be a sign of weakness. None of that in Trump’s White House.
These are scary times in America. People are on constant edge about multiple issues. They get reassurance from their leaders. We want to know that they’re doing the right things so we can follow their lead. Americans will see what Pence is doing and think if it’s safe for him, it must be safe for us. Mike Pence not going into self-quarantine puts people at risk.
The Donald Trump White House has been a scary place the last three-plus years. This weekend it became even scarier.
My so called friends think it’s time to edit this section. After four years, they may be right, but don’t tell them that. I’ll deny it until they die!
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for four years.
It started as a health/wellness thing and over the years has morphed to include so many things that I don’t know how to describe it anymore.
I really thought this was going to be the final year of the blog but then Donald Trump came along. It looks like we’re good for four more years..God help us all!
Oh yeah…the biographical stuff. I’m not 60 anymore. The rest you can read about in the blog.
With most sports around the world on pause, revisit iconic sports moments from the past to help fill that void.
Michael Jordan turned a lot of heads when he decided to drop basketball for baseball. Some of his baseball teammates and coaches from 1994 explain what it was like having Michael Jordan at spring training and how it impacted the team.
It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but the lockdown orders currently in place all across the United States might actually provide a major boost of momentum for the sports betting legalization movement. State by state stay-at-home orders were put into place to slow the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, allowing only the essential businesses to remain in operation.
It has led, expectably, to a major decline in tax revenue. With unemployment now already at Great Depression levels and very few people buying much of anything beyond the basic needs these days, we’ve seen a severe reduction in both income taxes and sales taxes. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whose states borders the world’s coronavirus epicenter in New York City, said last month that revenues “have fallen off a table.”
So how can that tax revenue shortfall be made up? Expansion of legalized gaming is a tried and true method throughout American history. With sports betting now legal in Colorado, as of May 1, you can now place a legal sports wager in 18 states. That leaves 32 states to go, and the legislative process may now get sped up due to the coronavirus pandemic and its disastrous effect on state economies.
“We think that this legalization process that is happening at the state level stands to accelerate, and we really think we’ll benefit from that because we operate in more states than any gaming company in the world,” Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden said during an appearance on CNBC this past Thursday.
It’s a divisive issue to be sure, as the vote tally in Colorado conveyed. The legal sports gaming measure passed in November by a ultra-slim 50.7% to 49.3% margin. However, it’s predicted economic impact is expected to be massive. Legalized sports betting has been forecasted to generate as much as $6 billion annually in bets and $40 million in tax revenue for the Rocky Mountain state.
Those figures might seem surprising, and optimistic, given how there are no sports currently active in the United States, but that’s about to change. NASCAR will restart its season this weekend and PGA Tour golf will return in a few weeks. Both sports will conduct business under strict social distancing guidelines.
And we’ve already seen a major shift already from sports books, as they’ve been taking action on all kinds of activities that one might never expect. It’s more than just sports leagues in foreign countries, as bets have been places on: the weather, political races, television shows, eSports and film casting.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and ChicagoNow.
He’s been a featured guest in dozens of media outlets including The History Channel. His work has been cited in hundreds of publications including the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
I often play a game of “will it fit?” on Instagram with the bigger vehicles I’m driving in Chicago. So, what do you think? Will the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss fit in my city garage? You can head over to my Instagram page (@jillciminillo) to see if you were right. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)
This week’s Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast kicks off with rumors about a new midsize pickup truck in the Ram lineup called the Dakota. The last time FCA had a Dakota it was in the Dodge lineup before Ram became its own brand. Though this is only conjecture right now based on a trademark filing, the time is right for Ram to introduce this new truck considering pickup trucks just outsold cars for the first time in the U.S. in April.
Continuing with the truck theme, the #cardujour discussed on this week’s show is the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss. This is the more dedicated off-roady version of the Silverado with large tires and pumped up suspension. Competitors would include the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram Rebel 1500. We may give opinions on how the Trail Boss stacks up
Our guest this week was Robert Colangelo, founder of Green Sense Farms, who calls in to discuss various market-based solutions to environmental issues, both in and out of the automotive industry.
In all, this is probably one of the better episodes we’ve done.
BTW: I’ve been feeling guilty about the donuts, so I did finally bake some and deliver them to Tom and Damon.
While I will continue to post the podcast to my blog each week, you can subscribe to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast on any podcast subscription service or visit the Buzzsprout link. New episodes are usually posted on Friday, and then the show itself airs on WCPT 820 AM on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m.
Be sure to let us know if you have questions or if there are any topics you’d like us to cover on future podcasts.
There have been a lot of firsts. Very few, if any of us were prepared to be working in a new and different way. It is so important to concentrate on what we can do. Not what we can’t do. We are doing what is possible and while it might look different, know that we are still here to help you.
There will be no people waiting as you enter our beautiful office, but you will see us all smiling through our masks. You can take home the recent issues of Rolling Stone, BonAppétit and People. Sorry that there will not be a large jar of chocolates to dip your hand into, but there will be flowers. That is a promise. And during this time, we will continue to find out what is important to you.
Look for us in our snazzy new scrubs. Yes, we will be wearing masks and face shields, and our hands will be gloved. We may be awkward as we figure out how to do tasks that used to come easily. We’re going to figure out how to pave the new way.
We have learned that there is so much we can do without physical contact. Just because we are operating differently, doesn’t mean that you won’t get the same care. Telehealth allows us to see you, provide consultation, answer your questions, and even make hearing aid adjustments all in the privacy and comfort of your home. Dropping off hearing aids without physical contact is also possible.
We love our patients and we love what we do. Our promise is to make you comfortable and keep you safe. One patient at a time.
It will be different for a while and that’s okay. Keep smiling with your eyes. We’ll be smiling back at you.
Dr. Gostomelsky earned her Bachelors Degree in Speech and Audiology at the University of Illinois, in Champaign IL, her Masters Degree in Audiology at Illinois State University, and her Audiology Doctorate (AuD) from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.
Dr. Gostomelsky is licensed through the State of Illinois, and maintains membership in the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists, Illinois Academy of Audiology, and the American Academy of Audiology. She has over 40 years of experience treating patients.
Dr. Gostomelsky takes pride in helping her patients understand what it takes to be successful in both protecting and improving hearing, one patient at a time.
The Posies Frosting On The Beater is a landmark album and my favorite thing they’ve written.
“Solar Sister” is the song that put them in the spotlight, and the reason for writing this post.
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It has one of those choruses that you can’t help singing along to. For me, the most important part, or endearing touch, is the way they stretch out that final note of each phrase.
“Mute it to a whisper-er-er-er, er-er-er And spin your solar sister-er-er-er, er-er-er
And magnet will deliver-er-er-er, er-er-er
An arrow from her quiver-er-er-er, er-er-er”
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I don’t know of another song that has that same cadence? It’s such a treat, that you’re constantly waiting for that part to return. As a songwriter, you live for that. Not only enticing millions of people to sing your song, but to write something you’ll always enjoy playing and singing.
I can’t play that album without hearing “Solar Sister” two or three times. The whole thing is special, from “Flavor Of The Month,” to “Dream All Day.” Chock-full of great pop-rock, that played as the antidote to all the grunge crowding the airwaves during the 90s.
One of the best ways to support the LGBTQ+ community— particularly in these unprecedented times of social distancing and economic hardship— is to be mindful of where your hard-earned dollars are going. Check out some of these local LGBTQ+ owned businesses and queer community-focused organizations that could always use a financial boost.
Just because we can’t get together for big parties doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate at all— why not order something from Jennivee’s Bakery to make occasion (whatever it may be) extra-special?
This is a wholly inclusive party experience that has recently gone virtual. In April’s online events, attendees had the opportunity to donate in support of the participating DJs, and leftover donations (after artists had been paid) went to the Reunion Family Relief Fund. The party happens intermittently, but usually on Thursday and Sunday nights.
Speaking of which, Reunion is a gallery, event space, and arts incubator in Humboldt Park whose aim is to “provide a collaborative and grounding environment for LGBTQ + folks & communities of color to create and commune freely.” Reunion has established a relief fund in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to support LGBTQ+ and POC cultural producers.
This is an inclusive, welcoming pub in Rogers Park which helps to raise money for (among other causes) LGBTQ+ sponsored non-profits. If you want to help them continue to help the community, order some grub for curbside pickup.
Longtime queer-owned bookstore Women & Children First is a beacon of feminism and inclusivity. Consider throwing your support behind an institution that’s not only LGBTQ+ friendly but also an essential part of the independent bookselling landscape.
This organization works to provide supportive services for LGBTQ+ folks on Chicago’s South and West sides, particularly those relating to health and wellness, visibility, and solidarity. You can help these services continue and expand by making a donation.
Photo Credit: Barbara & Barbara Facebook
Barbara & Barbara
Aside from being a talented bunch of stylists, the crew at this salon are part of an intentionally welcoming environment built around gender acceptance. They’ve established a fund to support their staff, and continue to sell gift cards and hair products through their online store.
Female/queer-owned and operated, this tattoo studio is a great find for those looking to get some ink. While they’re closed for now as a non-essential business, you can support this great group of artists by purchasing a gift card for future tattooing.
This shop is owned and operated by queer women of color, and its merchandise (apparel, prints, pins, and more) celebrates identity with unique designs.
Motherhood means something so much different to me than it did a few months ago.
A few months before this whole coronavirus mess, I was in Washington, D.C. taking an early morning yoga class when the instructor explained how he was actively trying to embrace the concept that he “gets” to do certain things, rather than complaining about things he “has” to do. He gets to teach yoga, he gets to meet a friend for coffee, he gets to take the dog for a walk, or make breakfast or whatever – point being, how many times have you said, “I have to take the dog out”? Our lives can get so filled up with “have-tos” that we often forget that much of our list of to-dos come from choices we made, and that our lives really are, at the end of the day, pretty freaking good.
This little yoga class story has stuck with me, clearly, and is especially relevant now that the current global crisis has (hopefully) put into perspective the privileges and luxuries many of us likely took for granted in pre-covid times.
For those of us fortunate enough (this is an important distinction – I know many people are battling much graver issues and living through times of great sadness) to be droning on about our grown-out highlights or the fact that we have to spend every waking moment with our kids/spouses/roommates/no one, this yoga man’s mantra may be just the thing to flip your perspective during quarantine times.
For instance, my perspective on motherhood has changed immensely over the past several weeks. At first, during the onset of the stay-at-home order, my days were full of “have-tos.” Admittedly, I struggled a great deal trying to balance work and parenting. A little over a month ago, I published this article about parenting and working from home during the pandemic. Things have changed since then – I’ve taken some time off to watch my daughter full-time, as a temporary solution to the madness that is working while trying to raise a young child. This means that for now, my husband is working long hours doing work-work, and I’m working long hours doing toddler-work.
It is an amazing opportunity to spend more time with the little love of my life – but it’s certainly no cakewalk, as any stay-at-home parent or childcare worker will attest. And for working parents whose former reality included work and family on separate but parallel paths, it can be a confusing time for parents. Without compartmentalization of these two very dominating buckets of our lives, who are we? Are we parents or employees? Business owners or caregivers? Can we be both in the same moment? TELL ME HOW.
In last week’s parenting e-newsletter from The New York Times, Jessica Grose wrote that “it can be hard to know who we are as people, as the barriers between our public and maternal selves have collapsed in ways we never considered. But if there’s a takeaway from all of these stories, it’s that your identity as a mother isn’t fixed…”
Leave it to NYT to deliver the truth straight to my inbox at 5 am. Really though, doesn’t that just perfectly sum up exactly what we all need to hear as moms (and dads!) right now? Things are different than they used to be, and despite your favorite influencers captioning their pics with, “I just can’t wait to wear this backless sundress when things get back to normal,” the fact is, things are never going to go back to the normal that we once knew. And so here we find ourselves, as mothers, trying to adjust to not only the chaos that is grocery delivery, but also who we are as people and as parents, and determine what that ultimately means for our families.
But, since I get to write my heart out on this lovely Saturday afternoon before Mother’s Day while my husband (heart eyes emoji) has our daughter and dog outside playing, I’d like to take this space and time to list some things I get to do during this weird time in human history. A few of them are related to my adjusted perspective on parenting, because, what better time to wax poetic about mom life than Mother’s Day weekend?
Some things I get to do:
I get to see my daughter grow and learn. This is everything. I could stop writing right here and feel fine about the whole thing. Ugh, I won’t. I know you want more! Being the sole caregiver of a child under two, five days a week, is, plain and simple, work. It’s a lot of diapers, clean-up, books, crafts, and sometimes tears and ouchies. But what beautiful messes she and I are creating together! I can see clearly now that this time is the most important time I may ever have with her, at least while she’s a little kiddo. And the fact that a deadly infectious disease gave me this opportunity is…backwards. But I am grateful for this time every day.
I get to move around all day long. For someone who is passionate about fitness, being stuck in your house can ruin your motivation to move, walk and get your heart rate up. But not when you’re chasing down a toddler all day! I now pay attention to my fitness tracker goals because I actually hit them. Note: Spontaneous dance parties set to “Let it Go” on repeat may be a factor.
I get to be a better dog mom. The dog is just loving life right now. She gets much longer walks now that they are the only reason we ever leave the house.
I get to show my daughter who I am. Normally, when my daughter was at daycare, we only spent time together during key parenting hours – in the mornings to get dressed, at night to whip up some quick dinner and for bath and bedtime. Now, we are together nearly all waking hours of the day. In addition to all the mommy things I’m supposed to do, I also get to teach her my favorite dance moves, show her how to do yoga, play her my favorite songs, and introduce her to the piano. Things we never had time to do before. Seeing her mimicking my dance moves and humming along to old Mariah Carey songs has made my Mother’s Day dreams come true.
I get to solve new problems. Work me spends a lot of time writing emails and trying to solve adult-sized problems. Now I am tackling the problems of the day: What is our family’s meal plan (i.e. how many times a week are we allowed to eat pizza?), where have all the band-aids gone (did a certain toddler dump the box somewhere in her room?), how many baby wipes do you really need to…you get the point. While I’m looking forward to getting back to solving business-related problems, I’m trying to take in the freshness of tackling a new and different set of issues – ones that can still make me feel accomplished at the end of the day.
I get totalk to my own mom (and other family and friends) regularly. I’ve said it before and will say it again. It’s silly that it took us this long to make video calls a regular thing. If you have family that lives far away, you’re probably like my family and me – we’re all asking ourselves why we didn’t start doing regular Zoom calls a loooong time ago.
I get to be grateful for the health of my family and friends. Every single day. (With a knock on wood thrown in here for my husband.)
Motherhood means something so much different to me than it did a few months ago. I know that meaning will continue to evolve, not just because of the uncertain state of the world, but because my family and my views on being a parent will continue to change with age and time. For all you moms out there, I hope your Mother’s Day, and all the days, are full of get-tos, and not so many have-tos.
Most of these events are free. Some may require a book purchase. There are tons of online events for kids. Chicago’s Open Books has virtual reading and writing adventures. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and award-winning author Jason Reynolds gets kids excited about writing with his Write. Right. Rite. series. Women & Children first has story time next Saturday (see below). Volumes Bookcafe has regular story times on Facebook.
MONDAY, MAY 11
6:30 p.m. The Book Stall and Go Green Reads present: The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth about Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker . Email [email protected]for Zoom details.
7:00 p.m. The Book Cellar presents: A Virtual Evening with Mikel Jollett about his intriguing new memoir Hollywood Park. Book purchase required.
TUESDAY, MAY 12
7:00 p.m. The Book Cellar presents: The Hilarious World of Depression with author John Moe and special guests Rex Huppke and Peter Sagal. Book purchase required.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13
3:00 p.m. The American Writers Museum presents: Comedian Kathy Griffin in discussion with Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of the new book Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs.
6:30 p.m.City Lit presents: Mark Polanzak on his new short story collection The Ok End of Funny Town with Konner Wilson.
THURSDAY, MAY 14
6:30 p.m.City Lit presents: Elizabeth Wetmore discussion about her new book Valentine with Stephanie Soileau.
9:00 p.m.City Lights presents: “Courts, COVID-19 and Voter Suppression,” with Abdi Soltani, Alan Hirsch, Lala Wu, and Rick Hasen. (Not Chicago-based – coming to you from the Bay Area Book Festival and the legendary City Lights … but so timely I had to include it.)
FRIDAY, MAY 15
7:00 p.m. Wilmette Public Library presents: Animal Crossing Island Meet-Up. Grades 7-12.
SATURDAY, MAY 16
3:00 p.m. Women & Children First present: Queer Kids Story Hour with Lindz Amer. Music and story for all ages, especially kids 3-7 years old.
I’ve been a comedy fan since age four when Moe Howard asked me, “What’s your name, lil’ goil?” Fortuitously somehow by way of Washington, D.C., Poughkeepsie and Jerusalem, I ended up in Chicago, the comedy Mecca of the world where comedians are kind enough to give me their time and where I was lucky enough to meet the great Dobie Maxwell who introduced me to the scene. You can reach me at: [email protected]. (Please remember the “w” there in the middle.)
I am often very reasonably asked, “How DO you pronounce that?” The spelling is Teme, but it’s pronounced Temmy.
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