The only way for the party to regain traction in rural places is by running strong campaigns in districts that usually back Republicans.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/opinion/democrats-rural-america.html
The future of America depends on young organizers connecting with rural voters. We liberals have forgotten the maxim:
“All politics are local.”
Masks for singers: design specializations for breathability, filtration, fit and acoustics based on the science of singing, particles & COVID.
— Read on makermask.org/constructing-masks-for-singers/amp/
Someone at church contracted Covid during Holy Week; we’ve relaxed mask requirements, but now that seems risky. Especially for those of us in the choir, and though we have “singers’ masks,” they’re not very good. Meanwhile, infection rates are trending upward, a young family member tested positive, and an older family member has an upper respiratory infection (not Covid).
It seems to me that we’ll see a summer spike as people attend large events – we’re traveling, too – and I expect that masks will be needed intermittently.
This pattern looks… hefty but I’ll make some this week and see if it’s more comfortable/less foggy than my current KN95s. I have some 3M N95 masks (“3D style”) arriving tomorrow. I will test one for “singability” and whether my glasses fog up with every sustained note and exhalation.
But I have the right kind of materials to work with:
Not to mention all the elastic, cord stoppers, and other notions. I took a look at the “burrito method” of construction, which minimizes center seams while adding a channel to insert boning to hold the fabric away from the lips and nostrils. My previous box pleated design kept fabric too close to my lips, my curved design has a vertical central seam.
Here’s a YouTube playlist with the original singer’s mask design, and the updated construction method.
The designer has a Spoonflower account, where I like to browse for quilting fabric for making small projects, so I have to look her up. Her construction method of the original open source pattern actually makes sense.
He also indicated that CDC could operate more effectively “if the public health agency was independent,” based on his experience in the Trump Administration. — Dr Robert Redfield, former CDC director
— Read on coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-releases/select-subcommittee-releases-new-findings-detailing-trump-administration-s
Quilting Inspiration: I’m not ready to invest in quilting rulers to make these elaborate stitching designs. But this pattern just gave me a brainstorm about my next project: a table runner and set of placemats, with a self-binding and mitred corners – the top is patterned and folds over to the back, and they would be reversible.
This project will give you creative practice with your Westalee Design Ruler Foot Starter and Sampler Template Sets.
— Read on www.sewsteady.com/product/ruler-roll/
Reps. Khanna and Raskin say Democrats should reclaim issues of patriotism, stay out of the political correctness business and improve their dialogue on racial divisions to reach out to all Americans.
— Read on www.npr.org/2022/04/28/1094288815/two-democratic-progressives-plot-new-ways-to-fight-back-against-republican-gains
Must share with spousal unit.
Face-to-face gatherings produce more ideas – and more inventive ones – than videoconferencing, say researchers
— Read on www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/27/workers-think-less-creatively-in-zoom-meetings-study-finds
I’m going to revive my boring blog YET AGAIN, because I have thoughts to think before they go thunk and disappear.
Topics in no particular order to include:
I’ve said this for more than 20 years; we’re not helping rural voters if we snub them because it’s easier to canvass in the suburbs and cities. And rural voters control Congress.
The Maine state senator Chloe Maxmin and her former campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, the authors of the forthcoming book “Dirt Road Revival,” join Dorothy Wickenden to talk about intensive grassroots organizing as the key to Democratic success at the polls.
— Read on www.newyorker.com/podcast/politics-and-more/can-democrats-win-back-rural-voters/amp
I’ve spent the last 2 years re-learning how to sew. First as a necessity, to make masks for family and friends, then as a creative outlet while furloughed from my travel job. After returning to work last year, I started getting interested in quilting.
The Spruce Crafts site was extremely comprehensive – every time I looked for info on how to do something, their clear, written tutorials showed up. I looked at this one for a recent project, and although I went with a different method from a video by Jordan Fabrics, this is an excellent starting point and reference.
Bind a quilt with easy mitered corners with step-by-step instructions and illustrations to sew a perfect binding every time.
— Read on www.thesprucecrafts.com/sew-easy-mitered-quilt-binding-2821069
I had whitelisted CNN.com on the Adblock Plus app, but the videos and their unskippable, long pre roll ads refused to play. Had to watch on the CNN app all year, but sometimes it was damned inconvenient.
Tonight, I disabled Adblock Plus, played a video (with ad) on CNN.com, re-enabled ABP, made sure CNN.com was on the whitelist, and now the videos and damn ads play like they should. It just needed an app restart, I guess.
Add websites that you trust and want to support to your Adblock Plus whitelist. Ads will be shown on these websites.
— Read on help.eyeo.com/adblockplus/add-a-website-to-the-whitelist