Friday links: 6 May, 2022

Good morning, and happy Friday! It’s raining here…again. *sigh* We’ve had the cloudiest May on record so far, so that’s why it feels so sloggy and dark and gross. Things are supposed to be warmer on Monday; this weekend at least gets into the 60’s, though it’ll be cloudy, and then we head toward the 80’s…and maybe at least a little sun?

A few plans for the weekend, but I’ll get into those down below. Nothing fancy, and who knows, they might not even happen, so we’ll see.

Here’s what I found interesting online this week!

 

When the Next Covid Wave Breaks, the US Won’t Be Able to Spot It

Oof. We’re in a tight spot, folks. So many testing places have closed down or have started charging for tests (I’ve seen signs where COVID testing now costs upwards of $80 for a PCR test), and with the advent of at-home tests (which is a good thing, but there is fallout), we’re not getting an accurate count of what’s going on out there. There are signs, but they’re not official: Walgreens still posts its data, and right now, it’s about the best we’ve got (so keep an eye on that. Right now? Not good). Our school cases have exploded again; Five cases at my daughter’s former school this week, and thirty-two cases at our district this week. SO FAR. Guys. This is not good, and we’re not doing anything about it. Not reinstating masks, not talking about any precautions whatsoever, just…letting it happen. And with the prevalence of long COVID, under-fives STILL without any protection, disabled and immunocompromised people who exist… I really have no idea why we just collectively gave up. This is a bad place to be.

And more on the COVID front…

 

Higher COVID-19 Death Rates in the Southern US Due to Behavior Differences

Not shocking. The entire time, it’s seemed as though my friends in the south have been living through an entirely different pandemic. Even at the height of the worst wave, they posted about going into stores and being the only ones wearing masks (and getting nasty comments for doing so), and I’ve seen *so* many comments by people who have eyerolled the entire pandemic (some of them whom are shocked, just shocked when they get terribly sick or lose someone they love to COVID. Because then it’s the hospitals killing them, of course, and not the deadly virus everyone has been warning them about for two years).

So it’s no surprise that the death rates are higher in a place where so many people have been pretending like COVD isn’t real. Propaganda kills, y’all. : (

 

The Librarians Are Not Okay

Basically, anyone that works in any kind of forward-facing service position right now is not okay. Teachers, retail workers, and now, librarians. Too much is being demanded of them, with zero respect given, and way too much hatred is being flung their way. People have suggested that libraries become COVID-testing sites (look, I’m for increasing COVID testing sites, but ABSOLUTELY NOT) or places to hand out free COVID tests, and now they’re dealing with book bans from zealous nutcases who likely haven’t picked up a book since they were required to read Edgar Allen Poe in seventh grade. Don’t forget a library near me had to close down due to threats because of this a few months ago. It’s too much. Librarians deserve better – as do all our service workers.

 

How to Shop for Groceries When Everything Is More Expensive

The advice we all need these days! Milk is up to $3 per gallon, eggs are $2.50 a dozen, the cheap bread is $1.35 (and these are Aldi prices!); I haven’t seen canned tomatoes on sale since before the pandemic. It’s rough out there. Likely most of you reading this already know all these tips and tricks, but sometimes it’s nice to get a little inspiration, and hey, you never know where you might learn something new!

And one last thing, which isn’t good, but it’s important…

 

Abbott says Texas could ‘resurrect’ SCOTUS case requiring states to educate all kids/

This is bad. Bad, bad, bad. Not just because they’re coming for children’s right to be educated (pfffft, what has education ever done for us anyway? Who wants to live in a society where everyone is educated???), but because of whom they’re going after. This article talks about how they want to stop educating children of noncitizens (who also deserve an education!), but they’re not going to stop there. Parents of kids with special needs are rightfully terrified about this, because so many of them know that their schools would ditch their kids at the first opportunity. Special ed and support services are costly for schools to provide; often, they get little extra help when a child’s needs increase, and parents have to fight nearly to the death to get their children the education they deserve. With this statute in place, schools could weasel out of providing support to kids who desperately needed – and in what world has less education EVER worked out well for a country??? It’s amazing how far we’re willing to drag ourselves down.

 

It's been a rough week, folks, so I hope you’re able to find some relaxation and peace this weekend. I need to hit up the science surplus store; as much as I don’t want to obtain more stuff, they sell a sizeable package of Expo markers, which we desperately need for homeschool stuff. And they also sell a mortar and pestle, which I’ve long needed for grinding spices. My daughter is also hoping to go to the garden center to pick out some plants to grow, so we’ll see if we get all of that done. I have some book reviews to write, and I’m hoping to go for a walk or two, but who knows if that’ll happen.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Shalom, friends. : )