Notices by Flying_Donny for democracy (kateiacy@med-mastodon.com)

Of possible use to some of us: how to get up off the floor without kneeling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlNm19JvUQI

"It then came out that the Qataris were gifting the souped up plane to the US for Trump’s use as President and then after his presidency it would be given to the Trump Presidential Library. As soon as I heard this I was pretty sure this had now become a bribe.
The Times just reported that because it’s owned by Trump’s presidential library it will still be his plane to fly. ... This is to put mildly not how the presidential library system works."

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/qatari-royals-give-trump-a-plane

Three weeks ago, @asakiyume posted the information that in the U.S., Covid tests can be ordered in bulk for free from the HHS at this link. I filled out the form, saying honestly that I am an individual, not an organization, and that I intend to distribute the tests to local food pantries and a homeless shelter.
Yesterday I received 6 packages, each containing 24 2-packs of tests that don't expire until 09/2026. Now to distribute them.

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1cm3L20wSAkVpvm3YufXEyX7j3viaeGZSwCIOz2_eunY/mobilebasic

The problems married women are having with obtaining RealID are precisely what the SAVE Act has in store for them with registering to vote. The Republicans know exactly what they are doing. The House has passed the SAVE Act and the Senate will vote on it soon. Please call your Senator on Monday!
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/married-women-face-real-id-documentation-hurdles-i-cant-accept-this

Iowa City

I was sorry that this dog looked so stressed, but I love his sign.

I didn't manage to get a photo of my other favorite signs -- "I Stand With the Penguins" and "Moscow Agents Gutting America."

"Moncla and her team believe that the current outbreak [of bird flu in U.S. poultry that started in 2021] hasn’t been stopped by aggressive culling, as it was in 2014, because wild birds continue to introduce it into populations of farmed and backyard flocks.
They conclude that wild birds are an emerging reservoir for the virus in North America, and that surveillance of migrating birds is critical to stopping future outbreaks. "
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/27/health/bird-poop-stopping-the-next-flu-pandemic/index.html

@GottaLaff The WaPo article: "Elon Musk, enemy of ‘open borders,’ launched his career working illegally"
https://wapo.st/3VZtyR5

Wow, due to the already-existing shortage of OB/GYN doctors in Iowa, a service is being started to bring OB/GYN teams in by helicopter for emergencies. The 6-week abortion ban put in place a few months ago certainly is only going to worsen the OB/GYN shortage. https://www.kcrg.com/2024/11/19/with-iowa-short-ob-gyns-hospital-looks-chopper-doctors/

A friend who winters in western North Carolina just posted this as a reliable list of ways to help.
https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene

@GottaLaff @Snowshadow @Gargron No issues here. I hope yours are shortlived.

@inthehands Not good. I'm glad to learn of the MN wastewater tracking site you posted.

Dr. Fauci describes his interactions with Biden. Based on those, Fauci says he has no doubt that Biden has the vigor and mental capacity to carry on with his office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI5GWz7BhFo

@kimlockhartga Here's a gnome home that Donny and I found on our walk yesterday.

@liztai Ooh, I followed you just in time or I would have missed this useful information! (I've been studying Mandarin for about a year.)

@liztai Thank you for posting! I had never heard of these, and I just ordered seeds!

"The Biden administration has provided funding to build resilient communities, and a new (as of September 2023) National Climate Resilience Framework, which should provide the US with a whole range of protections. These include conserving water resources, modernizing and strengthening the electric grid against weather and disasters and building infrastructure to protect communities and ecosystems from sea level rise, tidal flooding, hurricanes and storm surges. "

https://www.cnet.com/science/climate/wild-weather-ahead-summer-2024-could-be-a-scorcher-after-hottest-year-on-record/

Good news for our circle of morning coffee drinkers:

'Still, he [Dr Peter Hayes, professor of hepatology at the University of Edinburgh] knows of no evidence that cutting out coffee is beneficial. “Coffee is one of nature’s gifts,” he says.'

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/apr/08/coffee-benefits-hazards-experts