G is for Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to G!  We're looking at – RUTH BADER GINSBURG.

Let's stop talking about pandemic stuff and talk about Notorious RBG.

Ginsburg was the second woman [after Sandra Day O'Connor] and the first Jewish woman to serve on the US Supreme Court.   She worked tirelessly for women's rights throughout her career, and served on the Supreme Court for 27 years, from 1993 through 2020.  Near the end of her tenure, she was the senior member of the liberal-leaning justices.  Seniority meant that, when she did not agree with the majority opinion, she assigned the person who would write the dissent.  She wrote many of them herself, and “I dissent” became a common phrase of hers.

Here's the Supreme Court page on her

Here are some important cases, both with her in the majority and dissenting

Here are photos of the collars she wore, including the famous “dissent collar”

She passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2020.  Then-President Donald Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett to replace her, just before the November election.

Do you miss Ruth Bader Ginsburg?  Let us know in the comments.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter H:

F is for Pandemic Fatigue

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to F!  We're looking at – PANDEMIC FATIGUE.

Are you tired of wearing a face mask and staying six feet apart from everyone?  Are you tired of working from home while also home-schooling your kids?  How can you possibly get everything done without help and/or more hours in the day?  You can't.

We're approximately on day 400 of “15 days to flatten the curve”.  Somewhere in those 400 days, the goalpost was moved from “flatten the curve” to “eliminate the curve”.  This is a good goal, but out of reach.  Humans simply can't live like this for more than a year.

Once it became apparent – back around I would say the four-month mark [end of July] – that masks and social distancing and closing the majority of businesses and most of society wasn't providing the desired solution, we should have moved to a different plan.  But we're still being told, 400 days later, that “we're all in this together” and to “just hold on for a few more weeks” and the nauseating “we can do this”.

No, we can't.  Lives and livelihoods have been destroyed.  Our physical health is suffering.  Our mental health is suffering.  Recent reports state that more people are dying from inactivity and from suicide than from COVID.  Despite trying their best to do schoolwork from a screen, most kids have lost an entire year of learning.

We need to change what we're doing.  It isn't working.  I will gladly continue to wear a mask, wash my hands until they're raw, and stay six feet apart from everyone IF BUSINESSES AND SOCIETY ARE OPEN.  Give us back what's left of our mental health, our physical health, our lives and livelihoods.  Treat us like adults and let us decide for ourselves how to act.  That's what freedom means.

Here are two good links about pandemic fatigue

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-we-can-deal-with-pandemic-fatigue/

https://www.everydayhealth.com/coronavirus/how-to-not-let-pandemic-fatigue-turn-into-pandemic-burnout/

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter G:

E is for Essential Workers

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to E!  We're looking at – ESSENTIAL WORKERS.

Doesn't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy to know that society deems your job “essential”?  Healthcare, grocery, police and fire services, repair and maintenance.  Because of the type of law I practice, my job is considered essential because I provide legal support for essential workers.  I still went to the office almost every weekday in 2020, although I do have a computer at home to log in to the office if necessary.  The only things that really changed for me was my commute time reduced by half [Yay!], and I made most court appearances using technology rather than showing up in person.

But what about other jobs?  Hotels, restaurants, hair stylists, theme parks, gyms, churches, GOVERNMENT WORKERS?!  Some of these I understand in the short term, but others make no sense.  

Pretty much every court and city hall was closed to the public.  Is that not an essential job?  Here in CA, courts are now open but most city halls are still closed for in-person.  What about school teachers?  Almost everyone agrees that kids learn better in person, but most schools closed for at least a few months and when they re-opened it was all online.  Here in CA, many private schools are now back in person but most public schools are still online until Fall 2021 semester.  How many of you think a teacher is not an essential worker??  We complain about the government but is it really not essential?

I don't know about you, but telling a hotel worker, a server or dishwasher in a restaurant, the lady who styles my hair, and all the other folks who go to work and contribute to society, that they're not essential is not good for politics, for economics, or for society.  I consider all those people essential too.  Our society would be lesser if we didn't have those people and those jobs.  The government wouldn't have any money [that it didn't print itself] without folks who are working, no matter what the job.

We're all essential workers.

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter F:

D is for Social Distancing

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to D!  We're looking at – SOCIAL DISTANCING.

Remember when standing that far apart would almost certainly mean someone would cut in line ahead of you?  Now, although it's not a guarantee, at least you have a decent chance of that not happening.

But what I'm most curious about, is why it's called SOCIAL distancing.  We still talk on the phone and text.  Now I have apps for Teams, Zoom, and Skype on my phone.  My oldest son lives in Seattle and we use Skype.  Some courts use Zoomgov, others use Teams, and some have their own system.  I've used all of them.  

I think the term should be PHYSICAL DISTANCING rather than social distancing.  Sure, we no longer give hugs or shake hands as greetings, but we're still SOCIAL.  We still meet, we just wave and bump elbows and stay six feet apart.  Just because we're physically distant doesn't mean we're socially distant.

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter E:

C is for Coronavirus / COVID-19

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to C!  We're looking at – CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19 [Yes, I can hear you groaning].

What would a look back at 2020 be without at least a brief mention of what some people term “the virus which shall not be named”?  But I'm naming it, mostly because it starts with C.

Here's a microscope photo of the virus:

My family was sick with COVID-19 in 2020.  We each had a different manifestation, which was interesting.  For me, I felt like I had the flu and was completely exhausted for about 5 days.  I had a persistent cough for about 3-4 weeks thereafter.  But we all recovered, which is very nice.

Let us know in the comments whether you've had experience with COVID-19.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter D:

B is for Brexit

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to B!  Today we're looking at – BREXIT.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom [Great Britain which includes England, Scotland, and Wales, along with Northern Ireland] withdrew from the European Union.  This is the result of a referendum in June 2016 when the citizens of UK voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU.

Major changes:
1. Rules of travel [passports, visas] between the UK and EU countries
2. Immigration between UK and EU countries
3. Economy, trade, and commerce – money, customs, import taxes, duty-free shopping

If you're interested in researching more of the effect of Brexit, here are two good sites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887

Do you live in UK?  Let us know in the comments how Brexit has affected you.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter C [no groaning allowed]:

A is for Antarctica [Climate Change]

This year for the A-to-Z Challenge, I'll be looking at major events that happened in 2020 [the year we would all like to forget, so let's look at it first, before flushing it down the toilet].

Welcome to A!  Here's the teaser photo I included in my theme reveal post:

Most of you figured out this is Antarctica.  A few of you even guessed right that my A post is on -----

CLIMATE CHANGE

Why climate change for letter A?  Well, letter C is already taken, and I had nothing for A.  So here we are.

In 2020, record high temperatures were recorded as follows:

February 9, 2020 which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere - Antarctica's record high temperature was 69.3F [20.75C] degrees.  Imagine walking around in Antarctica in shorts and a t-shirt!

On June 23, 2020 which is summer in the Northern Hemisphere – Verkhoyansk, Siberia's record high temperature was 100.4F (38C).  Swimsuit weather in the Arctic Circle!

On September 6, 2020 which is summer in the Northern Hemisphere – Los Angeles County's record high temperature was 121F (49.4C).  I live in SoCal [Orange County, just south of Los Angeles County] and I remember a day of 117F.  Hot!

It's difficult to say that record high temperatures in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, occurring in the same year, is not caused by climate change.

Do you have any thoughts about climate change or extra hot temperatures where you live?  Let us know in the comments.

Here's a teaser for tomorrow, letter B: