Happy Birthday President Roosevelt! In 1935, FDR signed Social Security into law. Today, Rep. John Larson introduces the #Secure2100 Act, which would increase benefits and ensure that our Social Security system remains solvent for generations.
Chicago will be colder than Antarctica this week; 250 million in U.S. will see freezing temperatures
John Bacon and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY January 29, 2019
The season’s most wintry roar threatened to paralyze a wide swath of the nation Tuesday as temperature records began falling fast. Parts of New York braced for up to four feet of snow, and Atlanta awaited a blast of rain, snow and cold that could bring chaos to travelers headed for the Super Bowl.
Weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue predicts that a whopping 250 million people in the continental U.S. will experience freezing temperatures by week’s end. And 90 million will see below-zero temperatures.
In Chicago, schools were already ordered shut for Wednesday because of wind chill temperatures that AccuWeather meteorologist Elliot Abrams said could make it feel like 50 to 60 degrees below zero. That would be colder than Antarctica.
“It’s never been -50 in Chicago so we can’t really say it ‘feels like’ – nobody really knows what that feels like,” Abrams said. “But you can get frostbite within four or five minutes.”
The wind chill in Minneapolis was forecast to reach a stunning 54 degrees below zero Wednesday morning, prompting the University of Minnesota to cancel classes.
In Wisconsin – another state familiar with brutally cold winters – parts of the state were hit with a foot of snow or more Monday. School districts, government agencies and businesses were poised to remain closed deep into the week due to the cold, and Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency because of the snow and cold.
“The intensity of this cold air, I would say, is once in a generation,” said John Gagan, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan, Wisconsin.
President Trump chimed in on Twitter, citing the ominous wind-chill temperatures.
“People can’t last outside even for minutes,” he tweeted. “What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!”
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, officials warned that school will be canceled Wednesday if wind chill temperatures fall below 34 degrees below zero. Wind chill temperatures for the city were forecast to reach 48 below Wednesday.
Indianapolis could see record-breaking cold Tuesday night, with wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero expected, the weather service warned, adding that frostbite could occur on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
“This is polar air,” said Mike Koch, a senior meteorologist with the weather service in Indianapolis. “That should tell you something.”
Late Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency to “help address threats to public health and safety related to forecast sub-zero temperatures over the next few days.”
“Keeping Michiganders safe during this stretch of dangerously cold temperatures is our priority. Such widespread, extreme conditions have not occurred in Michigan for many years and it is imperative that we are proactive with record-low temperatures being predicted by the weather service,” Whitmer said in a statement.
In Buffalo, AccuWeather warned that heavy lake-effect conditions could pound the city with up to 2 feet of snow. Up to 4 feet of snow may fall just 5 to 10 miles south of the city, AccuWeather forecast. Watertown and Sandy Creek, New York, could receive between 3 and 6 feet, AccuWeather said.
As cold and snow slam into the North, a snowstorm pasted portions of the Deep South on Tuesday.
AccuWeather meteorologist Rob Richards said, “Atlanta could receive a coating to an inch of snow.” Sleet and ice were also expected. Hundreds of flights in and out were canceled, days before the Super Bowl, in a city not accustomed to combating such weather.
Sunday, a prelude to the polar plunge slammed into the Upper Midwest with temperatures reaching below zero in the morning. The low of 45 degrees below zero in International Falls, Minnesota, smashed a record that stood for more than half a century.
Contributing: Meg Jones and Nathan Phelps, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star
ABC – 7
Midwest braces for polar plunge as Bay Area enjoys mild temperatures
KGO – San Francisco January 29, 2019
Parts of the country are set to reach temperatures that are so low, the Bay Area may be 90 to 100 degrees warmer than they are.
Megan Rapinoe: ‘Maybe men should just take a few hundred years off’
By Suzanne Wrack January 29, 2019
The US midfielder talks about why women are at the forefront of fighting injustices and whether she feared for her football career after taking a knee during the national anthem
Megan Rapinoe says: ‘It’s not really an issue of whether police brutality exists or not or whether racism is still an issue or not. It very much is.’ Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP
“As I’ve grown older I’ve really got to understand how powerful one voice can be, my voice can be, or the team’s voice can be. So to hold that back or not to use that just seems selfish in a way.”
If that is the case, Megan Rapinoe is anything but selfish. A World Cup winner and Olympic champion with the US women’s national team, Rapinoe could easily be satisfied with her lot. But just enjoying the spoils of her success is not enough.
Rapinoe has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights groups since coming out before the 2012 Olympics. She set out to raise $100,000 for those affected by the Carr fire that ripped through her home county, Shasta, last summer, destroying 1,604 buildings as it became the sixth most destructive fire in California history. And, on 4 September, 2016, before kick-off against Chicago Red Stars, the Seattle Reign midfielder went down on one knee during the playing of the national anthem in solidarity with the protest of the San Francisco 49er’s player Colin Kaepernick.
“I think I want the same for myself,” says the 33-year-old, who 11 days later knelt again before USA played Thailand. “Being a white, female, gay athlete. Obviously not everybody is that but it doesn’t mean I don’t want the support for everyone in all of the things I’m fighting for.
“We understand that athletes are idolized and glorified in our culture and it was about using that platform to just support and give support to what he was saying. It became a very racialized issue, a black versus white thing, but it’s not.
Rapinoe kneels during the national anthem before the match between the United States and the Netherlands at Georgia Dome on 18 September 2016. Photograph: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images
“We all should be supporting what he’s saying. The statistics don’t lie – people of color in prison, people of color that are disproportionately arrested, monitored by police, police brutality against people of color.
“It’s not really an issue of whether police brutality exists or not, or whether racism is still an issue or not. It very much is and I think it’s foolish to say it’s not.
“The more we reckon with that quickly, recognize that these things are happening and believe the people that are standing up and telling their stories, then the quicker we can find solutions and start to make progress in breaking down those barriers that are so harmful to so many people.”
Did she ever fear for her career? Kaepernick has not thrown a football professionally since his release by the 49er’s and has a case pending alleging NFL bosses have colluded to keep him out of the game for his stance. “Yeah, I mean as soon as I kneeled they made a rule that you had to stand,” says the creative midfielder nicknamed Rapinho or Rapinodinho.
“I don’t know what would have happened if I had continued to kneel, maybe the same thing that happened to Colin. I kind of feel like that’s sort of what they were after. They made it very clear that they were not going to respect my free speech or my decision to peacefully protest in that way and made it very clear that it was unacceptable and that I should be privileged or feel privileged to play for the country. I personally thought it was a very patriotic thing that Colin started.”
Barack Obama jokes with Megan Rapinoe during an event honouring members of the 2015 Women’s World Cup winners at the White House. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Despite growing up in the small conservative northern Californian town of Redding, Rapinoe’s social conscience was a natural progression of values ingrained from an early age. “It wasn’t like I grew up in a super liberal household or anything,” she says. “But you never know where people come from, or what their situation is. So you shouldn’t judge people. Give them the benefit of the doubt and be willing to extend yourself and stand up for people who maybe can’t stand up for themselves and just stand up for the right thing. It was never explicitly spoken about in our household but that was just how we were raised.”
Rapinoe was a natural fit for Juan Mata’s Common Goal. The organisation which encourages those around football to donate 1% of their earnings to organisations using the social weight of the sport to make real changes to communities and lives. She and her teammate Alex Morgan were the first women footballers to sign up.
“I just really love the whole concept. It’s first of all really simple. It’s 1% of your salary, so whether you make a dollar or a million you can do something that’s impactful. It can also be hard to research charities and vet different organisations and they do that for you which makes it really easy for the player. And it’s about being part of the bigger team of players all around the world.
”Obviously we’re at the highest level of this game and it’s given us so much, so to be able to harness that and give back to all these organisations that are already doing the work, already have boots on the ground, is just really cool to be a part of.”
The number of female players signing up, despite earning significantly less than their male counterparts, she believes, has its roots in the constant battle for equality at every level of the women’s game. “Women are always at the forefront of all this kind of stuff, racial inequality or pay inequality, maybe because we’re always having to fight for something and we truly understand what gender discrimination looks like and pay inequity looks like. It’s very close to home for us.
Rapinoe celebrates after winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Vancouver. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/FIFA via Getty Images
“We very much understand that it takes bold voices and bold steps to make things change. Our game is changing so much but it also has so much room to grow and we want to be a part of that and we really feel a responsibility to ensure we leave the game in a better place than where we found it. So, I don’t know what it is but maybe women are just better than men in that way.
“It’s like men have run the world for all these years, maybe they should just take a few hundred years off,” she laughs. “And we can just take it for a few hundred years and we’ll see where we are.”
Has having football in perspective made her a better player? “Yeah, it definitely has.”
We challenged you to hold on to your trash for 21 days! Here’s the results of that challenge in an informing live talk show.
Also, we will be announcing the date of the next challenge! Stay tuned.
✨Inspiring & Easy Way to Make a Huge Difference #LandfillChallenge ✨We challenged you to hold on to your trash for 21 days! Here's the results of that challenge in an informing live talk show.Also, we will be announcing the date of the next challenge! Stay tuned.
‘We have changed the world so much that scientists say we are now in a new geological age, the Anthropocene – the Age of Humans.’World Economic Forum #wef19
9 Things They Won’t Tell You Before Your First Psych Hospital Admission
Jan Bunten, The Mighty January 24, 2019
Being admitted, voluntarily or involuntarily, to a psychiatric hospital can be traumatic. You’ve probably just been through some kind of mental health emergency. Depending on the circumstances, you may feel you’re being treated like a criminal. It’s especially scary the first time. Knowing a few tips can make your stay less stressful and more healing.
1. Make a note of your phone numbers.
Write down all of the phone numbers you might need on a piece of paper. They will take your phone, so you will need access to those numbers.
2. Buy an all-purpose calling card.
You can find them at Walmart or dollar stores. Make sure it’s not made to work with just one carrier. Some hospitals won’t allow you to make long-distance calls, and they’ll limit your local calls. Best to leave money and debit cards at home. You only need your calling card, driver’s license and insurance card.
3. When packing clothes, go for loose and comfortable.
No drawstrings or shoe strings. Pack a sweatshirt or hoodie (no drawstrings), even in summer. Don’t pack more than five days worth of clothes. You’ll have access to laundry facilities if you need them.
4. The hospital will provide soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.
If you try to bring a bunch of your own toiletries, they won’t let you have a lot of them. If you run out of something, they’ll give you another.
5. Bring a couple of books.
Most units don’t have books. You won’t have access to the Internet. Bring a journal (no metal spiral) but not all units will allow pens or pencils. You’ll need to ask about that.
6. Expect to spend the first couple of days resting and getting stable.
You may have been through some trauma before ending up in the hospital. Try to relax and settle in. Try to eat at least a little every meal.
7. After you’ve had a chance to get to know the routine, open yourself up to the therapies that are provided.
Go to all the groups, even if you don’t think they’re for you. Talk to the other patients, at least the ones who are open and ready. Some people might be fearful or angry, especially when first admitted. Best to smile and give them space. But some will be near to where you are in your recovery. You can learn a lot from other patients. You can also have a lot of laughs. It’s therapeutic.
8. Refrain from asking your doctors and therapists when you will get out.
I know it’s hard to be away from your friends and family, especially when you don’t know how long you will be there. It’s been my experience, and I’ve seen it over and over again, that begging to get out will only delay your discharge. Work with your doctors, take your meds, participate in groups and recreation, don’t hide in your room, and you should be out in a matter of days. Of course, you need to be honest with your caregivers. If you don’t feel better, don’t say that you do.
9. There will be some indignities.
You may at times feel patronized. Being in a psych hospital is a lesson in patience. You will get out and you will get your dignity back. Try to be in the moment while you’re there. You should feel no more shame than you would if you were hospitalized for anything else.
Be honest and open with both your caregivers and the other patients. Before you know it, you’ll be discharged. Take it easy for a few weeks. Follow whatever treatment plan you were given at discharge. You may find being hospitalized was one of the best things that ever happened to you.
ABC – 7
Midwest braces for polar plunge as Bay Area enjoys mild temperatures