thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Guest Commentary: Your social justice yard sign contributes to division, not discourse

Yard signs are popular during election years , and the closer we get to November 3 , the more signs we can expect to see .
But , lately , in my neighborhood , I ’ m seeing more and more social justice yard signs that read : “ In This House , We Believe : Black Lives Matter , No Human Is Illegal , Love is Love , Women ’ s Rights Are Human Rights , and Science is Real.
” Yard signs have become so common that now our neighborhood homeowners ’ association is soliciting input from homeowners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signs .
I hope the HOA doesn ’ t force neighbors to remove the signs ; it ’ s their right to express themselves this way .
But I hope neighbors will take the signs down anyway , of their own volition , because whether they realize it or not , these signs contribute to division and polarization .
Neighbors displaying these signs might intend to convey compassion and empathy .
But instead , the signs give cheap , cursory treatment to a series of serious issues and imply that only one worldview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , outside of homes displaying them , hatred and bigotry are the norm , and only hatred and bigotry can explain any departure from the sign ’ s political creed .
This suggestion is not charitable or kind .
Most importantly , it ’ s not accurate .
Let ’ s examine the statements on the sign one at a time : “ Black Lives Matter.
” Of course .
No one argues otherwise .
Yet some people are understandably reluctant to support the Black Lives Matter organization , which was founded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supports an agenda that includes redistributing wealth and decriminalizing drugs and sex work .
The BLM website even states that the group favors disrupting the “ nuclear family structure requirement , ” by “ supporting each other as extended families and “ villages ” that collectively care for one another , especially our children , to the degree that mothers , parents , and children are comfortable .
Regardless of how you feel about these issues , they are political and cultural issues worthy of debate and discussion , not simply being rolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Illegal.
” No , humans aren ’ t illegal , but some immigrants do not have legal status in this country .
How can we possibly address immigration reform without addressing this basic fact ?
A strong majority of Republicans believe that legal immigration can be good for America , but this issue ranks number one on the Perception Gap , a study of how Americans with opposite political views misperceive each others ’ positions .
“ Love is Love.
” Similarly , most Republicans today say society should be accepting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched an effort to decriminalize homosexuality globally and appointed America ’ s first-ever openly gay cabinet member , Richard Grenell , who served as Acting Director of National Intelligence .
Of course , it ’ s another matter to question whether private , Catholic adoption agencies should be forced to place babies with gay couples if this goes against their sincerely held religious beliefs .
But “ love is love ” is meant to shortcut debate on issues like this where values collide .
“ Women ’ s Rights are Human Rights.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The right to equal pay ?
Conservatives support equal pay but understand that the wage gap statistic misrepresents how women fare in society : It ’ s not a metric of “ equal pay for equal work ” but merely a comparison of raw averages ( without controlling for profession , experience , education , hours worked or conditions ) .
But let ’ s not kid : “ Women ’ s rights ” is the left ’ s favorite euphemism for abortion .
A more honest sign would just say , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Science is Real.
” The issues of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have given the left plenty to work with to make the case that conservatives are anti-science .
But a real discussion with your conservative neighbors might simply reveal that , while we acknowledge science is real , we recognize that it ’ s not the only thing that matters : History , philosophy , and economics do too .
Of course , I know many of my neighbors are kind people with good intentions .
But by putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are inadvertently participating in the collective shaming of those who hold more conservative beliefs .
It ’ s bullying in a new form .
Platitudes don ’ t change hearts or minds .
Yard signs don ’ t change hearts or minds .
And shouting at passersby in all-caps , even in multi-colored font , undermines the message of inclusivity and altruism you may think your sign is sending .
If you really believe that kindness is everything and want to show that “ hate has no home ” at your address ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if you really want to contribute to a better neighborhood , public square , and country , please , take down your sign .
Instead , get to know your neighbors and engage in a respectful dialogue .
My welcome mat is out .
Hadley Heath Manning is policy director at Independent Women ’ s Forum , a Tony Blankley Fellow at the Steamboat Institute , and a Denver resident .
To send a letter to the editor about this article , submit online or check out our guidelines for how to @ @ @ @ @ @

Yard signs are popular during election years, and the closer we get to November 3, the more signs we can expect to see. But, lately, in my neighborhood, I’m seeing more and more social justice yard signs that read: “In This House, We Believe: Black Lives Matter, No Human Is Illegal, Love is Love, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, and Science is Real.”
Yard signs have become so common that now our neighborhood homeowners’ association is soliciting input from homeowners and considering changing our policy on yard signs. I hope the HOA doesn’t force neighbors to remove the signs; it’s their right to express themselves this way.
But I hope neighbors will take the signs down anyway, of their own volition, because whether they realize it or not, these signs contribute to division and polarization. Neighbors displaying these signs might intend to convey compassion and empathy. But instead, the signs give cheap, cursory treatment to a series of serious issues and imply that only one worldview is acceptable. The signs suggest that, outside of homes displaying them, hatred and bigotry are the norm, and only hatred and bigotry can explain any departure from the sign’s political creed.
This suggestion is not charitable or kind. Most importantly, it’s not accurate. Let’s examine the statements on the sign one at a time:
“Black Lives Matter.” Of course. No one argues otherwise. Yet some people are understandably reluctant to support the Black Lives Matter organization, which was founded by self-proclaimed “trained Marxists.” The movement supports an agenda that includes redistributing wealth and decriminalizing drugs and sex work. The BLM website even states that the group favors disrupting the “nuclear family structure requirement,” by “supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. Regardless of how you feel about these issues, they are political and cultural issues worthy of debate and discussion, not simply being rolled into a slogan.
“No Human is Illegal.” No, humans aren’t illegal, but some immigrants do not have legal status in this country. How can we possibly address immigration reform without addressing this basic fact? A strong majority of Republicans believe that legal immigration can be good for America, but this issue ranks number one on the Perception Gap, a study of how Americans with opposite political views misperceive each others’ positions.
“Love is Love.” Similarly, most Republicans today say society should be accepting of gays and lesbians. President Trump has launched an effort to decriminalize homosexuality globally and appointed America’s first-ever openly gay cabinet member, Richard Grenell, who served as Acting Director of National Intelligence. Of course, it’s another matter to question whether private, Catholic adoption agencies should be forced to place babies with gay couples if this goes against their sincerely held religious beliefs. But “love is love” is meant to shortcut debate on issues like this where values collide.
“Women’s Rights are Human Rights.” Yes, but which rights specifically? The right to equal pay? Conservatives support equal pay but understand that the wage gap statistic misrepresents how women fare in society: It’s not a metric of “equal pay for equal work” but merely a comparison of raw averages (without controlling for profession, experience, education, hours worked or conditions). But let’s not kid: “Women’s rights” is the left’s favorite euphemism for abortion. A more honest sign would just say, “In this house, we are pro-choice.”
“Science is Real.” The issues of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have given the left plenty to work with to make the case that conservatives are anti-science. But a real discussion with your conservative neighbors might simply reveal that, while we acknowledge science is real, we recognize that it’s not the only thing that matters: History, philosophy, and economics do too.
Of course, I know many of my neighbors are kind people with good intentions. But by putting out these lawn signs, my neighbors are inadvertently participating in the collective shaming of those who hold more conservative beliefs. It’s bullying in a new form.
Platitudes don’t change hearts or minds. Yard signs don’t change hearts or minds. And shouting at passersby in all-caps, even in multi-colored font, undermines the message of inclusivity and altruism you may think your sign is sending. If you really believe that kindness is everything and want to show that “hate has no home” at your address (as another popular sign reads), and if you really want to contribute to a better neighborhood, public square, and country, please, take down your sign. Instead, get to know your neighbors and engage in a respectful dialogue. My welcome mat is out.
Hadley Heath Manning is policy director at Independent Women’s Forum, a Tony Blankley Fellow at the Steamboat Institute, and a Denver resident.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--As coronavirus cases drop, governors may gamble on bars. Again.

AUSTIN , Texas — A guy walks into a bar , which still isn ’ t allowed in Texas .
But Jeff Brightwell owns this bar .
Two months into an indefinite shutdown , he ’ s just checking on the place — the tables six feet apart , the “ Covid 19 House Rules ” sign instructing drinkers not to mingle .
All the safeguards that didn ’ t keep the doors open because Dot ’ s Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard is a bar under Texas law .
And bars , in a pandemic ?
“ Really not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s infectious disease expert , told Congress in June .
But some governors are warming up to good enough .
Thousands of bars forced to close after massive virus outbreaks swept across the U.S. this summer could be starting to see an end in sight as cases drop off and the political will for continuing lockdowns fades .
For some states , it is a gamble worth trying , only a few months after a rush to reopen bars in May and June ended in disaster .
“ Our governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of business and offered us nothing , ” said Brightwell , whose Dallas bar typically employs around 50 people .
He says his industry has been scapegoated .
Bars remain under full closure orders in more than a half-dozen states , including hard-hit ones like Texas but also Connecticut , which has one of the nation ’ s lowest positivity rates .
And even in states already letting bars operate , restrictions vary from one county to the next and can tighten or loosen abruptly , reflecting the unease among governors even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a look of getting over the hump .
Arkansas has one of the highest infection levels in the U.S. and is letting bars operate with partial capacity .
Republican Gov .
Asa Hutchison ’ s defense : No spread has been linked to bars .
Experts say outbreaks nationwide have proven otherwise .
Even in recent weeks , new outbreaks tied to college students returning to campus have resulted in bars shutting down again from Alabama to Iowa , undermining confidence that the time is right .
Still , governors are looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some bars in a few small counties reopen , though not where the vast majority of the population lives .
Next might be Florida , where bars have been closed since June and Republican Gov .
Ron DeSantis , a top ally of President Donald Trump , has mused whether bar closings even work since restaurants are serving alcohol anyway .
“ Everything ’ s open except the nightclubs and the pubs , and that ’ s something we ’ re going to address , ” DeSantis said this week .
In Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s 13,400 deaths blamed on COVID-19 have occurred since July , the infection rate has dipped below the 10 % positivity rate that Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott has set as one criteria for letting bars back in business .
He has teased that an another announcement about next steps in reopening could come early as this week , which won ’ t come soon enough for the right wing of his party , which for months has blasted him over the lockdowns and a statewide mask mandate .
The decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from bar owners aside , have faced less blowback from keeping bars shut than other sectors .
Polls showed about half of Americans favored requiring bars and restaurants to close when cases surged , and experts say the high risks of bars are by now proven — the combination of cozy spaces , loud music forcing people to lean in close and rounds of drinks relaxing even the best intentions to social distance .
Videos of crowded clubs have made bars avatars of rowdy rule-breakers , the ones ruining a return to normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s way too soon .
And it ’ s going to be too soon until we have a vaccine , ” said Esmeralda Guajardo , the public health administrator in Cameron County on the Texas border , where hard-partying booze cruises on South Padre Island this summer drew fury from local officials .
For months , bar owners have protested outside state capitols , sued their governors and even sold alcohol in open defiance of closing orders .
None have led to bars reopening any sooner .
Hundreds in Texas have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operate as restaurants .
.
It hasn ’ t spared thousands of bars from ruin .
More than 5,400 bars nationwide were dark in July , according to Yelp , which tracks the status of businesses on their website .
More than 40 percent were permanent closures .
Mark McClellan , former head of the Food and Drug Administration who has been advising Abbott on Texas ’ reopening , said the first reopening of bars in Texas was too soon but can see a case for waiting for a vaccine as too long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy and there are jobs at stake , ” he said .
“ It ’ s hard to reopen dance clubs and night clubs for similar kinds of reasons .
If we ’ re going to try it , we need to learn what went wrong from the June reopening.
” McClellan said more enforcement of rules at bars is one step .
Last month , some Texas bars hired a lobbying group and pledged to screen the temperature of every patron at the door , a step that would go father than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to restaurants and seen my customers , ” said Greg Barrineau , who runs two bars in San Antonio called Drink Texas .
“ They haven ’ t stopped drinking.
” Associated Press writer Brandon Farrington in Tallahassee , Florida , contributed to this report .

AUSTIN, Texas — A guy walks into a bar, which still isn’t allowed in Texas.
But Jeff Brightwell owns this bar. Two months into an indefinite shutdown, he’s just checking on the place — the tables six feet apart, the “Covid 19 House Rules” sign instructing drinkers not to mingle. All the safeguards that didn’t keep the doors open because Dot’s Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard is a bar under Texas law. And bars, in a pandemic? “Really not good,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s infectious disease expert, told Congress in June.
But some governors are warming up to good enough. Thousands of bars forced to close after massive virus outbreaks swept across the U.S. this summer could be starting to see an end in sight as cases drop off and the political will for continuing lockdowns fades. For some states, it is a gamble worth trying, only a few months after a rush to reopen bars in May and June ended in disaster.
“Our governor waved the magic wand, put us out of business and offered us nothing,” said Brightwell, whose Dallas bar typically employs around 50 people. He says his industry has been scapegoated.
Bars remain under full closure orders in more than a half-dozen states, including hard-hit ones like Texas but also Connecticut, which has one of the nation’s lowest positivity rates. And even in states already letting bars operate, restrictions vary from one county to the next and can tighten or loosen abruptly, reflecting the unease among governors even as reopening movie theaters and amusement parks create a look of getting over the hump.
Arkansas has one of the highest infection levels in the U.S. and is letting bars operate with partial capacity. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchison’s defense: No spread has been linked to bars.
Experts say outbreaks nationwide have proven otherwise. Even in recent weeks, new outbreaks tied to college students returning to campus have resulted in bars shutting down again from Alabama to Iowa, undermining confidence that the time is right.
Still, governors are looking for a way. California began letting some bars in a few small counties reopen, though not where the vast majority of the population lives. Next might be Florida, where bars have been closed since June and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a top ally of President Donald Trump, has mused whether bar closings even work since restaurants are serving alcohol anyway. “Everything’s open except the nightclubs and the pubs, and that’s something we’re going to address,” DeSantis said this week.
In Texas, where three in four of the state’s 13,400 deaths blamed on COVID-19 have occurred since July, the infection rate has dipped below the 10% positivity rate that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has set as one criteria for letting bars back in business. He has teased that an another announcement about next steps in reopening could come early as this week, which won’t come soon enough for the right wing of his party, which for months has blasted him over the lockdowns and a statewide mask mandate.
The decision is dicey for governors who, pressure from bar owners aside, have faced less blowback from keeping bars shut than other sectors. Polls showed about half of Americans favored requiring bars and restaurants to close when cases surged, and experts say the high risks of bars are by now proven — the combination of cozy spaces, loud music forcing people to lean in close and rounds of drinks relaxing even the best intentions to social distance.
Videos of crowded clubs have made bars avatars of rowdy rule-breakers, the ones ruining a return to normal for the rest of us.
“It’s way too soon. And it’s going to be too soon until we have a vaccine,” said Esmeralda Guajardo, the public health administrator in Cameron County on the Texas border, where hard-partying booze cruises on South Padre Island this summer drew fury from local officials.
For months, bar owners have protested outside state capitols, sued their governors and even sold alcohol in open defiance of closing orders. None have led to bars reopening any sooner. Hundreds in Texas have ramped up kitchens in order to legally operate as restaurants. .
It hasn’t spared thousands of bars from ruin. More than 5,400 bars nationwide were dark in July, according to Yelp, which tracks the status of businesses on their website. More than 40 percent were permanent closures.
Mark McClellan, former head of the Food and Drug Administration who has been advising Abbott on Texas’ reopening, said the first reopening of bars in Texas was too soon but can see a case for waiting for a vaccine as too long.
“This is part of our economy and there are jobs at stake,” he said. “It’s hard to reopen dance clubs and night clubs for similar kinds of reasons. If we’re going to try it, we need to learn what went wrong from the June reopening.”
McClellan said more enforcement of rules at bars is one step. Last month, some Texas bars hired a lobbying group and pledged to screen the temperature of every patron at the door, a step that would go father than restaurants.
“I’ve been to restaurants and seen my customers,” said Greg Barrineau, who runs two bars in San Antonio called Drink Texas. “They haven’t stopped drinking.”
Associated Press writer Brandon Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Will COVID-19 make rural Colorado’s four-day school week an urban thing, too?

As the coronavirus pandemic has upended classroom operations and district finances across Colorado , the four-day week may be poised to expand beyond the state ’ s rural school districts and into urban areas that have long resisted it .
Tracie Rainey , executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project , said the coronavirus could shake up the way districts approach the school calendar long after the pandemic subsides .
“ I think you will see other districts start to talk about this within the community if the economic recovery is slow and school funding is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , noting that many districts embrace four-day weeks as a cost-cutting move .
The last surge in four-day week adoptions in the state occurred following the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 , she pointed out .
Now , more than 60 % of school districts in Colorado — 113 of 178 — embrace the four-day model fully or in part .
Yet it remains a largely rural phenomenon , with schools in Pueblo and Adams County the most notable exceptions .
With the economic collapse and social dislocation brought about by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set for some of the state ’ s larger districts to adopt new ways of scheduling school , she said .
In fact , some metro Denver school districts have recently put four-day weeks on the table for discussion .
Last fall , Littleton Public Schools considered it as a cost-saving measure to help plug an anticipated $ 4 million shortfall .
And as the pandemic raged this past spring , the Douglas County School District contemplated whether to implement a curtailed week as a way of dealing with its coronavirus-battered budget .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ schedule , but the Douglas County school board indicated at an April meeting it may revisit the issue .
Denver and Jefferson County school districts , the two largest in Colorado , told The Denver Post last week that they are not currently discussing four-day weeks .
But Paul Thompson , an associate professor of economics at Oregon State University and co-author of a recent paper on four-day weeks in K-12 schools , said that could easily change .
With education leaders everywhere trying out myriad ways to deal with the pandemic — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instruction to a mix of the two — new approaches to scheduling school will likely emerge on the other side of the health crisis , he said .
Already , many districts in Colorado are holding aside one day a week as a planning , homework or online-only day , during which there is no live instruction .
“ It ’ s essentially setting up a similar environment ( to a four-day week ) , ” Thompson said .
“ The conditions are there to have a similar spike in adoption that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first three school districts in the state signed up for a shortened week 40 years ago after the state legislature passed a law allowing school officials to try new approaches to scheduling .
Districts must get approval from the Colorado Department of Education before offering a four-day week .
In the 2020-2021 academic year , Colorado has 113 districts that use a four-day week , making the state the nationwide leader in the number of school districts to do so .
Still , less than 10 % of the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few large districts have adopted it .
East Grand School District in Granby was among the early adopters of the four-day week , making Fridays an off day starting in 1982 .
Superintendent Frank Reeves said it was partially born of a need for local kids to serve as lift operators for skiers getting a jump-start on the weekend at Winter Park Resort .
Students and staff in his district still get free ski tickets to use on Fridays , Reeves said .
“ I don ’ t think there would be any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five-day weeks up here , ” he said with a chuckle .
But with only 1,300 students enrolled in East Grand across four buildings in Fraser and Granby , Reeves acknowledged the logistics of a shortened week are easier to execute in a small district like his than in a giant district like Denver , with close to 100,000 students .
But COVID-19 may open doors that were once closed , he said .
Perhaps four-day weeks could be reserved for middle school and high school , where students are more independent and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared to elementary school-age students , Reeves said .
“ It really is pretty exciting to think about what the future for our kids is and how creative we can be with our schedules , ” he said .
“ I want to get rid of COVID , but I want to keep the whole creative mind-set.
” The crossover from small and rural to the urban Denver metro didn ’ t occur until 2018 , when 27J Schools in Adams County adopted the four-day week .
Superintendent Chris Fiedler said the district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commerce City , Thornton and Brighton , made the move largely as a teacher recruitment and retention initiative .
With voters repeatedly rejecting school funding ballot measures , Fiedler said , 27J had to do something to keep its teacher corps from being lured to districts that can pay more .
A three-day weekend became the pitch .
Resistance was stiff at first , especially from working parents who worried about how to obtain child care for their kids on the off day , Fiedler said , but the school board forged ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several hundred families for $ 30 a day and partners with the Boys & Girls Club to provide programming for kids on Mondays .
It has been a success , he said .
In a survey of parents , educators and students conducted earlier this year , 78 % of respondents rated the change favorably .
“ The biggest obstacle to the four-day week is politics , ” Fiedler said .
“ Anytime you change anything with the school system , it ’ s going to be difficult.
” Not for everyone The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , be right for every school district .
Thompson , the Oregon State professor who specializes in the topic , said the concept gained traction in rural areas because commute times to centrally located schools from faraway homes and farms can be lengthy .
Also , the fifth day can be used to ferry students long distances to school-affiliated sporting events all over the state .
“ That ’ s not an issue in urban and suburban areas , ” Thompson said .
The research on four-day weeks , he said , reveals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the social effects .
One study showed positive effects on fourth- and fifth-grade math and reading proficiency rates in Colorado , but a study in Oregon concluded that the shorter week had negative effects on third- through eighth-grade math and reading achievement .
A third paper found negligible differences in district-level achievement between students on four-day and five-day week schedules in Oklahoma .
However , four-day school weeks led to an almost 20 % increase in juvenile crime in Colorado because of increased “ unsupervised time for children , ” according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , students on five-day-a-week schedules averaged 1,235 hours of instruction a year versus 1,150 a year for those going to school four days per week , he found .
As far as cost savings go , Thompson concluded that shortening the week reduced districts ’ budgets less than 2 % on average .
But an increasing number of school districts in Colorado have found that the four-day week works for them .
And the pandemic is showing all districts that there are more ways than one to schedule school .
“ I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my life that has changed substantially how we deliver education than this event , ” said Fiedler , the superintendent for 27J Schools .
“ We would be foolish not to be better on the other side of this ( pandemic ) .
”

As the coronavirus pandemic has upended classroom operations and district finances across Colorado, the four-day week may be poised to expand beyond the state’s rural school districts and into urban areas that have long resisted it.
Tracie Rainey, executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project, said the coronavirus could shake up the way districts approach the school calendar long after the pandemic subsides.
“I think you will see other districts start to talk about this within the community if the economic recovery is slow and school funding is going to be difficult for the legislature,” Rainey said, noting that many districts embrace four-day weeks as a cost-cutting move.
The last surge in four-day week adoptions in the state occurred following the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, she pointed out. Now, more than 60% of school districts in Colorado — 113 of 178 — embrace the four-day model fully or in part. Yet it remains a largely rural phenomenon, with schools in Pueblo and Adams County the most notable exceptions.
With the economic collapse and social dislocation brought about by the pandemic, the table may be set for some of the state’s larger districts to adopt new ways of scheduling school, she said.
In fact, some metro Denver school districts have recently put four-day weeks on the table for discussion. Last fall, Littleton Public Schools considered it as a cost-saving measure to help plug an anticipated $4 million shortfall. And as the pandemic raged this past spring, the Douglas County School District contemplated whether to implement a curtailed week as a way of dealing with its coronavirus-battered budget.
Ultimately, neither district approved the shortened schedule, but the Douglas County school board indicated at an April meeting it may revisit the issue. Denver and Jefferson County school districts, the two largest in Colorado, told The Denver Post last week that they are not currently discussing four-day weeks.
But Paul Thompson, an associate professor of economics at Oregon State University and co-author of a recent paper on four-day weeks in K-12 schools, said that could easily change. With education leaders everywhere trying out myriad ways to deal with the pandemic — from remote learning to carefully controlled in-person instruction to a mix of the two — new approaches to scheduling school will likely emerge on the other side of the health crisis, he said.
Already, many districts in Colorado are holding aside one day a week as a planning, homework or online-only day, during which there is no live instruction.
“It’s essentially setting up a similar environment (to a four-day week),” Thompson said. “The conditions are there to have a similar spike in adoption that we saw 10 to 12 years ago.”
A largely rural choice
The first three school districts in the state signed up for a shortened week 40 years ago after the state legislature passed a law allowing school officials to try new approaches to scheduling. Districts must get approval from the Colorado Department of Education before offering a four-day week.
In the 2020-2021 academic year, Colorado has 113 districts that use a four-day week, making the state the nationwide leader in the number of school districts to do so. Still, less than 10% of the state’s students are under the shorter schedule because few large districts have adopted it.
East Grand School District in Granby was among the early adopters of the four-day week, making Fridays an off day starting in 1982. Superintendent Frank Reeves said it was partially born of a need for local kids to serve as lift operators for skiers getting a jump-start on the weekend at Winter Park Resort.
Students and staff in his district still get free ski tickets to use on Fridays, Reeves said.
“I don’t think there would be any desire by anyone to go back to five-day weeks up here,” he said with a chuckle.
But with only 1,300 students enrolled in East Grand across four buildings in Fraser and Granby, Reeves acknowledged the logistics of a shortened week are easier to execute in a small district like his than in a giant district like Denver, with close to 100,000 students. But COVID-19 may open doors that were once closed, he said.
Perhaps four-day weeks could be reserved for middle school and high school, where students are more independent and where less person-to-person interaction is needed as compared to elementary school-age students, Reeves said.
“It really is pretty exciting to think about what the future for our kids is and how creative we can be with our schedules,” he said. “I want to get rid of COVID, but I want to keep the whole creative mind-set.”
The crossover from small and rural to the urban Denver metro didn’t occur until 2018, when 27J Schools in Adams County adopted the four-day week. Superintendent Chris Fiedler said the district, with close to 20,000 students across Commerce City, Thornton and Brighton, made the move largely as a teacher recruitment and retention initiative.
With voters repeatedly rejecting school funding ballot measures, Fiedler said, 27J had to do something to keep its teacher corps from being lured to districts that can pay more. A three-day weekend became the pitch.
Resistance was stiff at first, especially from working parents who worried about how to obtain child care for their kids on the off day, Fiedler said, but the school board forged ahead. The district offers child care to several hundred families for $30 a day and partners with the Boys & Girls Club to provide programming for kids on Mondays.
It has been a success, he said. In a survey of parents, educators and students conducted earlier this year, 78% of respondents rated the change favorably.
“The biggest obstacle to the four-day week is politics,” Fiedler said. “Anytime you change anything with the school system, it’s going to be difficult.”
Not for everyone
The four-day week may not, in fact, be right for every school district.
Thompson, the Oregon State professor who specializes in the topic, said the concept gained traction in rural areas because commute times to centrally located schools from faraway homes and farms can be lengthy. Also, the fifth day can be used to ferry students long distances to school-affiliated sporting events all over the state.
“That’s not an issue in urban and suburban areas,” Thompson said.
The research on four-day weeks, he said, reveals a mixed bag in terms of achievement and the social effects. One study showed positive effects on fourth- and fifth-grade math and reading proficiency rates in Colorado, but a study in Oregon concluded that the shorter week had negative effects on third- through eighth-grade math and reading achievement.
A third paper found negligible differences in district-level achievement between students on four-day and five-day week schedules in Oklahoma.
However, four-day school weeks led to an almost 20% increase in juvenile crime in Colorado because of increased “unsupervised time for children,” according to a 2018 study Thompson cited. Nationally, students on five-day-a-week schedules averaged 1,235 hours of instruction a year versus 1,150 a year for those going to school four days per week, he found.
As far as cost savings go, Thompson concluded that shortening the week reduced districts’ budgets less than 2% on average.
But an increasing number of school districts in Colorado have found that the four-day week works for them. And the pandemic is showing all districts that there are more ways than one to schedule school.
“I can’t think of another event in my life that has changed substantially how we deliver education than this event,” said Fiedler, the superintendent for 27J Schools. “We would be foolish not to be better on the other side of this (pandemic).”


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Denver weather: Cameron Peak wildfire smoke will make for a hot, hazy Labor Day

Smoke from the Cameron Peak wildfire is expected to choke a swatch of Colorado Monday , stretching from Fort Collins and Greeley to Boulder , Denver and as far south as Douglas County .
The smoke plume is expected to be just as bad Monday as it was Sunday , and it likely will center itself over the metro area for the second day in a row , causing hazy skies and bringing smoke and ash with it , Bob Kleyla , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder , said .
High temperatures will be in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high was 93 , tying a record set in 2013 , according to the National Weather Service .
But a cold front will move into the foothills and then the Front Range Monday night , Kleyla said .
The front will start with rain Monday night and then transition to snow mid-to-late Tuesday morning .
“ That will help flush out a lot of this smoke , ” he said .
The Interstate 25 corridor and the Denver metro area could see up to 6 inches of snow , the forecast said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stick , Kleyla said .
“ Any snow that falls in the metro area will melt on concrete surfaces and the roads will just stay wet , ” he said .
The biggest concern is snow piling onto trees that still have leaves , causing branches to snap .
Those branches could fall on power lines and knock out electricity , Kleyla said .
The temperature will plummet and there will be a hard freeze on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning .
Those with time to spare on Labor Day should bring plants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Smoke from the Cameron Peak wildfire is expected to choke a swatch of Colorado Monday, stretching from Fort Collins and Greeley to Boulder, Denver and as far south as Douglas County.
The smoke plume is expected to be just as bad Monday as it was Sunday, and it likely will center itself over the metro area for the second day in a row, causing hazy skies and bringing smoke and ash with it, Bob Kleyla, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said. High temperatures will be in the low to mid-90s.
Sunday’s high was 93, tying a record set in 2013, according to the National Weather Service.
But a cold front will move into the foothills and then the Front Range Monday night, Kleyla said. The front will start with rain Monday night and then transition to snow mid-to-late Tuesday morning.
“That will help flush out a lot of this smoke,” he said.
The Interstate 25 corridor and the Denver metro area could see up to 6 inches of snow, the forecast said. But most of it won’t stick, Kleyla said.
“Any snow that falls in the metro area will melt on concrete surfaces and the roads will just stay wet,” he said.
The biggest concern is snow piling onto trees that still have leaves, causing branches to snap. Those branches could fall on power lines and knock out electricity, Kleyla said.
The temperature will plummet and there will be a hard freeze on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Those with time to spare on Labor Day should bring plants inside and flush their sprinklers and hoses.


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Colleges combating coronavirus turn to stinky savior: sewage

SALT LAKE CITY — Days after he crossed the country to start college , Ryan Schmutz received a text message from Utah State University : COVID-19 had been detected at his dorm .
Within 10 minutes , he dropped the crepes he was making and was whisked away by bus to a testing site .
“ We didn ’ t even know they were testing , ” said Schmutz , who is 18 and from Omaha , Nebraska .
“ It all really happened fast.
” Schmutz was one of about 300 students quarantined to their rooms last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive tests .
Instead , the warning bells came from the sewage .
Colleges across the nation — from New Mexico to Tennessee , Michigan to New York — are turning tests of waste into a public health tool .
The work comes as institutions hunt for ways to keep campuses open despite vulnerabilities like students ’ close living arrangements and drive to socialize .
The virus has already left its mark with outbreaks that have forced changes to remote learning at colleges around the country .
The tests work by detecting genetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be recovered from the stools of about half of people with COVID-19 , studies indicate .
The concept has also been used to look for outbreaks of the polio virus .
Sewage testing is especially valuable because it can evaluate people even if they aren ’ t feeling sick and can detect a few cases out of thousands of people , experts say .
Another wastewater-flagged quarantine of around 300 students at the University of Arizona , for example , turned up two cases .
Both were students who were asymptomatic , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
“ That ’ s just tremendously valuable information when we think about the setting of a college dorm , and how quickly this disease can spread through that population , ” said Peter Grevatt , CEO of The Water Research Foundation , which promotes studies of water and wastewater to ensure water quality and service .
Wastewater tests also flagged the possible presence of the virus at University of Colorado residence halls .
Utah has used the method more widely , including to track an outbreak at a meatpacking plant .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have also announced similar monitoring programs , and the Massachusetts-based company Biobot tests wastewater from cities around the country .
The method remains imprecise , though .
It can spot infection trends , but it can ’ t yet pinpoint how many people have the virus or the stage of infection .
That means it ’ s not yet quite as useful on a larger scale in cities , which don ’ t always have a university ’ s scientific resources or ability to require people to get tested .
The technology is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is evolving rapidly , Grevatt said , adding that it ’ s best used along with other methods like contact tracing .
It ’ s not a panacea for colleges either .
Utah State , for example , can only closely monitor sewage from the relatively small portion of students who live on campus — not the thousands of other people who come and go every day .
The university has an enrollment of about 28,000 .
And this week , Utah State ’ s positive wastewater test could be narrowed only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share the same sewer system .
The test came back positive late Aug. 29 , and the quarantine started the next day .
Students were required to stay in their rooms , eating meals delivered by a “ COVID care ” team and barred from walking more than a few steps outside the residence hall .
The buildings are laid out in apartment-style suites , and students were released from quarantine in small groups if every roommate in a suite tested negative .
The tests had turned up four coronavirus cases as of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with his roommates , didn ’ t miss much in-person class time during his four-day quarantine .
But he ’ s a little disconcerted that he and his family weren ’ t told about the sewage testing .
“ It felt like we were kind of out of the loop on everything .
It ’ s definitely hard to process , ” he said .
Utah State has heard from parents and students similarly frustrated , though many others are grateful , spokeswoman Emilie Wheeler said .
“ They see it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
The program is relatively inexpensive , too .
The school takes samples daily to monitor several living areas , and the tests are run by a team of students .
“ Wastewater has a story to tell about the public health status of communities , ” Grevatt said .
“ There ’ s so many folks working on this right now .
It ’ s just remarkable to see how quickly it has moved forward.
” Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado .

SALT LAKE CITY — Days after he crossed the country to start college, Ryan Schmutz received a text message from Utah State University: COVID-19 had been detected at his dorm.
Within 10 minutes, he dropped the crepes he was making and was whisked away by bus to a testing site.
“We didn’t even know they were testing,” said Schmutz, who is 18 and from Omaha, Nebraska. “It all really happened fast.”
Schmutz was one of about 300 students quarantined to their rooms last week, but not because of sickness reports or positive tests. Instead, the warning bells came from the sewage.
Colleges across the nation — from New Mexico to Tennessee, Michigan to New York — are turning tests of waste into a public health tool. The work comes as institutions hunt for ways to keep campuses open despite vulnerabilities like students’ close living arrangements and drive to socialize. The virus has already left its mark with outbreaks that have forced changes to remote learning at colleges around the country.
The tests work by detecting genetic material from the virus, which can be recovered from the stools of about half of people with COVID-19, studies indicate. The concept has also been used to look for outbreaks of the polio virus.
Sewage testing is especially valuable because it can evaluate people even if they aren’t feeling sick and can detect a few cases out of thousands of people, experts say. Another wastewater-flagged quarantine of around 300 students at the University of Arizona, for example, turned up two cases. Both were students who were asymptomatic, but they could potentially still have spread the virus.
“That’s just tremendously valuable information when we think about the setting of a college dorm, and how quickly this disease can spread through that population,” said Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation, which promotes studies of water and wastewater to ensure water quality and service.
Wastewater tests also flagged the possible presence of the virus at University of Colorado residence halls.
Utah has used the method more widely, including to track an outbreak at a meatpacking plant. The British, Italian and Dutch governments have also announced similar monitoring programs, and the Massachusetts-based company Biobot tests wastewater from cities around the country.
The method remains imprecise, though. It can spot infection trends, but it can’t yet pinpoint how many people have the virus or the stage of infection. That means it’s not yet quite as useful on a larger scale in cities, which don’t always have a university’s scientific resources or ability to require people to get tested.
The technology is being closely studied, though, and it is evolving rapidly, Grevatt said, adding that it’s best used along with other methods like contact tracing.
It’s not a panacea for colleges either. Utah State, for example, can only closely monitor sewage from the relatively small portion of students who live on campus — not the thousands of other people who come and go every day. The university has an enrollment of about 28,000.
And this week, Utah State’s positive wastewater test could be narrowed only as far as four residence halls that share the same sewer system. The test came back positive late Aug. 29, and the quarantine started the next day. Students were required to stay in their rooms, eating meals delivered by a “COVID care” team and barred from walking more than a few steps outside the residence hall.
The buildings are laid out in apartment-style suites, and students were released from quarantine in small groups if every roommate in a suite tested negative. The tests had turned up four coronavirus cases as of Thursday.
Schmutz, who tested negative along with his roommates, didn’t miss much in-person class time during his four-day quarantine.
But he’s a little disconcerted that he and his family weren’t told about the sewage testing. “It felt like we were kind of out of the loop on everything. It’s definitely hard to process,” he said.
Utah State has heard from parents and students similarly frustrated, though many others are grateful, spokeswoman Emilie Wheeler said. “They see it as a noninvasive early detection system,” she said.
The program is relatively inexpensive, too. The school takes samples daily to monitor several living areas, and the tests are run by a team of students.
“Wastewater has a story to tell about the public health status of communities,” Grevatt said. “There’s so many folks working on this right now. It’s just remarkable to see how quickly it has moved forward.”
Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado.


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Gambling and the NFL: Legalization in Colorado allowed Broncos to sign three sponsorship deals

The Broncos ’ active on-field strategy this past offseason : Acquire players who can help rookie quarterback Drew Lock , from free agent right guard Graham Glasgow and tight end Nick Vannett to rookie receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler .
Taking advantage of sports gambling becoming legalized in the state of Colorado on May 1 , the Broncos reached sponsorship deals with FanDuel ( June 15 ) , Betfred ( June 16 ) and BetMGM ( July 9 ) .
The Broncos had three deals in the fold before another NFL team had one .
Sports gambling is legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with NFL teams : Colorado , Illinois , Indiana , Nevada , New Jersey , New York , Michigan and Pennsylvania .
Even during the coronavirus pandemic , Colorado citizens are taking advantage of the new offerings .
In May , the state ’ s handle was $ 25.5 million , followed by $ 38.1 million in June — and that was before MLB and the NHL and NBA returned to play .
“ We ’ ve always prided ourselves in being innovators and thought leaders and we ’ re excited to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into this new space , ” Broncos chief commercial officer Mac Freeman said .
About each of the Broncos ’ new partners … • FanDuel : The first of the three sponsors who signed a deal , FanDuel ’ s app is operational and the company will have signage inside and outside the stadium .
• Betfred : The company based in the United Kingdom recently entered the American marketplace and has opened a physical location at the Saratoga Casino in Black Hawk .
During Broncos games , Betfred will have a hospitality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• BetMGM : A key point of the BetMGM-Broncos deal is the NFL ’ s first in-stadium betting lounge , which was constructed outside Sections 111-112 .
BetMGM will also offer the “ First Possession Payoff Game , ” and have hospitality offers in conjunction with MGM Resorts .
“ We benefited from timing and Colorado was an early-mover as a state , ” Freeman said .
“ We were on top of the topic and engaging with a lot of folks that were in the space .
When Colorado went live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in position to have an idea of what we wanted to do and what we were looking for.
” A bettors ’ mobile device uses geolocation technology to verify the person is within Colorado before permitting a wager .
The wheels for the NFL ’ s entrance to this arena began turning in 2018 , when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state authorization of sports gambling .
“ I think there ’ s a general acceptance that ( gambling ) is part of the everyday entertainment value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said .
“ We have good procedures in place as a league to ensure the fans that the games are played properly and without any skullduggery .
“ It ’ s an opportunity to ( reach ) a lot of fans in a different way that we haven ’ t had in the past .
”

The Broncos’ active on-field strategy this past offseason: Acquire players who can help rookie quarterback Drew Lock, from free agent right guard Graham Glasgow and tight end Nick Vannett to rookie receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler.
The Broncos’ off-field strategy was similarly busy.
Taking advantage of sports gambling becoming legalized in the state of Colorado on May 1, the Broncos reached sponsorship deals with FanDuel (June 15), Betfred (June 16) and BetMGM (July 9). The Broncos had three deals in the fold before another NFL team had one.
Sports gambling is legal in 18 states, including eight states with NFL teams: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado citizens are taking advantage of the new offerings.
In May, the state’s handle was $25.5 million, followed by $38.1 million in June — and that was before MLB and the NHL and NBA returned to play.
“We’ve always prided ourselves in being innovators and thought leaders and we’re excited to be in the front of the line stepping into this new space,” Broncos chief commercial officer Mac Freeman said.
About each of the Broncos’ new partners …
FanDuel: The first of the three sponsors who signed a deal, FanDuel’s app is operational and the company will have signage inside and outside the stadium.
Betfred: The company based in the United Kingdom recently entered the American marketplace and has opened a physical location at the Saratoga Casino in Black Hawk. During Broncos games, Betfred will have a hospitality tent outside Empower Field at Mile High.
BetMGM: A key point of the BetMGM-Broncos deal is the NFL’s first in-stadium betting lounge, which was constructed outside Sections 111-112. BetMGM will also offer the “First Possession Payoff Game,” and have hospitality offers in conjunction with MGM Resorts.
“We benefited from timing and Colorado was an early-mover as a state,” Freeman said. “We were on top of the topic and engaging with a lot of folks that were in the space. When Colorado went live (on May 1), we were in position to have an idea of what we wanted to do and what we were looking for.”
A bettors’ mobile device uses geolocation technology to verify the person is within Colorado before permitting a wager.
The wheels for the NFL’s entrance to this arena began turning in 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state authorization of sports gambling.
“I think there’s a general acceptance that (gambling) is part of the everyday entertainment value that you get in pro sports,” Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said. “We have good procedures in place as a league to ensure the fans that the games are played properly and without any skullduggery.
“It’s an opportunity to (reach) a lot of fans in a different way that we haven’t had in the past.”


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s errant views on voting, Biden miscues

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has been putting forth convoluted guidance to his supporters on submitting double votes in the November election , an act that would be illegal and risk public safety in the pandemic .
In a week filled with fabrication , half-truths and misrepresentation , he also wrongly took full credit for veterans improvements that were underway before he took office .
He said he never called John McCain a loser — he did — and also distorted events in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
Meanwhile , Democratic rival Joe Biden falsely claimed to have been the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of emergency production powers in the pandemic , and he tried to shed light on the history of the incandescent bulb , but was a bit hazy .
A look at recent claims and reality : TRUMP : “ So you sign your ballot and mail it in , just mail it … On election day or early voting , go to your polling place , even though you ’ ve mailed it in , go to your polling place to see whether or not your mail-in vote has been tabulated or counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t been counted , if it doesn ’ t show up , go and vote .
And then if your mail-in ballot arrives after you vote , which it shouldn ’ t , but possibly it could , perhaps .
That ballot will not be used … So send it in and then see , and then vote , and let ’ s see what happens.
” — North Carolina tele-rally on Friday .
TRUMP : “ Send in your ballots , send them in strong … And you send them in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they haven ’ t counted it , you can vote.
” — interview Wednesday with WECT TV6 in Wilmington , North Carolina .
THE FACTS : To be clear , it is illegal in all 50 states and under federal law to vote twice in an election .
Election officials also advise people against heading to the polls to check on their mail-in ballots and then attempting to cast another ballot if there isn ’ t full verification , saying it will cause unnecessary chaos , long waits and health dangers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , information on whether a ballot has been counted is typically not available right away .
In several states , absentee ballots aren ’ t even counted until after polls close .
What can be checked is whether an absentee ballot has been received , and in some cases , whether it has passed a security review and will be submitted for counting .
A flood of voters showing up on Nov. 3 to check the status of their ballots would mean even more disruption , election officials say .
Karen Brinson Bell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Board of Elections , said the board “ strongly discourages ” people from following the president ’ s guidance .
“ That is not necessary , and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19 , ” she said in a statement .
Brinson Bell added : “ Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law.
” Many states offer ways for voters to verify the status of their ballot online that provide information on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received , when a ballot has been sent , when the ballot has been received by a local election office and whether it has passed the security review and been accepted .
These are typically available on the website of the state election board or the secretary of state .
Voters in the few states that don ’ t provide this information online have the option to call their local election office .
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR on fraud in the vote-by-mail process : “ Elections that have been held with mail have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN on Wednesday .
THE FACTS : Actually , multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process .
The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic — Colorado , Hawaii , Oregon , Washington and Utah — have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign actors from co-opting the vote .
More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic .
The attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud .
But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states such as Oregon that had sufficient safeguards .
Barr also said he was basing on “ logic ” his concern that a hostile foreign actor could produce bogus ballots for the election .
But senior U.S. officials said on a conference call with reporters last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was happening .
TRUMP : “ I was never a big fan of John McCain , disagreed with him on many things including ridiculous endless wars and the lack of success he had in dealing with the VA and our great Vets.
” — part of a series of tweets Thursday .
VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY ROBERT WILKIE , referring to Trump : “ I see the proof in the pudding .
And the proof in the pudding is , our military is stronger , and our Veterans Affairs Department is in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is the renaissance .
And it ’ s all because of one man.
” — interview Sunday on CNN ’ s ” State of the Union.
” THE FACTS : Trump and his VA chief are ignoring the accomplishments begun during the Obama-Biden administration , which included McCain ’ s singular successes on behalf of fellow veterans .
McCain was a leading force in the Senate behind the law that gave veterans an option to go outside the Department of Veterans Affairs ’ health care system and get private care at public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama signed the VA Choice legislation into law .
Ignoring that reality , Trump persistently claims that he brought Choice into law when no one else could .
Trump signed a law in 2018 that expanded the options for using the Choice program established by Obama , McCain and other lawmakers .
The 2018 law is named after three lawmakers who were veterans of war .
All of them now are dead .
They are Rep. Samuel R. Johnson , R-Texas , and Democratic Sen. Daniel K. Akaka , D-Hawaii , and McCain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also frequently point to VA accomplishments such as improved wait times and the offering of same-day mental health services .
But those same-day services at VA were started during the Obama administration under Wilkie ’ s predecessor , David Shulkin , who was a VA health undersecretary at the time .
A 2019 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association , meanwhile , found improved wait times at VA from 2014 to 2017 , a period largely covering the Obama administration , with VA patient satisfaction also on the rise .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the Trump administration , the VA improvements that Wilkie attributes all to “ one man ” — Trump alone — are sorely misplaced .
TRUMP : “ Also , I never called John a loser and swear on whatever , or whoever , I was asked to swear on , that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES.
” — tweet Thursday .
In addition , The Associated Press has confirmed many of the comments Trump was reported by The Atlantic to have made disparaging fallen or captured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ description of the American dead in a military graveyard as “ losers.
” As for McCain , Trump told a conservative forum in Iowa in 2015 that his view of McCain changed when McCain lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama .
“ He lost , so I never liked him as much after that , ‘ cause I don ’ t like losers , ” he said .
Trump went on to dismiss McCain ’ s war service : “ He ’ s not a war hero .
He ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I like people that weren ’ t captured.
” Trump in 2015 also tweeted a news article on Twitter calling McCain a “ loser.
” TRUMP , claiming Biden wants to “ eliminate America ’ s borders ” : “ He wants to tear down the wall — he actually suggested tearing down the wall that we fought so hard to get built.
” — North Carolina tele-rally on Friday .
Biden ’ s immigration plan does not include money for new border fencing , and he and his campaign task force on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new walls .
But neither has proposed taking down existing barriers .
Asked specifically by NPR last month if he would tear down the wall , Biden said : “ No .
There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration , No .
1.
” “ No .
2 … I ’ m going to make sure that we have border protection , but it ’ s going to be based on making sure that we use high-tech capacity to deal with it and at the ports of entry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stuff is happening.
” BIDEN : “ When it got up to March , I kept saying , ‘ Look , you ’ ve got to invoke , ’ and you remember , I think I was the first — I may be mistaken — person calling for the Defense Production Act.
” — comment after a news conference Wednesday .
THE FACTS : He is correct about being mistaken .
Biden issued a statement March 18 saying he was issuing a call for Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ production of any critical medical equipment required to respond to this crisis — such as the production of ventilators and associated training to operate.
” His call came the same day Trump signed an order to use his authority under the act .
Five days earlier a group of Democrats in Congress wrote to Trump asking him to use powers under the act , a step that Trump officials and others had been discussing publicly for several weeks .
BIDEN : “ Why in God ’ s name don ’ t we teach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man invented the light bulb , not a white guy named Edison.
” — in Kenosha , Wisconsin , on Thursday .
THE FACTS : Biden is shading the actual story a bit .
Thomas Edison invented the incandescent electric light bulb , but it burned out quickly .
It was Lewis Latimer , an African American inventor who worked with Alexander Bell and later with Edison , who made light bulbs practical to use .
Latimer created a light bulb with a durable carbon filament and sold the patent to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , “ Although today ’ s light bulbs use filaments of tungsten , which lasts even longer than carbon , Latimer will always be remembered for making the widespread use of electric light possible , in public and at home.
” Latimer is a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame .
TRUMP , on Wisconsin officials and the National Guard : “ Once they responded and once we took , you know , control of it , things went really well.
” — remarks in Kenosha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the reasons I ’ m making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is we ’ ve had such a big success in shutting down what would be , right now , a city — that would ’ ve been Kenosha — a city that would ’ ve been burnt to the ground by now .
… And it all stopped immediately upon the National Guard ’ s arrival.
” — remarks Tuesday before visiting Wisconsin .
THE FACTS : Not true .
He had nothing to do with the deployment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government never “ took control of it.
” Gov .
Tony Evers , D-Wis. , activated the state ’ s National Guard the day after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake , sparking protests and violence over police actions and racism .
When National Guard forces from three other states came in to help , it was because the governor had asked for that help from fellow governors , not the White House .
Evers said National Guard troops from Arizona , Michigan and Alabama were operating under the control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a federal status.
” National Guards answer to governors and sometimes state legislatures , not Washington .
The federal government sent deputy marshals from the U.S .
Marshals Service and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives , about 200 in all .
The restoration of order was primarily in the hands of National Guard units and local law enforcement .
As of last week , 1,000 National Guard troops from Wisconsin were in Kenosha along with 500 National Guard troops from the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp .
TRUMP , asked if he would condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse , the 17-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of two men during Kenosha protests : “ You saw the same tape as I saw .
And he was trying to get away from them , I guess ; it looks like .
And he fell , and then they very violently attacked him .
And it was something that we ’ re looking at right now and it ’ s under investigation .
But I guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He would have been — I — he probably would have been killed.
” — news conference on Aug. 31 .
THE FACTS : His implication that Rittenhouse only shot the men after he tripped and they attacked him is wrong .
The first fatal shooting happened before Rittenhouse ran away and fell .
Trump did not say whom he meant by “ they ” — the two men he shot or others in pursuit of him .
But he spoke in defense of someone who opposed racial justice protesters , who authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and who prosecutors accuse of committing intentional homicide .
According to the criminal complaint released by prosecutors , victim Joseph Rosenbaum was shot and killed first , after following Rittenhouse into a parking lot , where Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag at the gunman and tried to take the weapon from him .
The medical examiner found that Rosenbaum was shot in the groin and back — which fractured his pelvis and perforated his right lung and liver — and his left hand .
He also suffered a superficial wound to his left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forehead .
Rittenhouse then ran down the street and was chased by several people trying to stop him and shouting that he just shot someone , according to the criminal complaint and cellphone video footage .
He tripped and fell .
Anthony Huber , who was carrying a skateboard , was shot in the chest after apparently trying to wrest the gun from Rittenhouse , the complaint said .
A third man was shot and injured .
Rittenhouse ’ s lawyer said he acted to defend himself .
BIDEN : “ Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history to leave office with fewer jobs than when he took office.
” — Wilmington , Delaware , speech Friday .
THE FACTS : Maybe yes , maybe no .
Not since Depression-era Herbert Hoover has a president left office with a record of fewer jobs than when he began .
This could happen to Trump because of the pandemic , but he could also end up with a small gain .
In August there were 4.7 million fewer jobs than there were when Trump was inaugurated in January 2017 .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if the economy adds more than 1 million jobs each month , as happened in July and August , he could end up in the black .
There are signs , though , that the gains are slowing as businesses have recalled many of the workers who were temporarily laid off from restaurants , bars , retailers and other businesses .
So Biden ’ s prediction could come true .
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller , Deb Riechmann , Lynn Berry , Will Weissert , Eric Tucker , Josh Boak and Christopher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Atlanta contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has been putting forth convoluted guidance to his supporters on submitting double votes in the November election, an act that would be illegal and risk public safety in the pandemic.
In a week filled with fabrication, half-truths and misrepresentation, he also wrongly took full credit for veterans improvements that were underway before he took office.
He said he never called John McCain a loser — he did — and also distorted events in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Democratic rival Joe Biden falsely claimed to have been the first person to have called for the use of emergency production powers in the pandemic, and he tried to shed light on the history of the incandescent bulb, but was a bit hazy.
A look at recent claims and reality:
NOVEMBER ELECTION
TRUMP: “So you sign your ballot and mail it in, just mail it … On election day or early voting, go to your polling place, even though you’ve mailed it in, go to your polling place to see whether or not your mail-in vote has been tabulated or counted. … So if it hasn’t been counted, if it doesn’t show up, go and vote. And then if your mail-in ballot arrives after you vote, which it shouldn’t, but possibly it could, perhaps. That ballot will not be used … So send it in and then see, and then vote, and let’s see what happens.” — North Carolina tele-rally on Friday.
TRUMP: “Send in your ballots, send them in strong … And you send them in, but you go to vote. If they haven’t counted it, you can vote.” — interview Wednesday with WECT TV6 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
THE FACTS: To be clear, it is illegal in all 50 states and under federal law to vote twice in an election.
Election officials also advise people against heading to the polls to check on their mail-in ballots and then attempting to cast another ballot if there isn’t full verification, saying it will cause unnecessary chaos, long waits and health dangers in the pandemic.
Contrary to what Trump suggests, information on whether a ballot has been counted is typically not available right away. In several states, absentee ballots aren’t even counted until after polls close. What can be checked is whether an absentee ballot has been received, and in some cases, whether it has passed a security review and will be submitted for counting.
A flood of voters showing up on Nov. 3 to check the status of their ballots would mean even more disruption, election officials say.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said the board “strongly discourages” people from following the president’s guidance. “That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19,” she said in a statement.
Brinson Bell added: “Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law.”
Many states offer ways for voters to verify the status of their ballot online that provide information on when an absentee ballot request has been received, when a ballot has been sent, when the ballot has been received by a local election office and whether it has passed the security review and been accepted. These are typically available on the website of the state election board or the secretary of state.
Voters in the few states that don’t provide this information online have the option to call their local election office.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR on fraud in the vote-by-mail process: “Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion.” — CNN on Wednesday.
THE FACTS: Actually, multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process.
The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah — have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign actors from co-opting the vote. More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic.
The attorney general cited a report from more than a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud. But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states such as Oregon that had sufficient safeguards.
Barr also said he was basing on “logic” his concern that a hostile foreign actor could produce bogus ballots for the election. But senior U.S. officials said on a conference call with reporters last month that they had no intelligence to suggest that was happening.
VETERANS and McCAIN
TRUMP: “I was never a big fan of John McCain, disagreed with him on many things including ridiculous endless wars and the lack of success he had in dealing with the VA and our great Vets.” — part of a series of tweets Thursday.
VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY ROBERT WILKIE, referring to Trump: “I see the proof in the pudding. And the proof in the pudding is, our military is stronger, and our Veterans Affairs Department is in a place that it has never been. This is the renaissance. And it’s all because of one man.” — interview Sunday on CNN’s ”State of the Union.”
THE FACTS: Trump and his VA chief are ignoring the accomplishments begun during the Obama-Biden administration, which included McCain’s singular successes on behalf of fellow veterans.
McCain was a leading force in the Senate behind the law that gave veterans an option to go outside the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care system and get private care at public expense under certain conditions. President Barack Obama signed the VA Choice legislation into law. Ignoring that reality, Trump persistently claims that he brought Choice into law when no one else could.
Trump signed a law in 2018 that expanded the options for using the Choice program established by Obama, McCain and other lawmakers.
The 2018 law is named after three lawmakers who were veterans of war. All of them now are dead. They are Rep. Samuel R. Johnson, R-Texas, and Democratic Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, and McCain, R-Ariz.
Both Trump and Wilkie also frequently point to VA accomplishments such as improved wait times and the offering of same-day mental health services. But those same-day services at VA were started during the Obama administration under Wilkie’s predecessor, David Shulkin, who was a VA health undersecretary at the time. A 2019 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, meanwhile, found improved wait times at VA from 2014 to 2017, a period largely covering the Obama administration, with VA patient satisfaction also on the rise.
While the VA has shown good ratings during the Trump administration, the VA improvements that Wilkie attributes all to “one man” — Trump alone — are sorely misplaced.
TRUMP: “Also, I never called John a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES.” — tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: He called McCain a loser.
In addition, The Associated Press has confirmed many of the comments Trump was reported by The Atlantic to have made disparaging fallen or captured U.S. service members, such as his description of the American dead in a military graveyard as “losers.”
As for McCain, Trump told a conservative forum in Iowa in 2015 that his view of McCain changed when McCain lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama. “He lost, so I never liked him as much after that, ‘cause I don’t like losers,” he said. Trump went on to dismiss McCain’s war service: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
Trump in 2015 also tweeted a news article on Twitter calling McCain a “loser.”
THE WALL
TRUMP, claiming Biden wants to “eliminate America’s borders”: “He wants to tear down the wall — he actually suggested tearing down the wall that we fought so hard to get built.” — North Carolina tele-rally on Friday.
THE FACTS: That’s false.
Biden’s immigration plan does not include money for new border fencing, and he and his campaign task force on immigration aren’t calling for any new walls. But neither has proposed taking down existing barriers.
Asked specifically by NPR last month if he would tear down the wall, Biden said: “No. There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration, No. 1.”
“No. 2 … I’m going to make sure that we have border protection, but it’s going to be based on making sure that we use high-tech capacity to deal with it and at the ports of entry. That’s where all bad stuff is happening.”
PANDEMIC
BIDEN: “When it got up to March, I kept saying, ‘Look, you’ve got to invoke,’ and you remember, I think I was the first — I may be mistaken — person calling for the Defense Production Act.” — comment after a news conference Wednesday.
THE FACTS: He is correct about being mistaken.
Biden issued a statement March 18 saying he was issuing a call for Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to give priority to “and immediately increase domestic production of any critical medical equipment required to respond to this crisis — such as the production of ventilators and associated training to operate.” His call came the same day Trump signed an order to use his authority under the act.
Five days earlier a group of Democrats in Congress wrote to Trump asking him to use powers under the act, a step that Trump officials and others had been discussing publicly for several weeks.
LIGHT BULB
BIDEN: “Why in God’s name don’t we teach history in history classes? A Black man invented the light bulb, not a white guy named Edison.” — in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
THE FACTS: Biden is shading the actual story a bit. Thomas Edison invented the incandescent electric light bulb, but it burned out quickly. It was Lewis Latimer, an African American inventor who worked with Alexander Bell and later with Edison, who made light bulbs practical to use. Latimer created a light bulb with a durable carbon filament and sold the patent to the U.S. Electric Co. in 1881.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Although today’s light bulbs use filaments of tungsten, which lasts even longer than carbon, Latimer will always be remembered for making the widespread use of electric light possible, in public and at home.” Latimer is a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
PROTESTS and VIOLENCE
TRUMP, on Wisconsin officials and the National Guard: “Once they responded and once we took, you know, control of it, things went really well.” — remarks in Kenosha on Tuesday.
TRUMP: “One of the reasons I’m making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is we’ve had such a big success in shutting down what would be, right now, a city — that would’ve been Kenosha — a city that would’ve been burnt to the ground by now. … And it all stopped immediately upon the National Guard’s arrival.” — remarks Tuesday before visiting Wisconsin.
THE FACTS: Not true. He had nothing to do with the deployment of the National Guard in Wisconsin. The federal government never “took control of it.”
Gov. Tony Evers, D-Wis., activated the state’s National Guard the day after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, sparking protests and violence over police actions and racism. When National Guard forces from three other states came in to help, it was because the governor had asked for that help from fellow governors, not the White House.
Evers said National Guard troops from Arizona, Michigan and Alabama were operating under the control of those states and Wisconsin, “not in a federal status.” National Guards answer to governors and sometimes state legislatures, not Washington.
The federal government sent deputy marshals from the U.S. Marshals Service and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, about 200 in all. The restoration of order was primarily in the hands of National Guard units and local law enforcement.
As of last week, 1,000 National Guard troops from Wisconsin were in Kenosha along with 500 National Guard troops from the other three states, said Wisconsin National Guard Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp.
TRUMP, asked if he would condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of two men during Kenosha protests: “You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that we’re looking at right now and it’s under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been — I — he probably would have been killed.” — news conference on Aug. 31.
THE FACTS: His implication that Rittenhouse only shot the men after he tripped and they attacked him is wrong. The first fatal shooting happened before Rittenhouse ran away and fell.
Trump did not say whom he meant by “they” — the two men he shot or others in pursuit of him. But he spoke in defense of someone who opposed racial justice protesters, who authorities say was illegally carrying a semi-automatic rifle and who prosecutors accuse of committing intentional homicide.
According to the criminal complaint released by prosecutors, victim Joseph Rosenbaum was shot and killed first, after following Rittenhouse into a parking lot, where Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag at the gunman and tried to take the weapon from him.
The medical examiner found that Rosenbaum was shot in the groin and back — which fractured his pelvis and perforated his right lung and liver — and his left hand. He also suffered a superficial wound to his left thigh and a graze wound to his forehead.
Rittenhouse then ran down the street and was chased by several people trying to stop him and shouting that he just shot someone, according to the criminal complaint and cellphone video footage.
He tripped and fell. Anthony Huber, who was carrying a skateboard, was shot in the chest after apparently trying to wrest the gun from Rittenhouse, the complaint said. A third man was shot and injured.
Rittenhouse’s lawyer said he acted to defend himself.
JOBS
BIDEN: “Donald Trump may be the only president in modern history to leave office with fewer jobs than when he took office.” — Wilmington, Delaware, speech Friday.
THE FACTS: Maybe yes, maybe no.
Not since Depression-era Herbert Hoover has a president left office with a record of fewer jobs than when he began.
This could happen to Trump because of the pandemic, but he could also end up with a small gain.
In August there were 4.7 million fewer jobs than there were when Trump was inaugurated in January 2017. But if he leaves office in five months, and if the economy adds more than 1 million jobs each month, as happened in July and August, he could end up in the black. There are signs, though, that the gains are slowing as businesses have recalled many of the workers who were temporarily laid off from restaurants, bars, retailers and other businesses. So Biden’s prediction could come true.
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Deb Riechmann, Lynn Berry, Will Weissert, Eric Tucker, Josh Boak and Christopher Rugaber in Washington and Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report.
EDITOR’S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Ask Amy: Mom’s addiction and abuse roils household

Dear Amy : My mom drinks .
When my brothers and I were young ( we are all in our 20s now ) , her drinking wasn ’ t too bad .
It got much worse after her mother died 15 years ago , and steadily worse with COVID-19 .
She is also a heavy cigarette smoker .
When she is drunk , she becomes very verbally abusive , and sometimes physically abusive .
She tells me that I am a worthless person , stupid , and that no one will ever love me .
I tell her that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I try to walk away , but she will corner me .
She goes after my brother and dad as well ( our younger brother lives in another state ) .
My dad does nothing about this , which is understandable .
My older brother lives with them full time .
He just laughs it off and does not confront the problem .
I don ’ t know what to do .
I moved back home a few months ago to help out .
I am at my wits end .
She is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am also afraid of her .
I don ’ t want to feel this way about her .
She is my mom .
I want to help her .
Dear Scared : You might assume that your father is doing his best to keep his head down and stay out of the line of fire , but you deserve 1. not to be abused and 2. to have a parent try to protect you .
I assume that you are absorbing some of the drunken abuse that your father and brother endured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not force your mother toward recovery , but you can attempt to confront her with the grave impact her drinking has on you .
Write down your thoughts .
Be specific and honest in describing the impact on you ( “ I want to try to help you , but I ’ m afraid of you .
I ’ m losing confidence in you and in myself .
I need to protect myself from your rages.
” ) Some people report success by recording or filming the other person ’ s behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , you should not set out to shame your mother , but to allow her to simply see herself .
A 12-step recovery program might work for her ; she should also see her physician for medical treatment options .
You should also look for other housing .
You have a duty to take care of yourself and to protect yourself .
Al-anon or another “ friends and family ” support group would be a game-changer for you and your family .
We have been living together for over a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just found out that he has an STD and has been using multiple dating websites since the beginning of our relationship .
He asks me to move out of his house every time we argue .
But then he insists that he loves me .
He always says he is sorry afterward .
I used to love and trust him , but now I am not so sure this relationship can be saved .
Do you have any suggestions — before I move out and leave him once and for all ?
Can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Nope — you ’ re good .
Pack your stuff , make sure you get tested — and enjoy your new life .
Dear Amy : As a man , I have always been intrigued by how women ’ s emotions and reactions differ from men ’ s .
I believe the psychologies of both sexes play equal roles in the wonderful dynamism that makes the world go ’ round .
In the context of the women ’ s movement that has been occurring over the last several decades , I often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stereotypical female behavior as often portrayed in movies and TV dramas .
When a woman bursts into tears , can ’ t make up her mind , succumbs to a sweet-talking man , etc.
, does a contemporary woman say , “ Come on , girl , buck up !
Get a hold of yourself !
” Or does she say , “ Gee , I can see why she feels that way .
I ’ d probably react the same way.
” Dear R : It is important to remember that most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so the distance between “ Alice ” on “ The Honeymooners ” and the female characters realized by Shonda Rhimes or Phoebe Waller-Bridge shows what a long way depictions of the female experience have come .
So yes , I ’ m more in the “ buck up !
” category , but I believe that most of us ( women and men ) experience our emotional lives along a wide spectrum .

Dear Amy: My mom drinks. When my brothers and I were young (we are all in our 20s now), her drinking wasn’t too bad. It got much worse after her mother died 15 years ago, and steadily worse with COVID-19. She is also a heavy cigarette smoker.
When she is drunk, she becomes very verbally abusive, and sometimes physically abusive.
She tells me that I am a worthless person, stupid, and that no one will ever love me. I tell her that this hurts me — and she laughs.
I try to walk away, but she will corner me. She goes after my brother and dad as well (our younger brother lives in another state).
My dad does nothing about this, which is understandable. My older brother lives with them full time. He just laughs it off and does not confront the problem.
I don’t know what to do. I moved back home a few months ago to help out.
I am at my wits end. She is making me dislike her, and now I am also afraid of her. I don’t want to feel this way about her. She is my mom. I want to help her.
— Scared of Mom
Dear Scared: You might assume that your father is doing his best to keep his head down and stay out of the line of fire, but you deserve 1. not to be abused and 2. to have a parent try to protect you. I assume that you are absorbing some of the drunken abuse that your father and brother endured before your arrival.
Realistically, you cannot force your mother toward recovery, but you can attempt to confront her with the grave impact her drinking has on you.
Write down your thoughts. Be specific and honest in describing the impact on you (“I want to try to help you, but I’m afraid of you. I’m losing confidence in you and in myself. I need to protect myself from your rages.”)
Some people report success by recording or filming the other person’s behavior and then confronting them with the evidence. However, you should not set out to shame your mother, but to allow her to simply see herself. A 12-step recovery program might work for her; she should also see her physician for medical treatment options.
You should also look for other housing. You have a duty to take care of yourself and to protect yourself. Al-anon or another “friends and family” support group would be a game-changer for you and your family.
Dear Amy: I met a man nearly two years ago.
We have been living together for over a year (in his house).
I just found out that he has an STD and has been using multiple dating websites since the beginning of our relationship.
He asks me to move out of his house every time we argue. But then he insists that he loves me. He always says he is sorry afterward.
I used to love and trust him, but now I am not so sure this relationship can be saved.
Do you have any suggestions — before I move out and leave him once and for all?
Can this relationship be saved?
— Wondering
Dear Wondering: Nope — you’re good. Pack your stuff, make sure you get tested — and enjoy your new life.
Dear Amy: As a man, I have always been intrigued by how women’s emotions and reactions differ from men’s. I believe the psychologies of both sexes play equal roles in the wonderful dynamism that makes the world go ’round.
In the context of the women’s movement that has been occurring over the last several decades, I often wonder how contemporary women respond to so-called stereotypical female behavior as often portrayed in movies and TV dramas.
When a woman bursts into tears, can’t make up her mind, succumbs to a sweet-talking man, etc., does a contemporary woman say, “Come on, girl, buck up! Get a hold of yourself!” Or does she say, “Gee, I can see why she feels that way. I’d probably react the same way.”
— R
Dear R: It is important to remember that most earlier media was created by men, and so the distance between “Alice” on “The Honeymooners” and the female characters realized by Shonda Rhimes or Phoebe Waller-Bridge shows what a long way depictions of the female experience have come.
So yes, I’m more in the “buck up!” category, but I believe that most of us (women and men) experience our emotional lives along a wide spectrum.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)


thedenverpost--2020-09-07--Matt Kemp’s late home run sends Rockies to first series win at Dodgers since 2018

The Rockies had not won a road series at the Dodgers in more than two years before Sunday night when Colorado finally woke up from its Los Angeles nightmare .
Matt Kemp , against his longtime former team , blasted an eighth-inning home run that scored Kevin Pillar and the Rockies escaped LA with a dramatic , 7-6 , victory .
It marks the first time the Dodgers have lost a series this season .
It wasn ’ t easy .
There were four lead changes and two ties .
Colorado pitchers combined to allow four home runs .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Dodger Stadium , showcased impressive resilience to get back to .500 on the year ( 20-20 ) with 20 games left in this shortened season .
Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story were combined hitless ( 0-for-8 ) , but eight of the Rockies ’ 12 hits came from the bottom of the order .
Rockies ’ reliever Yency Almonte ( 3-0 ) earned the pitching victory .
The Rockies were forced to climb out from an early deficit .
Starting pitcher Ryan Castellani ’ s seventh pitch of the night resulted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager for a 1-0 lead .
Colorado was quick to respond , though , when Josh Fuentes extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-run blast ( scoring Matt Kemp ) to go up 2-1 .
The pendulum swung back to the Dodgers in the second inning when Castellani allowed his second solo home run of the night ( Will Smith ) .
The 2-2 stalemate continued into the fourth inning as Colorado flashed impressive fielding with a pair of turned double plays .
And , the Rockies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadoff hitter Raimel Tapia ’ s single scored Garrett Hampson , who stole second after a well-executed bunt .
Nolan Arenado made it a two-run advantage , 4-2 , when his single scored Tapia .
Seager kept his bat blazing with a homer to center , scoring Enrique Hernandez , to tie the game at 4-4 .
It marked the end of Castellani ’ s outing after 4-1/3 innings pitched ( six hits , four earned runs , one strikeout ) .
Dodgers reliever Jake McGee , released by the Rockies in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his old club with two outs in the sixth inning .
Garrett Hampson , with Kevin Pillar at second , hammered a stand-up triple to put the Rockies up 5-4 .
The Rockies advantage , once again , proved fleeting .
Colorado turned to pitcher Carlos Estevez in relief , his 19th game appearance this season , and the 27-year-old right-hander gave up the Rockies ’ fourth home run of the night — a two-run blast from Chris Taylor that scored AJ Pollock in the sixth — to put LA back up 6-5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado the last lead it needed .
Closer Daniel Bard put two runners on with two outs in the ninth , but forced Seager to groundout to end the game .
Before Sunday , the Rockies ’ last series victory in LA took place on June 29-July 1 .
Colorado opens a three-game series at the Padres on Monday .

The Rockies had not won a road series at the Dodgers in more than two years before Sunday night when Colorado finally woke up from its Los Angeles nightmare.
Matt Kemp, once the face of the Dodgers franchise, blasted an eighth-inning home run that scored Kevin Pillar and the Rockies escaped L.A. with a dramatic 7-6 victory. It marks the first time the Dodgers have lost a series this season.
“We know what we’re up against and we know where we’re sitting in the standings,” Kemp said. “It’s time to get hot and get things going. Every game matters.”
It wasn’t easy. There were four lead changes and two ties. Colorado pitchers combined to allow four home runs. But the Rockies, similarly to Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, showcased impressive resilience to get back to .500 on the year (20-20) with 20 games left in this shortened season.
Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story were combined hitless (0-for-8), but eight of the Rockies’ 12 hits came from the bottom of the order. Rockies’ reliever Yency Almonte (3-0) earned the pitching victory.
“When an offense is clicking, it’s six guys hitting and maybe three guys a little bit off,” manager Bud Black said. “We haven’t really had that all year. It was good to see the bottom pick us up a little bit with some key hits.”
Colorado was forced to climb out of an early deficit.
Starting pitcher Ryan Castellani’s seventh pitch of the night resulted in a deep shot to center courtesy of Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager for a 1-0 lead. Colorado was quick to respond, though, when Josh Fuentes extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-run blast (scoring Kemp) to go up 2-1. The pendulum swung back to the Dodgers in the second inning when Castellani allowed his second solo home run of the night (Will Smith).
The 2-2 stalemate continued into the fourth inning as Colorado flashed impressive fielding with a pair of turned double plays. The Rockies re-took the lead in the fifth when leadoff hitter Raimel Tapia’s single scored Garrett Hampson, who stole second after a well-executed bunt. Nolan Arenado made it a two-run advantage, 4-2, when his single scored Tapia.
Colorado’s lead faded quickly.
Seager kept his bat blazing with a two-run homer to center to tie the game at 4-4. It marked the end of Castellani’s outing after 4 1/3 innings pitched (six hits, four earned runs, one strikeout).
Dodgers reliever Jake McGee, released by the Rockies in July, made his first appearance Sunday against his old club with two outs in the sixth inning. Garrett Hampson, with Kevin Pillar at second, hammered a stand-up triple to put the Rockies up 5-4.
The Rockies’ advantage, once again, proved fleeting.
Colorado turned to pitcher Carlos Estevez in relief, his 19th appearance this season, and the 27-year-old right-hander gave up the Rockies’ fourth home run of the night — a two-run blast from Chris Taylor in the sixth — to put L.A. back up 6-5.
Kemp’s home run gave Colorado the last lead it needed. Closer Daniel Bard put two runners on with two outs in the ninth, but forced Seager to ground out to end the game. Before Sunday, the Rockies’ last series victory in L.A. took place on June 29-July 1, 2018.
“We’re in a good spot,” Castellani said. “For us to come in here and do exactly what we need to do shows us as a team exactly what we’re capable of. We’ve got to beat the best to move forward. This was a big series for us.”
Colorado next opens a three-game series at the Padres on Monday.