Newsletter 2-2-2021

The Gardens Gazette
Newsletter
February 2, 2021
Previous Newsletters are in the Newsletter Blog 
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Mt Fuji under the Milky Way

Contents:
1. CALENDAR
2. COVID Updates
3. BLACK HISTORY MONTH 
4. ONLINE ACTIVITIES 
5. TECHNOLOGY
6. GOOD TO KNOW
7. FUN STUFF

1. CALENDAR

CALENDAR updates
    https://www.thegardensgazette.org/calendar.html
The Online Calendar is updated for February
The following items were added
_Friday the 12th: Seattle Library Bookmobile
_Thursday the 18th: Fullscope Hearing Check-ups
_ All Four Mondays: Food Shopping trips 
AG ZOOM Gathering
Next Zoom Gathering is Wednesday Feb 3rd at 2pm
Watch for a Tuesday email invitation to join AG Zoom Gathering. ​

2. COVID UPDATES

01/29/2021 COVID 
Phase 2 for some Western Washington Counties
Washington state eases COVID-19 restrictions for Seattle region
https://www.geekwire.com/2021/washington-state-eases-covid-19-restrictions-seattle-region/

Map: Healthy Washington Phases by Region

01/31/2021 COVID 
Fred Hutch: Building trust in safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines
Convincing millions to get vaccinated will take more than data, facts and figures
JANUARY 21, 2021 • BY SABIN RUSSELL / FRED HUTCH NEWS SERVICE
https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2021/01/covid-19-vaccine-safety.html
Submitted by AG Resident: Pat Paulsen.
01/29/2021 COVID 
Mask Comparisons
1. What’s the Difference Between KN95 and KF94 Masks?
(N95 masks are also discussed.)
Posted Jan. 28, 2021
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/whats-the-difference-between-kn95-and-kf94-masks.html
2.What’s the Difference Between N95 and KN95 Masks?
Posted 2020-04-20 / Video posted May 15, 2020
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/whats-the-difference-between-n95-and-kn95-masks/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xs6FB_c8xM&feature=emb_logo
3. Testing face masks: Lab tests reveal the safest and most effective (Marketplace)The video reviews consumer-grade mask alternatives to medical-grade N95 masks.
Fit is important. If your glasses fog up, the fit is not good.
For cotton masks, multiple layers are better, and over 600 threads per inch is better.
Caveat: Valve masks spread viral particles.
Video posted Nov 13, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHVyy08L2gM
Read more https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketplace-masks-test-1.5795481
Three-layer masks with inner layers of melt-blown non-woven polypropylene worked as well as N95 masks.
Blue three-ply surgical-type disposable masks also reported some of the highest filtration efficiency rates in the CBC Marketplace test, which was of no surprise, as most contain that melt-blown, non-woven polypropylene fabric.
Another challenge is to watchout for cheaply made counterfeit masks that claim to be N95, KF94, or KN95 grade masks.
Counterfeit NIOSH Masks https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp.html
01/27/2021 COVID
Charts Show How Many People Have Received A Coronavirus Vaccine
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/covid-vaccine-tracker
States: Alaska and West Virginia are in the lead.
Countries: Israel is 1st; USA is 7th.
Table shows status of 6 leading vaccines

3. BLACK HISTORY MONTH ​

01/29/2021 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
King County celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Posted 1/14/2021 with video
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&videoid=x121370
>> Video link https://vimeo.com/500251419/f8c5d03afe
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebrating our county's namesake
https://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice/mlk.aspx
01/29/2021 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Black History Month ("BHM") 2021: The Indelible Legacy of Black Seattleites
Posted: January 27, 2021 by Addy Pratt to SeattleChannel.org
History isn’t behind us. We live in the world it created every day. That’s why it’s so important to us to bring you the stories, old and new, that make us who we are. This February, we’re remembering and honoring the legacy of Black Seattleites who’ve played key roles in building the city we know today. We delved into our recent and historical archives to find the activists, artists, icons, and storytellers you need to know.
https://take21.seattlechannel.org/2021/01/27/black-history-month-2021-the-indelible-legacy-of-black-seattleites/
Nine BHM Videos

1. Neighbors fight to reclaim the Central District’s soul
2. The disappearance and documentation of Seattle’s Central District landmarks
3. Why you should know the name William Grose
4. The Untold Stories of Black Suffragettes
5. Carver Gayton makes history while teaching it
6. The Black Heritage Society preserves history for future generations
7. “Not alms, but opportunity“: The past and plans of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
8. Jackson Street: A Tale of Two Dads highlights “pure glee” through music and photography
9. Millie Russell won’t quit
   

Also Checkout the The Gardens Gazette posts for Black History Month.
https://www.thegardensgazette.org/culture-and-society/black-history-month-february-2019
https://www.thegardensgazette.org/culture-and-society/black-history-month-february-2018

4. ONLINE ACTIVITIES

01/28/2021 ONLINE ACTIVITIES
Lifetime Connection Without Walls
https://www.familyeldercare.org/programs/lifetime-connections-without-walls/
Reviewed by AG Resident: Delores Davis
   Thanks for the information on “Lifetime Connections Without Walls.” I was curious to learn how programs by telephone would be and signed up for several classes. The organization is based in Austin, Texas and has been operational for 10 years. They have a large selection of classes, about 1 - 4 different ones each day, most repeating weekly for a few weeks or the whole quarter. About every 3-4 months is a new quarterly session with new or repeating classes/ programs. It is free to sign up (primarily through the pandemic).
   You register for classes online. When your class starts, they call you. I have checked out several classes so far and found them interested, well organized and prompt. Fortunately, they can mute the participants if needed. There were persons from several different states in the classes I attended. If you find the class you chose is not what you want (as I did on two), there’s no trouble stopping. You could also just check out one or two without signing up for the entire group. I did have to remember the time for the classes is Central not Pacific.
   With the class Armchair traveler, the instructor spoke about his foreign travels, and enjoyed sitting down in my comfortable chair, learning interesting things by listening on the phone. I am looking forward to hearing about museums they listed. We are to get images of the ones that will be talked about. ​

5. TECHNOLOGY

01/31/2021 TECHNOLOGY
POTS: Plain Old Telephone Service
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_old_telephone_service
If you have landline phone service,
      check to see if it works during the next power outage.
(If you have a cordless phone, it won't work unless it has battery backup.)
_Pickup your handset and listen for a dial tone.
_If you don't hear a dial tone, wait several seconds, there could be a delay.
_Blow into the microphone to verify you can hear it from the ear speaker.
During power outages, landlines are on battery backup and/or power generators installed by the phone companies, but they cannot operate indefinitely during major blackouts.
Here are some Landline Providers: https://www.allconnect.com/home-phone
Caveat: Phone companies want to phase out landlines because wireless services are more profitable. 

6. GOOD TO KNOW

01/29/2021 GOOD TO KNOW 
Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892 - 1980)
The most amazing woman you never heard of.
She broke enemy codes & ciphers for encrypted messages during WWI & WWII.
She was sworn to secrecy until her death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizebeth_Smith_Friedman
PBS show: The CodeBreaker
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/codebreaker/

01/28/2021 GOOD TO KNOW 
Not a bill or an advertisement.
Important information about
your Economic Impact Payment.
Your Economic Impact Payment Card (EIP Card) contains the money you are receiving under the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The EIP Card is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service as part of the US Debit Card Program. Now that you’ve received your Card, here’s how to activate and start using it.  https://www.eipcard.com/
Call the 800 number on the debit card to activate it.
You will be given instructions to set up your online account for disbursements.
(I received my EIP via debit card.  I was expecting it via a bank transfer like the previous one in 2020.  I used my EIP online account to transfer funds to my bank account. --jw)

01/28/2021 GOOD TO KNOW 
Metro Alerts, Apps and More
http://MetroWinter.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IaCoa_BLiY&feature=emb_logo

7. FUN STUFF 

01/30/2021 FUN STUFF
Surfer Duck: Young Pet becomes local celebrity at Australian beach
When Australian woman Kate Miller decided to get a pet duck last year, she had no idea he'd become a local beach celebrity too.
Visit Gold Coast's Rainbow Bay: https://goo.gl/maps/omV1g8StKreidC6D6
Watch the video here
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-55836596

"I swear I JUST had a pen sitting here a minute ago.