Morning Reads for National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (December 16)

Good morning, and happy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! Oh, yes, I will absolutely be observing today’s fun holiday, probably with a York Peppermint Patty after lunch. Yum.

It’s also the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, which happened on December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawks dumping the contents of 342 tea chests into the Boston Harbor, and today Americans recall the incident favorably. However, it wasn’t exactly celebrated by the colonists when it happened. Of course I have links for y’all to expand on that and other aspects of the event: 1, 2, and 3! (Like you had to ask…) Also, if you’ve ever wondered about the taste of the teas dumped overboard, you can buy them for yourself from Oliver Pluff & Company over in Charleston.

Now, let’s get on to the news.

Pat Conroy

• Ryan Anderson has GeorgiaVotes.com up and running for the runoff election.
• Public health facilities in Savannah and Brunswick became the first in the state to receive and administer the Pfizer COVID vaccine.
• Getting the COVID vaccine to Georgia’s rural counties is going to be challenging to say the least. (Alternate link.)
• Barry Loudermilk has COVID. (Alternate link.)
• Fifty-eight percent of Georgians with children surveyed recently worry about eviction or foreclosure – the highest percentage in the country. The same survey found that we have the second-highest percentage of uninsured adults with children in their households.
• Wall Street billionaires are sending lots of money to David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in their bids to retain their Senate seats.
• This is good for Perdue and Loeffler because most of the money Trump is raising off of the runoff goes to himself, and none of it goes to the candidates’ campaigns.
• Raphael Warnock’s ads with his dog aren’t just cute; they’re also countering racial stereotypes.
• The AJC has fact-checked Warnock’s claim that Loeffler is the one who has voted to defund the police: True. (Alternate link.)
• Brad Raffensperger has had enough, thank you:

Alice Walker

• The latest in the stimulus talks is that it looks like an agreement on the current deal is forthcoming, but you won’t be getting check if it is.
• Only in the year 2020 would it be news that Mitch McConnell has finally recognized Joe Biden as president-elect.
• With the Pfizer COVID vaccine approved, and Moderna’s approval now pending, two additional vaccines by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca could be ready for approval by February.
• Because of this, economic forecasters are predicting a blockbuster economy in 2021 – pending a successful vaccine distribution and a federal stimulus package to get the country through the winter and spring.
• Joe Biden and Mike Pence are preparing to take the vaccine.
• The Food and Drug Administration has approved Ellume’s at-home COVID test. (Alternate link.)
• The Federal Trade Commission is pressing nine social media and tech companies – including Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit – to explain how they harvest and use their users’ data.
• Facebook sanctioned members of the French military on Tuesday for using fake accounts to meddle in the political affairs of several African countries. (Alternate link.)
• Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for kidnapping 333 boys from a boarding school in Nigeria.
• The rapid COVID spread in England seems to stem from several notable mutations.
• The COVAX program for poor countries is already experiencing issues obtaining necessary vaccines.
• The Fidesz Party in Hungary has significantly expanded executive power through a new law banning gay adoptions in the country. (Alternate link.)
• Fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested in Canada on sex trafficking charges at the request of the FBI. (Alternate link.)
• Saudi Arabia is hiring new lobbyists, realizing that the Biden Administration is going to be tougher on the ruling family.

Flannery O’Connor

• A Santa and Mrs. Claus in Long County may have given children a very unwanted gift – COVID exposure.
• On a better note, an Australian woman rescuing her dog, Hazel, from sea foam was caught on camera by a meteorologists’ crew as they prepared to go on air.