“Yes, Nancy”

Today’s Nancy is sweet. “Yes, Nancy” is the perfect touch.

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Even Dr. Birx has her limit, sort of

From The Washington Post:

A top White House coronavirus adviser sounded alarms Monday about a new and deadly phase in the health crisis, pleading with top administration officials for “much more aggressive action,” even as President Trump continues to assure rallygoers the nation is “rounding the turn” on the pandemic.

“We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic . . . leading to increasing mortality,” said the Nov. 2 report from Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. “This is not about lockdowns — It hasn’t been about lockdowns since March or April. It’s about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented.”

Birx’s internal report, shared with top White House and agency officials, contradicts Trump on numerous points: While the president holds large campaign events with hundreds of attendees, most without masks, she explicitly warns against them. While the president blames rising cases on more testing, she says testing is “flat or declining” in many areas where cases are rising. And while Trump says the country is “rounding the turn,” Birx notes the country is entering its most dangerous period yet and will see more than 100,000 new cases a day this week.

But then comes this sentence: “Through a spokesperson, Birx did not respond to a request for comment.”

I hope you, too, remember Dr. Birx’s transparently ridiculous praise of Donald Trump* in late March: “He’s been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data.” “Intellectual prostration,” I called it, borrowing a phrase from a historian. If only Birx would be willing to respond now to a request for comment. Silence is complicity. Tomorrow is Election Day.

“Free Letters”

On a recent foggy morning, Brandon Woolf was sitting on a foldable chair, in front of a foldable table, next to a Brooklyn mailbox, writing letters on a 1940s-vintage portable Royal typewriter. He was dressed in a navy blue T-shirt emblazoned with the U.S. Postal Service logo. A chalkboard sign in front of him explained the project to passers-by: “Free Letters for Friends Feeling Blue.”

The New York Times reports on a theater professor’s COVID-era letter-writing service.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

Recognize her? Leave your best guess in a comment. I’ll drop a hint if necessary.

*

Here’s a hint: She’s best known for her work on television, but not as an actor.

*

I thought this one would be easy. Oh well. Here’s another clue: This actor was half of an odd couple.

*

One last hint: She spent much of her career filling in blanks.

*

The answer is now in the comments.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

[Garner’s Modern English Usage notes that “support for actress seems to be eroding.” I use actor.]

Good Reports

Mark Hurst, who wrote the excellent book Bit Literacy, has a new website, Good Reports, with recommendations for online products and services that are “viable alternatives to exploitative Big Tech services.” The recommendations start with the DuckDuckGo search engine. Worth a careful look.

Nancy in the wind

[Nancy, March 7, 1953.]

Today, winds from the nothwest, 25 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph. And Elaine and I are about to join Nancy on a walk.

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To read today

Heather Cox Richardson’s latest installment of Letters from an American might be just the thing you, too, need to read today.

“Nancy 11/1/2020 strip”

Today’s Nancy is a winner. Olivia Jaimes once again expands the possibilities of what’s possible in panels.

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The death tour, continued

From The New York Times:

A group of Stanford University economists who created a statistical model estimate that there have been at least 30,000 coronavirus infections and 700 deaths as a result of 18 campaign rallies President Trump held from June to September.

See also a USA Today analysis of the fallout from five Trump* rallies. Truly, Trump* = death.

Breaking news

[“Fall Back.” xkcd, October 28, 2020.]

Just one panel from Wednesday’s xkcd. Last night I dreamed the breaking news that Donald Trump* was replacing Mike Pence with an unidentified woman. More on this story if it develops.