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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Events & news on a No Foolin' April 1st -- April 1 edition 2020

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April 1st News, PLUS web, and tv events for TODAY,  in a short edition that covers TODAY ONLY. 
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Our two previous HUGE editions, packed with info on help, financial assistance and resources for musicians and people in the arts, and all kinds of tuneful "ways-to-Stay-Sane" features and online links for music and arts lovers, are still there and still very relevant.

So if you need all that coverage we have painstakingly assembled for you... or hell, if you just need alternatives to your Netflix binge-watching beyond today, go to those resource-packed editions, HERE (the most recent giant one) and HERE (the giant one before that).

And if you want to see how The Guide was on top of the coming pandemic back in February, our feature story is in the archived in that edition, HERE.
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And dammit, times are serious but we all REALLY need to laugh.

So, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK BACK AT AN APRIL 1st when it was okay to indulge in April Fool's hilarity and parody, you'll enjoy this one from way back in 2014, a classic from the archive, from when the world was normal.

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Reader comment:

"The longer this pandemic goes on the harder it will be to go back to a society where pants and bras are necessary."

We answered her:

Y'know...

Mentimeter published a survey about Americans working from home.

44% are dressing in office attire or their normal work clothes (not specified whether they're required to video conference.)

12% are working naked.


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Candidate for 2020 picto-cartoon of the year...




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Now, on to a no-fooling April 1st, 2020.

The US COVID-19 death toll has jumped by 420% in just one week. How much of that is due to the previous proclamations by the Orange Arbitrary that "Coronavirus is a hoax!" will likely never be determined. Just fact, not politics.
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"It isn't just the ventilator machines. We need 3.5 billion respirator masks. There are only 76,000 professional respiratory therapists in America, working three shifts in all our hospitals. If a health care professional gets sick, they're out 21 to 28 days. Just yesterday I heard from a doctor in Denver. The shortage of needed supplies is taking a toll. He had to intubate a patient, life-and-death situation, without a gown or mask. If she turns out to have Coronavirus, the chances that doctor will contract it are very high."

~ Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, former White House Health Policy Advisor, Obama administration
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One in five American adults experiences "some type of mental health incident" during the course of any average year. It shocks most people to hear that.

Obviously this is not an average year. Stay active at home, keep a routine, practice good nutrition, stay in touch with family and friends. Even as we must all be committed to physical distancing in this quasi-quarantine, we cannot allow physical distancing to become emotional or psychological isolation.


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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it."
 


~ Milan Kundera
, novelist, playwright, and poet (born April 1, 1929)
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On this day...

Health...
     Today in 1970, 50 years ago, President Richard Nixon signs the "Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act" into law, requiring the Surgeon General's warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, effective January 1st, 1971.

Tech...
     Samuel Morey received a patent for a compressionless "Gas or Vapor Engine" today in 1826.
     Today in 1976, Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California.
     Today in 2004, Google announces Gmail to the public, setting the stage to extend cyber-surveillance and selling user data to any entity with big money.

Strife, 1...
     "Hard Times," a Charles Dickens' novel, begins "serialisation" in his magazine "Household Words," today in 1854.

Strife, 2...
     The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century today in 1873.

Play ball...
     The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois today in 1891. The chewing gum magnate would buy a baseball team and an island (Catalina) for them to train on. Today's Wrigley Field still bears his name, the island off the coast of Southern California is still owned by his heirs.

The price of not taking a fascist seriously, 1...
     Today in 1924, Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail, during which he wrote "Mein Kampf." Everything the world needed to know about the horrors that awaited was in that book -- except the foreign editions left-out the scarey stuff. Until American college exchange student Alan Cranston smuggled out a copy and had it translated and published unabridged in the US. Cranston, who later became a US Senator from California, has the distinction of being the only American citizen sued by Adolph Hitler, and it was because he correctly quoted the dictator when everyone else was too intimidated.

The price of not taking a fascist seriously, 2...
     Today in 1939, fascist dictator Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announced the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces -- including the antifascist American volunteers of the Lincoln Brigade -- surrendered. Franco would outlast his friends, Mussolini and Hitler, by decades, before finally dying and bringing freedom to Spain.

Oops, it was "collateral damage"...
     Today in 1944, navigation errors led to the accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen, in Europe's only neutral nation at peace in WWII.

American Earthquake/Tsunami...
     The 8.6 Mw Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The resulting destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in dozens of deaths, mostly in Hilo, on the Big Island, all today in 1946.

It wasn't just an American disgrace...
     Today in 1949, the Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years.

TV & Spaciness...
    Today in 1960, the TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.
     Today in 1979, with satellite broadcasting taken for granted, the Nickelodeon network for kids was launched in US.
     Today in 1997, Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.

A concept in search of a system...
     The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is founded in Los Angeles, California today in 1993, out of the old RTD. It wouldn't take long before they cut transit to free-up money to build what's come to be known as the "Garage-mahal," their opulent headquarters behind Union Station.

Civil Rights...
     Today in 2001, same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow its citizens to choose their partners outside of religiously-dominated convention.
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Happy birthday today to...

Susan Boyle, Scottish singer

Hillary Scott, American country singer-songwriter

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer and musician

Jesse Tobias, American guitarist and songwriter

Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer

Taran Killam, American actor, voice artist, comedian, and writer

John Butler, American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer

Mark White, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Milan Kundera, novelist, playwright, and poet, source of today's quote

David Oyelowo, English actor
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In memorium to musicians and influencers born on this date...

Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (1873-1943)

Debbie Reynolds, Scottish-Irish American actress, singer, and dancer (1932-2016)

Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (1930-2015)

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (1921-2014)

Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and author (1949-2011)

Duke Jordan, American pianist and composer (1922-2006)

William Manchester, American historian and author (1922-2004)

Ronnie Lane, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (1946-1997)

William Bergsma, American composer and educator (1921-1994)

Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (1954-1992)

Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (1963-1988)

D. Boon, American singer and musician (1958-1985)

Alberta Hunter, African-American singer-songwriter and nurse (1895-1984)

Amos Milburn, American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist (1927-1980)

Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (1920-1977)

Clementine Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (1885-1977)

Sydney Newman, Canadian screenwriter and producer, co-created Doctor Who (1917-1997)

Harry Carney, American saxophonist and clarinet player (1910-1974)

F. Melius Christiansen, Norwegian-American violinist and conductor (1871-1955)

Eddy Duchin, American pianist and bandleader (1909-1951). Hollywood did a long-ago biopic, "The Eddie Duchin Story."

Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (1866-1924)

Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch-English organist, violinist, and composer (1721-1799)

Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, French organist and composer (1629-1691)


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This means $ for your community!


TODAY is official US Census day: make sure we count every child in the 2020 Decennial Census


From Our Friends at The Coalition on Human Needs and The Partnership For America's Children:

APRIL 1 COUNT ALL KIDS
BLOG & GUIDANCE

Despite everything else that we're facing as a society, a nation, and a world, April 1 is Census Day. "Count All Kids" is using April 1 to get the word out that families need to count everyone at their address, including all temporary residents who have no permanent address
We are doing this because focus groups commissioned by The Partnership For America's Children showed that people really didn’t understand that they are supposed to count temporary residents, and the only message that persuaded them was tied to April 1. 
Since so many families with young children live in doubled-up housing or couch surf, this is a very important message for counting young children.
The Guide reminds all our readers:
THIS IS HOW FUNDING FOR THE COMING DECADE IS DETERMINED FOR SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY PARKS, RECREATION & OTHER FACILITIES,  LIBRARIES, HEALTH SERVICES, FOOD & HOUSING ASSISTANCE, AND A HUGE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS.
We hope you will join us in getting the word out.

Make Sure Every Child is Counted Today
Today, April 1, is the official reference date for the Census Bureau. On this day we are highlighting families living in a temporary housing situation. Our outreach message is to tell people to count all children at their address who have no permanent residence.

Access the blog here.

April 1 Radio Readers
We have one 30 second and one 60 second radio reader specific to counting young children on April 1. This is a great resource to send to radio stations on or around Census Day.

Access the radio readers here.
Tweetstorm
We will be having a Tweetstorm Today at 1pm ET. Please join us in highlighting that temporary residents,and their young children and babies, count too!

Access the toolkit here.
Website Update
The Count All Kids website has been updated! You can easily access resources you may need in your Census 2020 outreach.
When you go to the ‘Resources’ page (located toward the top right of the homepage) you will see all of our resources divided into six different categories. These categories include: Factsheets and Toolkits; Non-English Resources; Posters, Flyers, and Graphics; Provider Resources; Research and Communication Materials; State Resources; Webinars; and all Resources. Each category can be filtered by resource and community type.

The Count All Kids website will continually be updated with upcoming events, blogs, and resources. Stay tuned for updates and let’s keep encouraging families to Count All Kids!
Learn more: Count All Kids Campaign / Partnership for America's Children, at: www.countallkids.org
Thanks for helping us help all of us, by making sure we count every child in the 2020 Decennial Census.

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TODAY'S EVENTS


Separate sections for what happens today online and what happens on tv. Check 'em both, because the times in one section overlap the times in the other.
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Today on the web...

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Today brings Round II, with LIVE performances from six semifinalists. You'll hear works from such great composers as Enrique Granados, Isaac Albeniz, and Manuel de Falla. 

One lucky contestant at the end of this round will win the $5,000 prize for "Best Performance of a Spanish or Latin Piece," generously sponsored by Epitacio Resendez in honor of his mother -- a longtime supporter of the competition.

Watch 'til the end today to hear the prize winner, as well as the announcement of the three finalists.
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Wed, Apr 1:
 3 pm
 Pacific - "DEERING TECH LIVE" from the Deering Banjo factory in Spring Valley, CA, with Chad Kopotic, one of Deering's longest-standing employees and guy who knows everything there is to know about how to get the very best out of your banjo.
*  Chad will be live on Facebook and Instagram to answer your banjo maintenance questions and to teach you some tricks of the trade.
*  If you have any burning questions you would like Chad to answer, leave a comment on Deering's Facebook page.
*  WATCH on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeringbanjos/
*  WATCH on Facebook Live: 
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Wed Apr 1:
5 pm Pacific  - Big-deal webcast, music/benefit...

Watch party celebrates Billy Bob's Texas 39th anniversary, streams live April 1st

Event to raise funds for #HearFortWorth & @UnitedWay, just after venue receives ACM Awards nom for Club of The Year

The place can hold 6,000 rowdy patrons on a given night and has been host to hundreds of musical acts, from Alan Jackson to ZZ Top. On Fridays and Saturdays, this venue even features live bull riding – a step up from the mechanical variety.

Billy Bob’s has been named the "Country Music Club of the Year"  TEN TIMES by the Academy of Country Music, and just received its 18th nomination to repeat an 11th time. It's located in the heart of the "Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District," and first opened in 1981.

As part of a local effort, Billy Bob’s Texas recently partnered with Carter Bloodcare for a special community blood drive. A total of 339 units of blood were collected as a result and will be used to aid those in need.

As a way to celebrate the 39th anniversary of Billy Bob’s Texas on April 1, there will be a special watch party featuring some of the area’s most well known local talent. Artists performances will include Abraham Alexander, Austin Allsup, Bonnie Bishop, Chad Prather, Brad Thompson, Grady Spencer, Jack Barksdale, Jerrod Flusche, Johnny Cooper, Josh Weathers, Kris Luv, Matthew McNeal, Michael Lee, Rob Redwine, Smooth Vega, Summer Dean and more!

“Though we are moving through unprecedented times in the entertainment industry and the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, we still wanted to find a way to honor this milestone,” says Keitha Spears, Director of Marketing at Billy Bob’s Texas. “Parties at Billy Bob’s Texas typically take place on our dancefloor and in the showroom with several thousand of our closest friends, but that just isn’t an option this year. This watch party is a way for us to celebrate 39 incredible years in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards while staying safe and doing our part to flatten the curve. We are thrilled to partner with Visit Fort Worth and Tarrant to showcase local musicians and raise money for our creative community.”

There will be a virtual tip jar in association with the watch party where viewers can make donations that will that will go directly to the United Way of Tarrant County, Hear Fort Worth, Film Fort Worth Creative Industry Relief Fund which was developed to help support musicians, visual artists, and filmmakers who have lost work due to COVID-19. The initiative spearheaded by Hear Fort Worth is an extension of Fort Worth musician Rachel Gollay’s Artist & Service Worker Relief Fund.

The watch party can be seen on Billy Bob’s Texas Facebook page:


Or at the link here:



Circle network will re-air the event several times. Circle, based in Nashville, includes a linear network and is about to launch a companion over-the-top (OTT) premium entertainment service sometime this spring, 2020. Circle is a joint venture between Opry Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and Gray TV.

"Live at Billy Bob’s Texas" has been a tv series for years. It will air the following on Circle:
Wed, April 1,   1 pm PDT - Billy Joe Shaver
Wed, April 8,   1 pm PDT - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
Wed, April 15, 1 pm PDT - The Charlie Daniels Band
Wed, April 22, 1 pm PDT - Collin Raye
Wed, April 29, 1 pm PDT - Tracy Byrd

Go to CirclePlus.com for shows, schedules and a simple guide to getting the channel.

Check out BillyBobsTexas.com/live-at-billy-bobs for more info.
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Wed Apr 1:
5 pm
 Pacific -  JIM JONES, one of Western / Cowboy music's top stars --
winner of the "International Western Music Association" 2019 Song of the Year for "It's a Cowboy I Will Be"; author of the "Tommy Stallings" book series, The Big Empty and The Lights of Cimarron; author of the "Jared Delaney" book series, "Rustler's Moon, Colorado Moon, and Waning Moon; "Western Writers of America" top honor, the  "Spur Award- Western Song of the Year," for 2013 & 2017; and "Western Music Association" winner for "Male Performer of the Year," 2014 (whew -- he's been busy, eh?) -- performs a live concert to your glowing screen, with a virtual tip jar.
*  10% of the proceeds from this concert will go to the folks at the Range Cafe where the band THE COWBOY WAY was scheduled to play this coming Saturday night.
*  Jim notes: "Restaurants and bars have been hit especially hard. So for their sake, I hope you'll be as generous as you can be at this difficult time. If you can contribute to the virtual tip jar, you can use my PayPal link -- paypal.me/JamesJones369 ; or my Venmo link- @Jim-Jones-289 ; my email is- ajamojo@gmail.com and if you just want to do it the old-fashioned way, you can send me a check at Jim Jones, P.O. Box 15831, Rio Rancho, NM 87174.
*  He adds, "If things are too tight right now, don’t worry about it, please tune in anyway.  I really want to stay in touch with folks as we navigate these difficult and relatively uncharted troubled waters."
=== And THAT folks, really is the cowboy way!
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Wed, Apr 1:
5 pm
-6:30 pm Pacific - ANDY & RENEE, leaders of the award-winning band HARD RAIN and performing hosts of the annual "DYLANFEST," do a Facebook LIVE show.
*  You DO NOT need a FB account to watch this.
*  It goes out on Renee's FB page, at:   https://m.facebook.com/reneesafier
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Today / tonight on tv:

Big music performance show on CBS at 9 pm, with almost no advance publicity
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Wed, Apr 1:
12:30 pm-1:30 pm Pacific - "WOODSONGS OLD TIME RADIO HOUR" re-airs a 2020 edition with performances by DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE and STEPHANIE URBINA JONES. (A new episode, with THE KINGSTON TRIO and ALLIE COLLEEN, airs here on Friday, 3-4 pm.) On RFD TV.
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Wed, Apr 1:
3:30 pm-4:30 pm Pacific - "MOLLIE B POLKA PARTY" re-airs a 2016 edition with performances by the CHMIELEWSKI FUNTIME BAND, GEORGE STALDUHAR, and MALEK'S FISHERMEN. (A new 2020 episode airs here Sat, 7-8 pm.) On RFD TV.
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Wed, Apr 1:
9 pm (Eastern & Pacific) - GARTH BROOKS & TRISHA YEARWOOD "LIVE BY REQUEST" is a concert with no advance notice. We don't know if it's one hour or two hours, but we can confirm that it IS tonight on CBS.
*  It follows the broadcast last Sunday (which was on PBS, and aired from the live show held weeks ago) of Brooks splendid concert when he received the Library of Congress' 2020 "GERSHWIN PRIZE." In that performance, he took the audience on a tour of American music. So... will tonight be more than his country music hits, and those of his country music star spouse, Yearwood? We do know that he has the range and depth. This should be a good experience, even for avowed rejectors of "thet fahke tew-wang pop countree."
*  9 pm on CBS.
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Wed, Apr 1:
9 pm-10 pm Pacific - "NOVA: CUBA'S CANCER HOPE" (2020) is a new edition of the PBS science show (s47, ep5) that takes you through what's required to develop a vaccine. In this case, by CUBA'S biomedical industry to develop a promising new treatment to abate lung cancer. On KOCE, aka PBS So Cal.
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Wed, Apr 1:
10 pm-10:30 pm Pacific - BANJO ROOT MUSIC MASTER RHIANNON GIDDENS is profiled, along with tv producer Aaron Sorkin, on this new edition of "ARTICULATE WITH JIM COTTER" titled "THE HEADLINERS" (2020, s3, ep17). On KLCS.
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Wed, Apr 1:
10:30 pm-11 pm Pacific - "POETRY IN AMERICA" profiles BONO, US Poet Laureate JUAN PHILLIPE HERRERA, the "Hymmnn" from Kaddish and the antiwar chant "Hum Bom" in a show about the influence of beat poet ALAN GINSBERG in a 2018 rerun (s1, ep4). On KLCS.
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Wed, Apr 1:
10:30 pm-11 pm Pacific - "CRANK YANKERS" airs a new 2020 edition (s5, ep12) with JIMMY KIMMEL, SARAH SILVERMAN, & NIKKI GLASER. Re-airs midnight-12:30 am. On Comedy Central.
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Wed, Apr 1:
11 pm-11:30 pm Pacific - TREVOR NOAH presents "THE DAILY SOCIAL DISTANCING SHOW" in a new edition on Comedy Central.
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Wed, Apr 1:
11:34 pm Pacific - "THE TONIGHT SHOW: HOME EDITION" includes a performance by MARCUS MUMFORD of MUMFORD & SONS.
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Wed, Apr 1:
Midnight-12:30 am Pacific - "CRANK YANKERS" airs a new 2020 edition (s5, ep12) with JIMMY KIMMEL, SARAH SILVERMAN, & NIKKI GLASER. On Comedy Central.
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Looking ahead...

This weekend on tv:

Sun, Apr 5:
8 pm - "OUR COUNTRY"
produced by the Academy of Country Music follows the model of the indie "Stay at Home Festival" to present performances by many of the biggest stars in today's Country Music, plus (thankfully) some trad country and roots music artists. On CBS.
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We have lots of MUSIC NEWS
features in the works, and they'll
be along as we get them dressed,
shoes tied, cowlicks combed down,
bowties cranked straight, 
and strings tuned.

Find a comfortable spot by the 

wood stove -- you'll prob'ly need to 
grab the cards for solitaire, since you 
can't have somebody over for a round 
of checkers. But we'll be along...
directly, from a safe social distance.
In Cyberia.
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On to the necessary boilerplate...

Boilerplate? What "boilerplate"? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox? How do you add water so it won't blow-up?

Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff? ...obviously some dumbass...

Alright already, it's right down there...

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LEGALESE, CONTACTING US, 'N SUCH...
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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS – and views of interest to artists everywhere – more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers -- and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. Thanks for sittin' a spell. The cyber porch'll be here anytime you come back from the road.
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We'll be back again soon with music news and more "News of the Non-Trumpcentric Universe." (c)
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Til we catch ya again on the flip side 
in this new decade...
as Buford the Wonder Dog looks on 
and in our best Kathy Baker
"Hee Haw" voice: "THAT's all!"


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Here's a reprint of important info from one of our February editions:

COVID-19 Coronavirus PRACTICAL PRECAUTIONS

(good for avoiding the "regular" flu & colds, too) 

Compiled from medical and emergency responder databases and interview comments. Copy and paste into your phone / post / print / share.

•  Coronavirus lives on inorganic surfaces anywhere from two hours to NINE DAYS; it all seems dependent on temperature, unless it is killed by disinfectant. When tests revealed that, even health care workers were surprised. It brings more emphasis to many of the following points.

•  Get the flu vaccine -- ordinary flu will likely mimic Coronavirus, so avoid being ostracized and quarantined.

•  Wash your hands, a lot: scrub for 20 seconds and wash them often.

•  Stop shaking hands. Don't do "fist bumps" because that's still hand-to-hand contact. And don't become a mad elbow-bumper, because of the next point.

•  Cough into the inside of your elbow, ANY TIME you cough.

•  Keep your hands away from your face -- touching your nostrils, eyes, or mouth brings-in every germ your hands picked-up.

•  Get a little bottle of hand sanitizer on a miniature carabiner. Clip it to your belt loop or purse strap and use it frequently. (Be sure you snap the lid shut, or it'll drain all over your clothes.) You can refill it from the pump bottle by the sink.

• Make your own hand sanitizer if the stores are out. Formula, from a doctor who makes it with her kids: two parts isopropyl alcohol (drugstore alcohol, at least 70% alcohol), one part aloe vera gel, a dash of any essential oil. Works just ss well as store bought stuff.

• Stay home if you're sick -- even if you don't get paid, DON'T be the "Typhoid Mary" that brings a pandemic of this or ANYTHING contagious. If you're "taking one for the team," make it the big team -- ALL of us.

•  Don't be a transporter. Immediately remove shoes inside your front door and change clothes when you get home. Don't plunk-down on the couch until you shed what you were wearing at work or in the store or on the bus or in the coffee bar. Stop tracking everything from the sidewalk onto your kitchen and bathroom floors and your rug.

•  Be mindful of your car. Everything you touch, everywhere, is on your steering wheel. Everywhere you sit is on your car seat. Keep 'em disinfected -- Clorox wipe the wheel, Lysol spray the seats, often.

•  Everything you wear goes in the hamper. No multi-day wearings between washings.

•  Keep track of where Coronavirus and other flus are headed, the latest ways to avoid contagion, and what symptoms go with what disease, by putting the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL in your favorites: www.cdc.gov

•  Call your doctor or public health officials if you become symptomatic, and DON'T "just go" to the doctor or urgent care or ER; everybody else in the waiting room does not have what you have, and vice-versa.

•  Wear a mask when you go to the doctor (remember, everybody else in the waiting room does not have what you have, and vice-versa) -- the check-in counter will give you a surgical mask if you ask, or maybe even tell you it's mandatory. 

•  Don't buy-up all tbe masks that medical responders need. Nearly all the masks in the stores are Dust Masks, made to keep carpenters and other tradesmen from inhaling sawdust. Expecting those to protect you from tiny viruses is like trying to filter water with a tennis racket. Plus, wearing masks everywhere is not a good idea -- without training and lots of practice, you'll contaminate the thing and then breathe a stewpot of microorganisms up-close and personal.

•  Get proper nutrition and plenty of sleep to support your immune system. THAT is THE best way to stay healthy.

•   REALLY IMPORTANT: Think about what you routinely ignore:

   ~  your phone or tablet, which you constantly handle while you're touching everything else in the big, wide world, then keep handling when you're eating (keep your devices disinfected).

   ~  the Kleenex or cloth hankie you pull out of your pocket -- this time your nose or eye gets the side your dirty finger got last time (yeah, duh!)

   ~  door handles & knobs, especially "pull-to-exit" on the restroom door, and all door handles you grab or push.

   ~  gas pump handles -- whatever was deposited on them is now on your steering wheel, and marinading on your hands as you snack while driving.

   ~  restaurant menus, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup and mustard and hot sauce bottles that every unwashed hand touches. Same goes for bins of packaged condiments at fast foodies  or convenience store / gas stations (Use 'em, then use your hand sanitizer.)

   ~  lunch buffet serving spoons, spatulas, tongs that every unwashed hand uses in the food bins (your freshly-washed hands just got contaminated). And if sneeze guard glass panes aren't at the right height or aren't clean, demand a refund and leave.

   ~ coins in change and money, in general -- coins and folding money are germ transit systems. (Back to your little bottle of hand sanitizer.)

   ~ airline & train tray tables -- who knows when they were last cleaned and to what extent? When we saw a baby being changed on one... (bring a little plastic box of Clorox wipes when you travel).


   ~  bring your own food on the airplane -- you're probably doing that, anyway, since they stopped feeding you back when they started charging for carry-on luggage and made you ride with your knees in your armpits. Flight attendants have tested positive -- their hands pour drinks, dispense snacks, and pick-up everybody's garbage. 

   ~  remember to think and act consciously. There is an acute need to be mindful of others, so neither be paranoid reactive nor obliviously ignorant. There was great advice in the old cop show at the end of every briefing: "Be careful out there."

Read AND SHARE The Guide's complete feature story on the COVID-19 Coronavirus in the edition at: https://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2020/02/leap-day-weekend-leaping-into.html


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