January 30, 2020

Rookie firefighter delivers baby on his first day, on his very first call. Happy story!

Posting because it's clear you guys all need a happy story and a reminder there is still a lotta good in the world. And isn't that just the sweetest photo of the firefighter!



(CNN)A firefighter in Yonkers, New York, had an exciting first night on the job when he delivered a woman's baby girl.

Probationary firefighter Michael Iacovello, a "probie" as they are called, was working his very first shift on Engine Co. 303 last week when he got his first call -- a call for a woman in labor.

snip

Firefighters arrived at the apartment hoping to have the ambulance take her to the hospital. But as they assessed the situation further, they realized the baby was ready to come out.

"I was really nervous, I was excited, but the training kicked in," Iacovello told WCBS. "She started crying once we suctioned her, and I cut the umbilical cord."

On Wednesday, Iacovello reunited with Boakye-Aboagye and the healthy baby girl, who was named Obadianah after her mom.

The department honored Iacovello with a cake that read "It's a Girl! Congratulations Mike" and shared the precious moment on Facebook.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/24/us/rookie-firefighter-baby-delivery-trnd/index.html?utm_term=157995727440287973ce2372d&utm_source=The+Good+Stuff+1%2F25%2F20&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=165881_1579957274405&bt_ee=jFYvuSR8Yr82lu0loL6P20kufki%2B5dzIkpF91BUC0EbvwCXAImOhHn%2FK7tOU2xHp&bt_ts=1579957274405

January 29, 2020

"It was a panic" inside Zelensky administration after initial news broke of aid being withheld

I posted this yesterday but am posting it again today under a different subject heading because I think it is really important. This is a must read. Impeccable timing RE impeachment. I hope Rachel or someone picks it up. Much more at link. Directly contradicts Trump's "no pressure" narrative and shows just how much pressure Ukraine was under.

And Ukraine is losing good people over this too; not just us.

Oleksandr Danylyuk (former chairman of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council) says the requests to investigate the Bidens “rattled” Zelensky’s team and the one person in the administration he trusted was Bolton.

Snip

"But in the weeks and months that followed, efforts to construct a partnership between the Zelensky and Trump administrations, one focused on fighting corruption, crumbled. It crumbled in part because the Zelensky team was pulled into an American domestic political fight spurred by Trump’s push to have Ukraine investigate his rival Joe Biden, Biden’s son Hunter, and supposed interference in the 2016 election. That’s according to Oleksandr Danylyuk, the former chairman of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who said the requests “rattled” Zelensky’s team.

Danylyuk spoke to The Daily Beast last week in his first on-the-record conversation since impeachment proceedings began in Washington, saying he resigned from his post in Kyiv in September in part “because of the situation with the U.S.” When Danylyuk answered my FaceTime call, he appeared to be in his office in Kyiv, with pictures of the city in the background. The former Ukrainian official was supposed to have traveled to the U.S. to meet me but caught a virus at the World Economic Forum in Davos and flew home to recover. (We plan on meeting in person for our second interview.)

Over the course of two hours, Danylyuk laid out his reasons for joining the Zelensky team and why he decided to leave the administration. The former official said his hope was that he would get to “change lives” as a part of the Zelensky government, helping develop Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions and promoting the country as an international powerhouse worthy of respect. Danylyuk, a self-described technocrat, said the U.S.-Ukraine shakeup “set an uncomfortable background” but that the two countries can still forge ahead with a new, better roadmap.

Snip

Danylyuk said he first found out that the U.S. was withholding aid to Ukraine by reading Politico’s article published Aug. 28. U.S. officials and Ukrainian diplomats, including the country’s former Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal, have said publicly that Kyiv was aware there were problems with the U.S. aid as early as July.

“I was really surprised and shocked. Because just a couple of days prior to that… I actually had a meeting with John Bolton. Actually, I had several meetings with him. And we had extensive discussions. The last thing I had expected to read was an article about military aid being frozen,” Danylyuk said. “After that... I was trying to get the truth. Was it true or not true?”
Danylyuk said that “it was a panic” inside the Zelensky administration after the initial news broke, saying Zelensky was convinced there had been some sort of mistake. Danylyuk put in calls to the National Security Council and asked other officials in Washington what to make of the news.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/oleksandr-danylyuk-former-top-ukraine-official-says-he-trusted-john-bolton-more-than-anyone?via=newsletter&source=DDMorning

Let's watch for that upcoming in-person second interview with Daily Beast and Danylyuk.

January 28, 2020

Top Ukraine Official: I Trusted Bolton More Than Anyone (Bombshell Daily Beast must read interview)

Oleksandr Danylyuk says the requests to investigate the Bidens “rattled” Zelensky’s team and the one person in the administration he trusted was Bolton.

When Volodymyr Zelensky won Ukraine’s presidential election in April 2019, President Donald Trump was one of the first world leaders to call to congratulate him. For officials inside Ukraine and out, Zelensky represented a chance for the country to rebuild its anti-corruption institutions and a chance for Kyiv to develop better, stronger relationships with Western countries, including the United States.

But in the weeks and months that followed, efforts to construct a partnership between the Zelensky and Trump administrations, one focused on fighting corruption, crumbled. It crumbled in part because the Zelensky team was pulled into an American domestic political fight spurred by Trump’s push to have Ukraine investigate his rival Joe Biden, Biden’s son Hunter, and supposed interference in the 2016 election. That’s according to Oleksandr Danylyuk, the former chairman of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who said the requests “rattled” Zelensky’s team.

Danylyuk spoke to The Daily Beast last week in his first on-the-record conversation since impeachment proceedings began in Washington, saying he resigned from his post in Kyiv in September in part “because of the situation with the U.S.” When Danylyuk answered my FaceTime call, he appeared to be in his office in Kyiv, with pictures of the city in the background. The former Ukrainian official was supposed to have traveled to the U.S. to meet me but caught a virus at the World Economic Forum in Davos and flew home to recover. (We plan on meeting in person for our second interview.)

Over the course of two hours, Danylyuk laid out his reasons for joining the Zelensky team and why he decided to leave the administration. The former official said his hope was that he would get to “change lives” as a part of the Zelensky government, helping develop Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions and promoting the country as an international powerhouse worthy of respect. Danylyuk, a self-described technocrat, said the U.S.-Ukraine shakeup “set an uncomfortable background” but that the two countries can still forge ahead with a new, better roadmap. Danylyuk spoke to The Daily Beast last week in his first on-the-record conversation since impeachment proceedings began in Washington, saying he resigned from his post in Kyiv in September in part “because of the situation with the U.S.” When Danylyuk answered my FaceTime call, he appeared to be in his office in Kyiv, with pictures of the city in the background. The former Ukrainian official was supposed to have traveled to the U.S. to meet me but caught a virus at the World Economic Forum in Davos and flew home to recover. (We plan on meeting in person for our second interview.)

Snip

Danylyuk said he first found out that the U.S. was withholding aid to Ukraine by reading Politico’s article published Aug. 28. U.S. officials and Ukrainian diplomats, including the country’s former Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal, have said publicly that Kyiv was aware there were problems with the U.S. aid as early as July.

“I was really surprised and shocked. Because just a couple of days prior to that… I actually had a meeting with John Bolton. Actually, I had several meetings with him. And we had extensive discussions. The last thing I had expected to read was an article about military aid being frozen,” Danylyuk said. “After that... I was trying to get the truth. Was it true or not true?”

Danylyuk said that “it was a panic” inside the Zelensky administration after the initial news broke, saying Zelensky was convinced there had been some sort of mistake. Danylyuk put in calls to the National Security Council and asked other officials in Washington what to make of the news.

This is a must read. Impeccable timing RE impeachment. Much more at link. Directly contradicts Trump's "no pressure" narrative and shows just how much pressure Ukraine was under.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/oleksandr-danylyuk-former-top-ukraine-official-says-he-trusted-john-bolton-more-than-anyone?via=newsletter&source=DDMorning

January 24, 2020

Had a heart opening experience today. Goodness and happiness for today's mental health break!

I was out walking today and encountered a woman who looked to be late seventies with her little black fluffball of a dog who looked to be about 8 pounds - hard to tell since so much of it was fluff. It was walking along beside her, unleashed, which I have never seen in my neighborhood. Lots of people walking dogs but they are always leashed.

We started talking, and the little dog sat down next to her mom. She told me the dog was named Coco. I reached down to pet her and she backed away. I said, “Oh, she’s shy.”

And her mom said yes, she is at first. But then I squatted down and held my palm out and after checking me out, she approached and let me pet her. The woman and I proceeded to talk for about ten minutes. I asked her how old the dog was, and she said 8, but she’s only had her for three years. She lives alone and volunteers at a shelter. 3 years ago Coco’s owners brought her in, in hoping to find a happier home for her. They worked all day and had a large dog that the little one was uncomfortable around. Another woman who works at the shelter came to find her when she arrived for her shift, and told her that she thought she’d found the perfect dog for her. The woman met Coco, and it was love at first sight. It was clearly a marriage made in heaven, so to speak.

I commented on how the dog just sat beside her, waiting patiently while we talked, or maybe just enjoying herself. The woman said she always does that; just stays right beside her no matter what is going on. There was clearly a special bond between the two of them, and I felt so uplifted after hearing her story.

It made me think of how many stories I’ve heard of animals who find their humans who are clearly meant for each other. I know this happens with humans too!

When my little sister was nine, she brought a stray dog home from school and we ended up keeping her. That was over fifty years ago. We named her Cinnamon because that was what color she was. She was perfect for our family, and lived a long and happy life, contributing immeasurably to our lives.

So I’ve been thinking about this connection that brings people and animals and other people together, and how it’s good and happy and a very special kind of magic. It connected me to this woman. I “just happened” to be on the same block at the same time going the opposite direction so we ran into each other, and I so appreciated the upliftment, particularly given the day’s news.

And I decided to write about this and post it, because we need to remember goodness and the magic of special connections, especially now.

January 23, 2020

What was that bit at the end with Schumer thanking Turtle for all the hard work

and...I didn't catch it, but essentially telling him good job? Did I get that right? Did I miss something?

January 18, 2020

Rachel's interview with Parnas has been made part of the officlal impeachment record.

Announced by Chris Hayes just as he turned it over to Rachel.
Rachel said to Chris that she is wondering if her grammar was okay.

January 17, 2020

Parnas: Trump is not like organized crime; he's like a cult leader. And he became much more powerful

when he got William Barr.

Just now on Rachel.

January 16, 2020

Parnas just said Nunes knew everything and was involved. Hopefully this is enough to get

him kicked off HOuse Intel. One would think, but then...can't predict these days what it will take to get someone removed.

January 15, 2020

Warren Calls for SEC Probe Into Whether Trump Tipped Off Mar-a-Lago Pals to Soleimani Attack

https://www.thedailybeast.com/warren-calls-for-sec-probe-into-whether-trump-tipped-off-mar-a-lago-pals-to-soleimani-attack?via=newsletter&source=DDAfternoon

The president told Mar-a-Lago guests to expect a “big” response to Iranian provocation. The senator wants financial regulators to see if any of those guests traded on that info.

2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is calling on financial regulatory agencies to investigate whether associates and attendees at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago illegally traded in defense company stocks or commodities after he gave them a heads up that he was planning something “big” in response to Iran’s killing of an American contractor in Iraq.

The Daily Beast previously reported that Trump told allies at his Palm Beach club that he had something “big” in the works to address Iran’s aggressive behavior in the region and that they would read about it “soon.” The president specifically mentioned to some of his associates at Mar-a-Lago that he’d been in contact with his senior national security and military advisors on possible plans to hit back, two sources told The Daily Beast.

He did not mention specific plans of attack or human targets for a military response, the sources noted. “He kept saying, ‘You’ll see,’” one of these club-goers said, describing a conversation with the president that occurred just days before the U.S. attack.

snip

Now, Senator Warren (D-MA) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to determine “whether there may have been any illegal trading in defense company stocks or commodities related to individuals’ advance knowledge,” according to the letter Warren sent to the agencies, which cites The Daily Beast’s reporting. Warren also asks the agencies for a briefing on the matter no later than Feb. 13.

more at link

I was really hoping Warren woudl pick up on this. It's her area of expertise.

January 7, 2020

Some love to warm your hearts - animal BFF photos for today's mental health break.

These animals live beyond any species boundaries or traditional ideas about who should get along with whom, and just love each other as fellow beings.

https://animalencyclopedia.info/16-unusual-animal-friendships-you-wont-believe/

16 Unusual Animal Friendships