Month: April 2020

House arrest day 18 (Mon)

Here’s a very Spring 2020 activity for you. Name a movie, but add “While Socially Distanced” to the end of the title. So, Die Hard While Socially Distanced. Driving Miss Daisy While Socially Distanced. Knives Out While Socially Distanced.

Food porn:

More food porn:

Interesting article: When epidemics/pandemics hit early New York City, they’d flee the urban life to take refuge far out in the country… in Greenwich Village.

From the New York Daily News: Will there be a Major League Baseball season at all this year? There are some hefty challenges to be faced: lost revenue if games are played in empty ballparks, what to do if a player gets the coronavirus during the season, what to do with Minor League Baseball.

The DM’s Geoff Calikins spoke to Jon McCullers, pediatrician-in-chief at LeBonheur and associate dean at UT College of Medicine. McCullers thinks there won’t be a football season either. I know people who babble endlessly about the latest developments in spots and now they’re going to have nothing to talk about for up to an entire year.

And what are sports bars going to do? With 12 beers on tap, perhaps Max should grab his corporate credit card and visit the candy warehouse on Carolina. He could offer candy/beer pairings and re-brand the place as Max’s Candy Bar.

Marvel is offering access to many of its comics for free.

The coronavirus has taken being sick of your family to a whole new level, and to celebrate, River Inn at Harbor Town is offering Easter family dinner to go for next Sunday, April 12. Dinner serves 2-4 and can be picked up 11 AM-7 PM on Easter. Orders must be placed by 7 PM Saturday night the 11th. Click the link for menu and ordering info.

Who else is doing to-go Easter dinners? Let me know. I usually concentrate my blogging efforts on Downtown, but I’ll be happy to post about restaurants in other parts of the city if they deliver Downtown.

I listened to the Memphis Police scanner most of the day yesterday (except when Wrestlemania was on). They answered quite a few Safer at Home calls, including some at Overton Park.

Now that Wrestlemania is over, some thoughts:

  • Becky pinning Bayzler while in Bayzler’s submission hold was a nice finish.
  • They better do a Superstar Shake-Up immediately… otherwise, who on Smackdown is gonna credibly challenge Strowman for the Universal championship? Remember, Roman is out until the coronavirus pandemic is under control.
  • That was the best Undertaker has looked in a long time. He and A.J. should sent Matt Hardy a cut of their royalties, because the Boneyard Match was clearly inspired by some of the stuff Broken Matt did in TNA.
  • Charlotte as NXT champion could help that brand beat AEW in the Wednesday night ratings wars.
  • The Edge/Randy Orton Last Man Standing Match was every bit as good as the Boneyard March, and I’m glad they put those on opposite nights.
  • We all knew Gronk was going to win the 24/7 title.
  • Zelina Vega has a great ass.
  • So, Bianca Belair is going to move up to the main roster? Good deal. She has the most potential of anyone in NXT right now.
  • The wrestlers may have to submit to drug testing, but the Firefly Fun House “match” is proof that the writers clearly don’t.
  • Can this please be the end of part-timers holding the Universal and World titles?

If more news comes in, I’ll do a second post later today. Otherwise, back tomorrow with more news.

House arrest day 17 (Sun)

Graham Winchester performs live online in Songs from the Bathtub tonight 6 to 7:30 PM. There will be virtual tip jars for those who would like to leave donations.

From Feed the Front Lines, Memphis:

We are incredibly proud to announce that Michael Patrick of Rizzos Diner is going to be the first restaurateur to feed the front lines on behalf of the Feed the Front Lines, Memphis initiative. He will be preparing 100 meals for the night shift at Baptist East on Sunday.

As donations roll in, we will be calling on everyone who has pledged support. We have a vast and talented array of chefs and restaurateurs who will be preparing these meals.

But it takes donations to make this happen. Please share this post and help us secure these donations so we can get operating money into their hands and appreciation to our front-line medical professionals.

Donate here ➡️ https://bit.ly/340hvaa

From Grind City Media’s MikeCheck with Michael Wallace: Checking in with Grizzlies legend Zach Randolph during the NBA hiatus. Z-bo discusses his food bank donation to keep children fed while the schools are out, challenges of being an NBA player during a suspended season, and his role as a community ambassador.

I found this tool, tweeted by marketing expert Chris Brogan, to host Netflix watch parties: Kosmi

Mayor Strickland’s daily COVID-19 update for Saturday has noncompliance numbers for the Safer at Home order. So far only one business has had a placard issued ordering the business to be vacated for being out of compliance. Cheers to the mayor on making these numbers public. Previous administrations never would have thought to do that.

Anyone know who/where the one business that got shut down is?

So I’m guessing that the Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade, rescheduled for this coming Saturday, is probably not happening….

If I can be serious for a minute…

I agree, Lance. I agree. I did enjoy night 1 of Wrestlemania more than I thought I would. Last night’s first night of Wrestlemania was really good, far better than I expected.

Back later today if there’s more news to report.

House arrest day 16 (Sat)

After almost a year, construction barriers have been removed from 18 South Main!

The former Murray’s/Jerry’s building looks different – and better. So nice to have that sidewalk unblocked. I’m sure the fine folks at The Peanut Shoppe are happy that the barriers are no longer blocking visibility.

Today would have been opening day for the Memphis Farmers Market, but it will be postponed by at least 5 weeks. In the meantime, the Market asks you to support its vendors directly.

Small businesses in the Medical Center District, which includes Downtown neighborhoods Uptown, The Pinch, Victorian Village, and The Edge, can now apply for up to $15,000 in grant money to help get through COVID-19’s economic effects. Food and beverage businesses can apply, as well as “third place” (places people congregate regularly that are not home or work) businesses. More info/application

I’m definitely not a karaoke fan, but if you are, here you go. (This was tweeted yesterday, so by “tomorrow evening” they mean tonight)

Terri Clark, Lauren Aliana and Ashley McBride perform live tonight at the Grand Ole Opry at 7 PM. You can catch the performance on TV on Circle, on Facebook, or YouTube.

From The Onion: Southern governors argue that COVID-19 is a good Christian virus that wouldn’t dare spread during church

State parks including T.O. Fuller State Park and Meeman-Shelby Forest State Parks are closed through at least April 14.

ArtsMemphis has created a fund to help artists who had work that was scheduled or contracted, but which was lost or canceled due to the coronavirus.

Embedded at the request of Perjorie T. Roll:

Pre-order your Dr. Fauci bobblehead

For a limited time you can watch HBO shows for free. Shows include The Wire, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Ballers. Movies include Isn’t It Romantic?, Crazy, Stupid, Love, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and Pokemon Detective Pikachu.

The exact opposite of leadership:

From WMC Action News 5 on the Safer At Home order:

That’s the news for this morning. I may try to mess around with my schedule this week and sleep 6 times in 7 days, so the timing of my posts may be affected. Back later today or tomorrow with more news.

House arrest day 15 / update 2

RIP Bill Withers. Your music brought me plenty of happy times on Bardog’s jukebox, brightened my day when I needed it.

There’s another grant out there for service industry workers who were laid off due to COVID-19. Samuel Adams, the brewery, is partnering with The Greg Hill Foundation to award one-time grants of $1000. To receive the grant you must meet the following conditions:

  • Complete the application form in your home state
  • Must have worked a minimum of 30 hours a week (can be in multiple restaurants) in a bar, restaurant, cafe, or nightclub
  • Must have been employed 3 months or longer at the same location
  • Submit last two pay stubs

This article has more information; the article is about Ohio, but the grant is available in 19 other states, and Tennessee is one of them.

Cerrito Bingo will host a special virtual edition of bingo next Friday, April 10, on Facebook Live from 8 to 9 PM. You’ll need to print an empty card from an online template or make your own card. Fill your card with whichever B, I, N, G, and O numbers you like best, and use whatever you want to cover called numbers during the games. Winners will receive prizes from Memphis Made Brewing Co.

South Main Sounds has a handy-dandy guide to today’s livestreams.

The Orpheum will have an online listening party next Tuesday.

From Mashable: Adam Sandler’s new coronavirus song is a tribute to doctors, nurses, and being sick of your family

Do you have a young lady who would be interested in learning how to code? Kode with Klossy Kamp comes to Memphis June 15-26. The camp is open to female and gender non-binary students ages 13-18. (Note: Deadline to apply is this Sunday at 10:59 PM, and of course COVID-19 may affect the ability to hold the camp on the scheduled dates.)

This sucks (PPP = Paycheck Protection Program). If you bank at Bank of America, may be time to consider switching.

A similar conversation on Facebook has already led to one Downtown business owner’s decision to leave Bank of America and bank locally instead. I hope others follow. Fuck BoA. And speaking of that…

For my IT/application developer friends: Documentation for FOaaS, an application programming interface (API) for Fuck Off as a Service.

Sunrise Memphis weekend slushy specials!

That’s it for now. Back later today or tomorrow with more.

House arrest Day 15: Video of that wreck in Horn Lake, custom masks

A friend of mine used that term – “house arrest” – in a Facebook post last night, and suddenly I have words to describe the feeling I have had the past two weeks. As I have said on here before, a day without friends is a day not lived. These days, instead of being among the people I enjoy in the places I enjoy, I stay home and surf Twitter on my laptop, where Jane “#StayHome and #SociallyDistanceYourself” Brooks suggests that maybe taking lessons on how to draw Snoopy would be a good alternative to pass the time. And if I’m feeling really, really social, I could conference in one of my friends on Zoom, and we could compare our Snoopy drawings!

Don’t get me wrong, I understand why it has to be this way. And I will do my part to prevent the spread of the virus. But what I won’t do is put on a happy face and pretend I like it. Fuck this shit.

What do you think? Should I abandon the “____day update” titles and go with “House arrest day __” until this is over?

One of the side benefits of sheltering at home, though, is that these days you can get just about anything delivered to your door… including Girl Scout cookies. Through a program called Cookie Care, you can order cookies to be delivered to your home. If you’re in a giving mood, you can order cookies to be delivered to medical workers, first responders, or volunteers.

Another unexpected benefit of the pandemic… robocallers have to socially distance too, and you can’t do that in crowded boiler rooms in places like India and the Philippines. As a result, robocalls are down significantly lately. Now that I think about it, I haven’t had one all week, where 3-4 a day was my usual average not long ago.

Bluesman Eric Hughes performs nightly at 8, live online in a show he calls Scrappie’s Jukehouse. Give it a watch at @EricHughesMusic.

Let’s hear it for the good guys one more time: Huey’s has not laid off any of their 585 employees, nor cut their pay. Why not support the people who take care of their own people by having a Huey burger for lunch today?

Any locals doing a chat room or similar where Wrestlemania can be discussed as it happens Saturday or Sunday? If so, and you feel like sending your ol’ buddy Paul an invite, that’d be all right.

Tin Roof has two The Music Never Stops Facebook Live events tonight, with virtual tip jars so you can support the musicians. Rodell McCord kicks things off 6 to 7, then Carlos Valadez takes the stage 7 to 8.

Live video of that wreck/officer-involved shooting that happened at Goodman Rd. and Interstate Blvd. in Horn Lake yesterday. This is some must-see TV. (Warning: language NSFW)

MLGW will waive late fees on bills today and going forward through the pandemic.

Custom protective masks. Note the Max’s Sports Bar masks:

All right, I’ll go ahead and publish. If more news comes in, there will be a House arrest day 15 / update 2 post later today.

Thursday update #3: Community fund to help hospitality industry, Flying Saucer deal, Peabody Easter dinner at home, free SiriusXM and more

In Monday’s post, I mentioned that displaced hospitality industry workers (including those who worked at bars and restaurants) could visit Welcome to Memphis and apply for a COVID-19 relief grant through the end of the business day Monday, April 6. A number of people subsequently contacted Welcome to Memphis to learn how they could contribute to money supporting Memphis hospitality workers. Because of that interest, an entirely separate relief fund has been set up through The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. If you would like to donate to that fund, here’s a link.

The Peabody had to cancel its annual Easter brunch spread, but you can still enjoy Peabody Easter dinner at home. There are three options, each feeding a family or four, and each with side dishes: Herb crusted beef tenderloin ($140), roast turkey breast ($85), or honey Jack glazed ham ($85). They also have side-item add-ons (including Easter eggs) and beverage add-ons. Order until 6 PM on April 8.

From Global Cafe in Crosstown Concourse:

YUMMMM. Don’t forget Global Cafe delivers Downtown now!

From the Flying Saucer. This is a really good deal!

Buy two 25oz cans of anything on our tap wall, and get one free! That’s 75ounces of your favorite brews for only $16! Cheers beerknurds! 🍻

Even if your selected beers only average out to 5% alcohol by volume, that’s still a Value Drinking Index of 25 (15 or better is considered a good value for craft and import beers).

Precious Achiuwa on getting ready for the NBA draft and how the skill set he displayed with the 2019-20 Tigers projects to the NBA:

The debit card chip reader at Family Dollar, which I reported was having some trouble as of Monday, is working again. Insider tip: Don’t miss out on the dollar bags of cookies & cream Easter eggs.

SiriusXM will be free through May 15, announced network host Howard Stern, to help the public fight boredom during the coronavirus pandemic.

From Felicia:

They were almost 40 years before their time: Sports Illustrated interviews Terry Funk about his empty-arena match with Jerry “The King” Lawler in April 1981.

There’s going to be an Archie Bunker’s Place marathon on Antenna TV (rabbit ears 3.3) this Saturday from 11 AM to 7:30 PM. Greatest character in television history.

In a good mood today… having canceled unneeded services, deposited checks, and checked balances, I have found that I’m in a much better financial position to get through this stupid pandemic than I thought I was 10 days ago. In addition, while cleaning the apartment, I found an unused Majestic Grille gift card which almost certainly came from one of their “spend $25, get a $50 card” annual sales. I’d be in a better mood if I were sitting at Silly Goose’s happy hour with my friends, but those days will return.

I joined Zoom in case anyone wants to have a meeting or happy hour or anything.

Dudes who use Twitter to creep on attractive local weather forecasters… c’mon, man.

Back tomorrow unless something really time-sensitive comes along today.

Thur update #2: Bardog burrito day, Memphis Made expanding, historical civil rights magazine online and more

Below is the scene of a multiple-car accident and officer-involved shooting at Goodman Road and Interstate Blvd. in Horn Lake.

When I worked in Horn Lake, I would turn left from Goodman onto south-bound Interstate Blvd. around 7:55-8:00 in the morning. I’m glad to see my former co-workers are working from home and were therefore not tied up in this. Apparently the cement truck driver crashed on purpose and yelled something about wanting to kill people.

From Bardog Tavern:

It’s #NationalBurritoDay, and we’re celebrating BIG time. Call 901-275-8752 to place your order, and we’ll bring it out to the curb when you’re here.

From the Memphis Flyer: Bring your favorite bar home during the quarantine

This pandemic isn’t slowing some local businesses down. This week Memphis Made Brewing Co. announced an expansion into North Mississippi, having signed a deal with Clark Distributing Co. to carry their products in the following counties: Desoto, Tunica, Tate, Marshall, Panola, Lafayette, Yalobusha, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Bolivar, Coahoma, Sunflower, Washington, Benton, Tippah, Union, Alcorn, Tishomingo, Prentiss, Itawamba, Lee, Pontotoc, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Calhoun, Webster, Oktibbeha, Monroe, Lowndes, and Clay. North MS readers, keep a lookout for these fine Memphis beers on your shelves. Those of you who are local to Memphis, don’t forget that the tap room is open 4-7 every day for your carry-out needs.

Almost all issues of civil rights publication Freedomways (1961-1985) have been digitized and are available for reading online.

You can get a misdemeanor citation for defying the stay-at-home order.

From Sports Illustrated: Las Vegas could be the key to salvaging the NBA playoffs

I got to watch an episode of AEW (All Elite Wrestling, a new U.S.-based promotion) from start to finish last night, and quite honestly it was much better than the episode of WWE Monday Night RAW I watched two days earlier.

Everyone else on Facebook is playing, so I guess I will too. The Unpopular Opinion Game: 10 things everybody else likes that I don’t:

  1. Coffee
  2. Milk (chocolate milk is OK)
  3. Nuts as a topping on ice cream
  4. Music Fest
  5. Skiing, snowboarding, any cold-weather activity
  6. Justin Timberlake’s music
  7. Science fiction
  8. New Year’s Eve
  9. Karaoke
  10. Diet Coke

That’s it for this post. Possibly a third one coming later today.

Thursday update

Yesterday I decided to try one of the new meat plates the Blind Bear has. You get a meat and two sides for $10, or two meats and six sides for $20. I decided to order the big combo and have leftovers for the next couple of days. For my meats I selected smoked beef brisket and grilled kielbasa.

For my sides I got two orders of green beans… (only half the double order shown below. This was Perjorie’s favorite side)

Two orders of baked beans… (also only half the double order shown. The beans were Mendatius’s favorite)

… and a double order of fries.

I got BBQ sauce for dipping the meats, and of course, I substituted ranch for ketchup for dipping the fries. Ketchup is the most boring condiment ever. Which should make ketchup the official condiment of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Flavor on the meats was really good. Other meat options were smoked pulled pork, smoked ribs, 3 chicken tenders, or a fried chicken thigh and leg quarter. Other vegetables included cheddar mac & cheese, cole slaw, asparagus, or potato salad.

The 2 meats/6 sides for $20 is a heck of a deal and should keep me fed through Friday. Check it out and support our local businesspeople. The Bear will be open 3-7 today with the same offerings.

Let’s hear it once again for some more good guys: If you stop in Grecian Gourmet on South Main, you will find owners Jeff Watkins and JoAnn Graves working by themselves. They sent their employees home, and are paying them not to work. They didn’t want to risk exposing their employees to the virus. Check out their menu and support these wonderful people by ordering food to-go. Don’t forget that you can include beer, wine, or homemade sangria in your order.

Sports writer/radio host Gary Parrish tweeted that the people at FedExForum have been in touch with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about using the arena as an overflow medical facility if needed. Parrish also said that Grizzlies majority owner Robert Pera has donated 300,000 meals to a local food bank.

Something I read last night that I thought was worth sharing: When your life is over here on Earth, you don’t cease to exist. You don’t die. You simply change form. It’s entirely possible that by the end of this month, every one of us will know someone who was lost to the coronavirus. Perhaps that thought could be somewhat comforting, that they’re not gone forever; they just changed form. (That came from Conversations with God vol. 2 by Neale Donald Walsch which I am currently re-reading on my Scribd trial membership.)

Short post this morning, but I’ll possibly be back more later today.

Wed update #2: Grants for hospitality industry workers, Hustle & Flow’s side hustle, MLK virtual celebration and more

Welcome to Memphis has started a Welcome to Memphis COVID-19 Fund to assist hospitality industry professionals whose income has been displaced by the pandemic. Those affected can apply for one-time grants by the end of the business day Monday, April 6. Go to the Welcome to Memphis website and click Apply Now on the pop-up that appears, or click COVID-19 fund at the top. More info:

We are here to help by disseminating financial assistance through the Welcome to Memphis COVID-19 Fund. Starting today, hourly workers in the hospitality industry who have received a termination notice may apply for for a one-time grant online at the Welcome to Memphis website. The application will be open and available from Tuesday, March 31 through 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6.

Eligible applicants include hourly employees who work in the Memphis area hospitality industry, including employees of:

  • Hotels
  • Restaurants and bars
  • Tourist attractions
  • Convention services
  • Tour operations

Because this is a limited fund, recipients will be chosen based on a lottery-style system, after the deadline closes. No priority will be given to early applicants. Everyone who applies during the Tuesday – Monday time window will have the same opportunity to be chosen through the lottery-style system. Grant money will be distributed through Venmo or PayPal. You can set up an account for Venmo here and PayPal here.

The week of April 6, Welcome to Memphis will begin awarding individual, one-time grants of $300 each. Recipients will be notified via the email address you include with your application.

The grants are funded by the Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response Fund hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (CGFM), and the number of grants we are able to disseminate depends on the amount of money available. As a partner recipient of the CGFM, we are very grateful to the Foundation and their partners for providing much-needed assistance at this critical time.

Side Hustle, Chef David Todd’s temporary to-go arm of Hustle & Dough in the Arrive Hotel, has released its menu for this week. Click menu to view in a larger size. I’ve been told the sourdough is already sold out. 901-701-7577 is their number.

The National Civil Rights Museum will host Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment: A Virtual Broadcast Saturday, April 4 at 5 PM. This will take the place of the usual physical celebration that happens on April 4. Tune in to the Civil Rights Museum website to be a part of the event.

Skilled volunteers needed in Memphis to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak:

The Memphis Flyer has moved its online paper to digital publishing platform Issuu, so its readers will get the best possible experience. Good move. I have worked with Issuu in past jobs and it is a solid publishing system.

Wimbeldon has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A Panama City Hooters restaurant played an April Fool’s joke on its employees. It backfired big time.

This is a really good idea:

This tweet summarizes life in Spring 2020:

The Arkansas Derby, scheduled for Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, has been rescheduled from April 11 to May 2. The winner of the Arkansas Derby gets more than half the number of points needed to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. That May 2 date sounds awfully optimistic, but I wish them the best, because if the horses race May 2, I’m probably sitting at a bar that day.

How I wish I were sitting at a bar today… but I’m not. Back later today or tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update: Get Global Cafe delivered Downtown, Pontotoc Lounge open for dinner, and much more

Sometimes the coronavirus pandemic inadvertently causes good things to happen… such as Global Cafe‘s menu being available for Downtown delivery!

Global Cafe offers food prepared by immigrant/refugee chefs. Their current lineup of chefs are from Syria, Sudan, and Venezuela. Their pickup/delivery menu offers family meals as well as their usual menu items. The delivery is a Crosstown Concourse-wide project, so you can order delivery from Saucy Chicken and Curb Market as well.

Fellow 38103’ers, may I make a suggestion? Let’s support this to the extent that Crosstown Concourse doesn’t even consider discontinuing Downtown delivery once the pandemic is over.

Pontotoc Lounge brings back its dinner menu effective today (click image to view in a larger, more readable size).

You can get Pontotoc’s cocktails to go with dinner. Call 901-207-7576 to order.

From WIRED: The rapid spread of boredom across the world is a crisis of its own. This in my opinion is the one of the most under-reported effects of the pandemic. No, it is not as important as the rapid spread of death, but to dismiss it as completely unimportant is wrong. I continue to worry that in a couple of weeks’ time, it will lead a percentage of the population to rebel against the social distancing recommendations; I don’t think it will be a majority of the population, but as author Seth Godin writes, majorities aren’t needed to produce a tipping point.

The pandemic’s economic spread has now affected the Memphis Redbirds organization, who have idled 18 positions.

Warning from a local restaurant owner:

BEWARE!!!!!
Ass hat clown going into local businesses, asking for a manager that worked the night shift. Alleging his wife ordered food last night that had hair in it. Wanted a refund was in a hurry to get back to work. Problem is we don’t serve crabcakes anymore.

5 foot 7ish
Blonde hair
Caucasian
Black long sleeve shirt
Tan camouflage pants
Tan military style boots.

From MATA’s website: “EFFECTIVE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: The Riverfront Trolley Shuttle Bus will detour off Riverside Drive, turn right on Main Street, left on Talbot, right on Second, left on G.E. Patterson, and right on Main Street to head north onto the regular route.”

Bruce V from the Flyer with a valid point about face masks that protect the wearer from viruses and germs:

John Paul Keith is doing a concert next Monday, April 6 for his fans in Europe, but Americans are invited to watch too (1 PM CDT).

Pam and Terry are doing another concert from their patio Friday night. They didn’t list a time but last Friday’s show started at 7.

From the New York Times: A nationwide map plotting people’s temperatures as measured on Internet-connected thermometers indicates that coronavirus restrictions are starting to work. Today is the 13th day since Memphis restaurant dining rooms and bars were ordered to close, and about the 18th day since early-adopter cities like San Francisco started locking down. It was said at the time that it would be more than 10 days before we would see any results, due to the virus’s incubation period.

From the Flyer: A Brookings Insistute study reveals that coronavirus-related job loss in Memphis could top 121,000

I wonder which number is higher:

  1. The number of people who have been saved by Jesus because they read the pamphlets handed out by the religious zealots with the big signs on Beale Street during Music Fest; or
  2. The number of people who decided to stay home during the COVID-19 outbreak because they were surfing Twitter and saw someone who had put “Stay Home” in their screen name.

Air Canada is suspending service between Memphis and Toronto through April 30.

You can get 3 months of Skillshare Premium for free right now. This is like an online continuing education site, where you can learn a variety of skills, including photography, graphic design, cocktail mixing, creative writing, and many more. The free trial is sponsored by Bombay Sapphire.

Calls, emails, or texts about government stimulus checks are scams.

I agree with this Daily Memphian op-ed by former CA editor Leanne Kleinmann. Names of Memphians who die from COVID-19 should be released. This pandemic needs to be made personal so people will take it seriously. As she says, normal times would dictate respecting the privacy of the loved one’s family. These are not normal times.

Now here’s a rare case where I’ll be rooting FOR the virus:

(for those who can’t see the photos in Twitter embeds, the doctor and Vladimir Putin are shaking hands)

William Howard Taft may have lost his title as America’s heaviest president:

That’s it for now. Back later today or tomorrow with more news.