What's so funny?

Laundry and Dishes...
“After the ecstasy, the laundry,” say the Buddhists. Whatever happens on election night — agony, ecstasy, a mix of the two, or more heart-pounding suspense — life will go on, and clothes and dishes will need to be washed. This week I tried out two new eco-friendly products to help with that. In my experience, such “solutions” often turn out to be useless or the usual harsh chemicals coated with marketing greenwash. But these are pretty good.

TruEarth Eco-strips are wafer-thin strips of laundry detergent sold in a slim paper packet, eliminating plastic packaging and vastly reducing shipping costs. They’re hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and free of various nefarious ingredients. Best of all, they work! You can find them on Amazon in the UK and US.
Salt & Light Dishwasher Tabs, made with all natural ingredients like lemon juice and baking soda, are so chunky we had to break them up with a hammer to jam them into our elderly dishwasher’s soap dispenser. They’re homemade, only available through Etsy, and the shipping costs, even within the US, are steep. But even a half tab works like a charm.
— Karen McCann
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How it's done. Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in rally Tuesday in Atlanta. Meanwhile, packed Trump rallies have led to 30,000 new coronavirus infections, according to Stanford University researchers. (photo: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP)

What's So Funny?
I re-wrote this intro three times, veering between hand-wringy and relentlessly upbeat. Well, what? We've worked all we can, we'll know when we know, and in the meantime, there is a new Randy Rainbow song out.
—Kathy Sherretts

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Words and Music:
The Conversation: Tom Lehrer and US satire from Charlie Chaplin to Randy Rainbow by Will Kaufman
"I often feel like a resident of Pompeii who has been asked for some humorous comments on lava.”
Open Culture: Tom Lehrer Releases His All of Catchy and Savage Musical Satire Into the Public Domain by Colin Marshall
Songs—music and lyrics—are available on Lehrer’s website. (The spouse has already downloaded the sheet music for "The Vatican Rag")

Behind the Scenes:
Brennan Center for Justice: 5 Things You May Not Know About Local Election Officials by Elizabeth Howard
This year, many election officers are working seven days a week; one official kept working from his hospital bed after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
Counting On It:
New York Times: Election Maps—Don’t Let Them Fool You by Betsy Mason
Chances are that Election Night will be the beginning, not the end, of the fight. I know that, but it's hard not to get freaked out by polls and predictions and maps as they shift over time. That will get even worse on the night of the 3rd. To help us process it all, Mother Jones hosted this discussion of how to survive Election Night. (Podcast, 40 min)
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Learn More About Candidates and Issues! 

• Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) 
• Americans of Conscience Checklist
• ClimateRecovery.org

Get in touch with someone back in the US today. 
​Tell them to be careful, wear a mask, and get out to their polling place and vote!

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Endangered Species Act protection was stripped from Gray Wolves this week.