There was a head-on collision near our house. A rare event! We’re in a northern California neighborhood, between San Jose and San Francisco. A street sweeper truck, heading the wrong way down the avenue, collided head-on with a car. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.
We occasionally see the street sweeper, one of those trucks slowly lumbering along streets, sweeping away debris with big, round brushes on the bottom of the truck, and sometimes emitting water, also from somewhere under the truck. Picturing one of those things barreling the wrong way down the street, and plowing into a car, that just doesn’t compute. But, it happened, here in crazy California.
But, on to more weighty things — with no pun intended — with regard to things that rarely happen.
I’ve been typing notes to myself about fascinating – sometimes weird – current events that I can look into, and use, in some of the articles I write. For example, here’s one of my rough notes, in high-tech shorthand, written down on my smart phone: “M. Bennett and T. Young bipartisan bill re COVID relief for small biz so they can survive.” I’d heard about something, in the news, that rarely – if ever – happens. A “repub” and a “dem” actually working together!
From your neck of the woods, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Indiana Senator Todd Young — the “dem” and the “repub” — are about to introduce a bill aimed at fast-tracking more pandemic-relief money for small businesses. There’s been quite a bit, in the news, about the Senate and the House of Representatives trying to agree on another round of relief. But even as small businesses are having to shut town, as the talks drag on, the two senators have some stopgap legislation ready to go.
“The 2 sides talking! Why not? How refreshing,” I wrote in my rough notes.
I had this, too, in the notes: “Emerg room dr on tv re COVID… a coherent national strategy, we need that.” An “emerg room dr” – the “dr,” my shorthand for doctor – was saying it sure would be nice to have a coherent national strategy for addressing the pandemic. Like bipartisanship, wouldn’t “a coherent” COVID strategy be a real, welcomed surprise?
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.