The Red Velvet Lawyer

One of the Happiest Days of my Life This morning on my Facebook feed, I saw a call to action seeking poll workers and poll watchers for the election in Ohio.  It reminded me of one of the happiest days of my life.  On that day, I served as a Democratic Party poll watcher in St. Louis County, Missouri.  Background On October 16, 2000, I woke to the NPR radio station in St. Louis announcing the death of then-Governor Mel Carnahan, a Democratic candidate for one of Missouri's U.S. Senate seats.  Overnight, Mel, his son, Randy, and his campaign manager had died in a plane crash as he left a campaign event south of St. Louis.  Standing in bare feet on the cold wood floor, I started crying, my shoulders slumped in complete defeat.  My boyfriend offered little emotional support or understanding. I slammed the door as I left his house and never returned.  Had he completely misunderstood (or worse, devalued) the countless hours I had devoted to getting Democrats elected in Missouri that el

Can it Sustain the Success as  Businesses Re-Open? During the last week of June, Qatar saw an increasing decline in new cases.  Qatari officials began to talk about being past the peak of infection.  The contemplated a four phase re-opening .  A partial re-opening began June 15, with precautions put in place to prevent a spike in cases.  July 1 brought Phase 2 of the re-opening, with more shops, mosques, and outdoor venues re-opening.  See my June post for more information about the rules governing the Phase 2 reopening.  Officials stressed that the transition from one stage to anothe r is subject to the cooperation of all members of society and their application of precautionary measures, and the need to adhere to the procedures in place determined by the Council of Ministers.  It advises family members to limit visits to other family members and keep them to no longer than 15 minutes.  As Qatar marked these milestones, a different story unfolded in the US.  During th