Song of the day:
The backstory to the Song of the Day’s video:
Apparently today’s post is all about Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift…and why not? It’s Friday, they’re friends, and they’re fun. Their new collab on Ed’s song, The Joker and The Queen, is good, and I like it a lot, but I’m sad they weren’t in the video. Still, it’s a fun continuation of their collab on the video for Taylor’s song, Everything Has Changed. And yes, those apparently are the same actors. Kinda cool. And so very Ed and Taylor.
And while TJATQ is probably the most famous song and video to premiere today, I also want to let you know that my friend Dave Farah has a gorgeous new song out today called Matter of Time. No video yet but you can listen here or on your favorite streaming service.
On to other news…
It’s Friday and I’m still home, trying to shake whatever ails me that thankfully isn’t COVID. I have some weird up and down fever thing but it does seem a little better this morning. And the sore throat appears to be gone. And not that it hasn’t been nice to just work at home in my pajamas but I’m over it. I’m supposed to stay home until I go 24 hours without a fever so we’ll see if I make it today. Not that I have anywhere to go other than work, mind you, but still.
I realized this morning that I neglected to include any Black History Month or Lunar New Year facts in yesterday’s blog…I blame the fever. I’m surprised I had the energy to post at all. So today you are getting bonus coverage…
Black History Month / Nurses, Vaccines, and Medical Educators
In 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first African American to graduate from an American school of nursing. Today, there are more than 200,000 members of the National Black Nurses Association. The association's current president, Dr. Martha A. Dawson of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, has more than 40 years of experience in nursing and health systems administration and is recognized as a global thought leader in the field.
During WWI, pioneering surgeon and medical researcher Dr. Louis T. Wright developed a new technique for smallpox vaccination. In 2020, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett worked to develop and produce the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 as part of a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health.
In 1949, Dr. William Augustus Hinton became the first African American professor at Harvard Medical School after serving on the faculty for more than 30 years. In 2018, former NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett became director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University as well as FXB Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health.
(Source: New York Academy of Medicine)
Lunar New Year / The Lantern Festival
Dances and fireworks are prevalent throughout the holidays, culminating in the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of the New Year’s celebrations. On this night colourful lanterns light up the houses, and traditional foods such as yuanxiao (sticky rice balls that symbolize family unity), fagao (prosperity cake), and yusheng (raw fish and vegetable salad) are served. (Source: Britannica)
Video of the day:
Because you can’t have enough Ed Sheeran in your life. It’s a fact. And this performance was beautiful.