Good morning, it’s Tuesday. For some of us, it’s Monday redux – Day One of a four-day workweek. (Others are not so lucky, though yesterday was pretty low key on the work front, I found, given how many people had off).

Remember the days in the not-too-distant past when we were all washing our hands like maniacs? At the height of the pandemic, I was addicted to hand sanitizer and soap, so much so that my hands were perpetually dry, cracked, and chapped, and not just in the dead of winter when that is pretty much standard for me.

I have to confess that I have fallen off the bandwagon a little when it comes to hand washing best practices. Of course, I still wash after using the bathroom, before and after bandaging a cut, while cooking (multiple times, depending on the messiness of the dish), and whenever they are really dirty – like after working outside, after cleaning up after a pet or taking out the garbage, or after working out at the gym.

But I might not always remember to wash them every single time I eat something, or after coming in the house after spending the day out and about, or after using public transportation. I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I’m also betting that I’m far from alone in this particular boat.

Given that we’re heading into cold and flu season – not to mention the fact that Covid is still very much with us – I think we could all use a little reminder about the importance of keeping ones hands cleans, and also a refresher course in hand washing 101.

What better day to do it than Global Handwashing Day!

Basic hygiene in the form of hand washing with clean running water and plain old soap has been proven to be one of the most effective methods we’ve got when it come to preventing the spread of viruses and infectious diseases (like COVID-19) – not antibiotics, or vitamins, or healthy eating, or getting enough sleep, though these all certainly have their place.

But clearly there can be too much of a good thing, even when it comes to washing your hands. Exhibit A: my pandemic-era reddened and painful paws.

According to the WHO, the sweet spot is somewhere between six and 10 times a day, though this depends entirely on the person and their circumstances, of course, and repeated hand washing can be a sign of something deeper afoot – like OCD.

If you need further incentive to keep those mitts clean, consider the following statistics, helpfully provided by the CDC:

  • Hand washing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related sicknesses and about 20% of respiratory infections (e.g., flu and colds). 
  • About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year across the globe from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia – the top two killers of young kids around the world.
  • Hand washing with soap (this part is really critical, as it dramatically improves effectiveness) could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea, and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections.
  • Reducing the number of these infections can help prevent the overuse of antibiotics, which is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world.

OK, so we’re all in agreement that washing your hands is a good thing that we all should probably be doing a lot more of. BUT, let’s remember that there is a right way and a better way to wash your hands. As mentioned above, use soap. Also, when possible, clean, running water is preferable, but even non-drinkable water – in a pinch – is better than nothing.

Be thorough. Scrub your palms, in between your fingers, and under your nails. Don’t neglect the backs of your hands, too. Scrub for at least 20 seconds – or, famously, as long as it takes to hum “Happy Birthday” at a moderate rate (no speed humming, please). Dry on a clean towel or by using an air dryer (though, personally, I find these suspect, and there is data to back me up here).

I also prefer to use a paper towel, if possible, to turn off the water and also to open the door to exit the bathroom, if that’s where I happen to be. The point here is: Don’t clean and then immediately re-contaminate.

In a pinch, hand sanitizer will do. But really, just plain old soap and water is the gold standard here. Go forth and be clean.

You’re welcome.

We’re deep into fall weather, now. Yesterday was damn depressing, I’m not going to lie. Damp, chilly, gray. Just yuck. Today will be a little better, with intervals of clouds and sun and temperatures in the low 50s.

In the headlines…

Vice President Harris brought a little bit of her Republican rival (in the form of a video clip) into her own campaign event yesterday in a bid to try to make more people pay attention to some of the most extreme threats he has made on the trail.

“After all these years, we know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “He is someone who will stop at nothing to claim power for himself.”

Harris’ campaign laid out what it sees as her path to victory in Pennsylvania in a memo shared exclusively with NBC News ahead of last night’s rally in bellwether Erie County.

Harris will do a sit-down interview with the broadcaster Fox News tomorrow, the news channel announced, in the most dramatic moment yet in a recent media blitz by the Democratic presidential nominee.

Former President Donald Trump criticized Fox News in a series of social media posts, claiming the conservative-leaning network “has grown weak and soft on Democrats” after the network announced it will interview Harris.

Trump was about 30 minutes into a town hall last night in suburban Philadelphia when a medical emergency in the crowd brought the questions and answers to a halt. Moments later, another medical incident seemed to derail things, this time for good.

Rather than try to restart the political program, he seemed to decide in the moment that it would be more enjoyable for all concerned — and, it appeared, for himself — to just listen to music instead.

Television personality Geraldo Rivera revealed that he is backing Harris over Trump in the election, now less than a month away.

“Former President Trump is a sore loser who cannot be trusted to honor the Constitution,” Rivera, once an ally of the former president, wrote in a lengthy post on social platform X. “That is why I am voting for Kamala Harris to be our 47th President.”

Trump’s attorneys made their latest bid at moving his hush money criminal case to federal court, telling an appeals panel that a lower judge’s refusal to do so was “rushed” and “profoundly flawed.” 

The conservative activist Christopher Rufo published claims that Harris had copied portions of her 2009 book “Smart on Crime,” citing five sections that he said were lifted from widely available sites including Wikipedia and news reports.

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries crisscrossed Southern California over the weekend in communities far from the presidential battlegrounds as he works to wrest control of the U.S. House from Republicans.

Canada accused the Indian government of homicide and extortion intended to silence critics of India living in Canada, escalating a bitter dispute that began last year with an assassination of a Sikh activist.

Canada expelled India’s top diplomat and five others, saying they were part of a vast criminal network. India reciprocated, expelling six Canadian diplomats.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was expelling the individuals – all persons of interest – as Canada’s foreign minister said police had uncovered evidence of a worsening campaign against Canadian citizens by agents of the Indian government.

A North Carolina man was arrested on Saturday and accused of threatening federal emergency responders who have been administering aid since Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the state last month.

Amid the conspiracy theories and falsehoods that have spiraled online after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, meteorologist say the attacks and threats directed at them have reached new heights.

One person was killed and at least 23 more were injured after an NJ Transit light rail train struck a tree on the tracks yesterday morning in South Jersey.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s satisfied with the avalanche of high-level resignations from Mayor Eric Adams’ senior ranks after she urged him to clean house, the strongest endorsement she’s given him since he was indicted on corruption charges last month.

“The mayor has been very focused,” Hochul said. “We’ve been working very closely through this chaos and I had asked him to work to bring in new blood and new people to work to stabilize the city and calm it all down and he’s doing that.”

Hochul on Friday announced the completion of a $21.3 million infrastructure improvement project on the state Thruway in Ulster and Greene counties.

The state Senate GOP conference wants the DEC to delay implementation of the Advanced Clean Truck regulations, which require manufacturers that make vehicles 8,500 pounds and heavier to sell an increasing percentage of electric vehicles annually.

In Buffalo on Oct. 10, U.S. District Judge John Sinatra, Jr. declared unconstitutional a New York law that outlawed bearing arms on private property without the consent of the property owner. 

The New York City Department of Investigation’s staffing levels are so low that employees can’t go on vacation without “significant disruptions” to the agency’s work — a problem that’s becoming especially dire amid the Adams administration corruption probes.

Adams was spotted at the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan wearing a hat that had both the Mets and Yankees logos on it with an “X” in between, which shows he isn’t leaning one way or another. This was not well received by all New Yorkers.

“He should be indicted just for this,” one self-proclaimed “awful Yankee fan” tweeted. (The hat appears to be a throwback from the 2000 World Series between the rival teams, in which the Yankees swept the Mets 4-1).

John Catsimaditis, a New York City billionaire, is mulling another mayoral bid if Adams resigns or is ousted.

Adams penned an op-ed for Caribbean Life, insisting: “Thanks to our efforts, New York City has seen nine straight months of crime reduction.”

Each of New York’s 10.7 million taxpayers would have to fork over $215 on average to foot the bill for the state’s ongoing migrant crisis, according to a new analysis by a Republican lower Hudson Valley state Senate candidate.

Cops arrested more than 200 protesters from the pro-Palestinian group Jewish Voice for Peace who chained themselves to the doors of the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the opening bell yesterday morning, cops said.

Six more accusers have hit Sean “Diddy” Combs with a new wave of lawsuits, accusing the embattled hip hop mogul of rape and sexual assault, including one incident alleged to have occurred at a Manhattan hotel in 2004.

Unlicensed vendors who have long sold their wares in front of the massive and long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory say law enforcement officials have been pushing them away over the last two months, hollowing out what had been a bustling streetscape.

Organizers behind Nolita’s beloved Elizabeth Street Garden are fighting to keep the space open with just days left until it’s evicted — but the city isn’t budging yet on its plan to plow it over for senior housing.

A leak in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the race to plug it revealed the fragility of New York City’s aging transportation network.

The longtime leader of the York Theater Company, a small New York nonprofit known for its emphasis on musical theater, is acknowledging making “hurtful” comments about diversity that he says prompted his abrupt departure from the organization.

Five New York House members — including progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman — are being accused of spreading “hate” by pushing to scrap Columbus Day.

When the Europa Clipper lifted off yesterday, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student with a personal attachment to the spacecraft was watching.

The Balloonary, an Albany business featuring party supplies and gifts, is popping up in the Stuyvesant Plaza starting Oct. 28 for the holiday season. 

Albany Republican and Democrat Party leaders have unveiled what they think is the nation’s first sushi presidential “roll poll” at the War Room Tavern to predict the results of the upcoming election.

City officials in Glens Falls have announced a tentative budget of $25.5 million for next year. The city has scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 22, after the budget is presented at the Tuesday, Oct. 15 Common Council meeting.

Kaseem Ryan, who built a small but fervent following as an underground Brooklyn rapper known as Ka while maintaining a career as a New York City firefighter, died “unexpectedly” in the city over the weekend. He was 52.

Lilly Ledbetter, who became a national symbol of unequal treatment of women in the workplace and a hero to many for her yearslong persistence in fighting against the status quo in court, in Congress and on the political campaign trail, has died at 86.

A massive meat recall linked to possible listeria contamination has impacted hundreds of ready-to-eat meals sold at major grocery store chains across the U.S., including Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Target.

Photo credit: George Fazio