Happy (?) New Year Edition of Lots 'o Links

The continual onslaught of bad news makes is hard to want to celebrate, so I can only hope that 2021 is finally the beginning of more encouraging news and more optimistic statistics for hospitals, nursing homes, and patients.

This comes from Hot Air:  "At present someone in LA County dies from the virus, on average, every 10 minutes. LA’s Public Health account on Twitter has been tweeting out warnings trying to personalize the threat every 10 minutes as a way to get people’s attention." Click here to see some of the warnings.  Maybe electronic billboards could do the same thing.

Check out the links at Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #116; Larwyn's Linx; Maggie's Farm; and Politico Magazine’s 20 Stories That Explain 2020.

"6 Quick Laughter Yoga Exercises That Access the Now"

Until this week, I had never heard of "laughter yoga" before. After seeing this video, I can easily understand why these hilarious, ridiculous exercises are good stress relievers!  If these people aren't paid, professional laughers, they should be! The facilitator, Thomas Flindt, "is a life coach and laughter instructor as well as the driving force behind World Laughter Day in Denmark."

Tough COVID Messaging Required

Every day, I see Dr Fauci and other doctors on TV, beseeching the American people to wear masks, wash their hands, and keep a social distance from others. Their appeals aren't working. Instead of begging and pleading, maybe they ought to tell the people what to do, instead of asking them pretty please. How about "You MUST wear a mask", or "If you don't change your inconsiderate behavior, more people will die.", or even "No mask? No vaccine."  

Tougher messaging is needed, and now.  And it wouldn't hurt to create billboards or posters where people could see them every day, like the one from World War II, above. There should also be frequent PSAs on TV. Why don't we have these things already?

You Can Act Like A President!

The New York Post got it right. Enough already! Stop acting like a spoiled brat and stop interfering with the incoming administration because you lost the election. It's embarrassing and unseemly. He could have become a good post-presidency ambassador for the vaccine and for mask-wearing, but it's too late for him to change his stripes now.

I never thought it'd be possible, but Trump's maneuvers actually make you feel sorry for Biden.

An Artistic Representation of the Year 2020

I came across this terrific graphic at Artnet on Instagram. It covers the year only through September; can you imagine what October through December must look like?

And here are the art memes that brought us the most joy this year.

Merry, Nostalgic Christmas!

I saw this Don Feder column last night and could identify with it, as can anyone who grew up in the 1960s.. It's called "Christmas Eve on West Main St. in Johnstown N.Y., Circa 1962", and you'll enjoy it.

Here's an excerpt: "The decorations, the snow, the music – I loved it all.  To me, Christmas Eve on West Main Street, circa 1962, represents normalcy.

"This was an America where men still wore hats they tipped to ladies, where cops were respected and obeyed, where cars had huge tailfins and gas was 25-cents a gallon, where television sitcoms were hilarious and wholesome, where an army of busy bureaucrats didn’t try to regulate every breath you took, where schools taught manners as well as academic subjects. It was a land where love of country was celebrated and religion was honored.

"It was an America where you knew everyone on your block, not just the family next-door. It was an America before hippies and urban riots, free love and R-rated movies, non-stop protests and manufactured rage. It was an America where ideas were freely exchanged on college campuses. This was an America where the grandson of immigrants --- the son of a man who grew up in a tenement and left school in the 8^th. grade – could dream of one day becoming a writer.

"Back in the day (my day) Christmas was magic – so enchanting that even some who didn’t celebrate it were touched by it."

One of the commenters wrote,  "As a little Jewish girl I learned every Christmas Carol and can still sing them today. I learned everyone of them in school."  So did I!

Christmas Day Terrorism in Nashville

That destructive blast in Nashville sure looks more like a domestic terrorist act than an "intentional act" and reminded me of Timothy McVeigh and his fertilizer-packed Ryder truck. When I heard about the 9-1-1 call, I thought maybe the cops had been lured to the area, or else it was a dry run for something even bigger.

I always thought that our vulnerability would attract terrorists, and I guess it has. Whoever and whatever this is, I hope the FBI finds them, and fast.

Lots 'o Links

Here's some good reading on this Hump Day from Maggie's Farm, Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #112,  Politico, and Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness.

Yiddish & The Coronavirus

In Harold Ticktin's December 11 Yiddish Vinkl, he chose the word eyngeshparter, which means a stubborn person.  The definition he used reminded me of a certain president: "An eyngeshparter is a person who is protesting to end the shutdown before it’s safe, still not wearing a mask and claiming the pandemic is all a hoax”. 

That definition is from an article titled "These 10 Yiddish words will get you through quarantine", which you'll enjoy.

Oh Well!

From the always-reliable and compellingly-written STAT:  "A ‘duty to warn’: An ER doctor, shaped by war and hardship, chronicles the searing realities of Covid-19."

It makes you sick and angry to read these stories day after day. But nobody seems to care. They just shrug and continue on with their selfish behavior. Look here: "Tennessee now leads the country in cases per capita, thanks in part to Thanksgiving gatherings that spread the virus. 'If we have another surge over Christmas, it will break our hospitals,' the state's health commissioner warned Sunday. Nevertheless, Gov. Bill Lee (R) has refused to order a mask mandate." 

So between the governor and the Christmas shoppers and celebrants who are ignoring the warnings, the worst is yet to come, and I can only hope it's worse for them than it is for the rest of us.

Two Views of COVID

I read two Washington Post articles recently that made me angry. The first was about the shocking surge of COVID cases in California: "Coronavirus cases in California are surging to record highs and hospitals are overrun. At St. Mary Medical Center, a hospital in the desert town of Apple Valley, the ICU has burst its capacity. Patients undergo triage in a parking lot tent, and the hospital’s lobbies and hallways have become makeshift covid wards. Exhausted staff fear the worst is still to come." See the accompanying video here. 

The other article was titled Minnesota bar sued by state over indoor dining ban refuses to close: ‘We want to let freedom ring’. "Over the TV sets playing at Alibi Drinkery on Wednesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced that his state would continue to ban indoor dining in its battle against the coronavirus. But inside the sports bar, the crowd of people watching his address had a different idea. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they sang along as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” blared from the speakers that night. In a since-deleted video posted by co-owner Lisa Monet Zarza, customers at the Lakeville, Minn. watering hole raised their fists and Bud Light bottles in defiance."

By the time I finished the second article, I was wishing those bar patrons could be locked up in St Mary Medical Center and forced to see where their reckless unconcern leads.

Why Aren't Idiot Americans Listening to COVID Warnings?

We're in the midst of the dreadful post-Thanksgiving surge, just as predicted, and yet Americans are still going to travel for Christmas! What's wrong with these people?  How are they still so cavalier about the pandemic, and practically suicidal, when there are charts like this one from The COVID Tracking Project: Americans currently hospitalized.

And get this: "Using an analysis from the University of Minnesota's COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project, NPR has created a tool that allows you to see how your local hospital and your county overall are faring. It focuses on one important metric — how many beds are filled with COVID-19 patients — and shows this for each hospital and on average for each county."  Who could ever have imagined there'd be a need in our country for such a tool?

The horrendous daily statistics don't seem to affect them at all. 

Thanks to these incredibly selfish, stupid people, our hospitals and medical staffs are now overloaded and overwhelmed, and I can only hope there are no beds left for them.

Hooray for the COVID Vaccine!

It's definitely been a great week and "a great day for humanity", and some of the most encouraging news of the year.  Here are some newspaper headlines celebrating the vaccine in the UK, with more to come here at home.

Chuck Yeager R.I.P.

I liked this sentence from a tribute to Chuck Yeager by John Avlon titled "Goodbye to the cowboy in the sky":  "Yeager was a direct connection to an American ethos that we've lost sight of -- one before the narcissistic need for attention, the shallow materialism full of phony tough bluster and the fetishization of victimhood took hold and began to define our country, from the Oval Office on down".  

He's referring to  Trump here, but the tiresome "me generation" and victimhood mentality in our country have been around long before Trump became President.

How Trump Can Redeem Himself Somewhat

Everyone's been talking about getting a COVID vaccine administered on live TV, the way Elvis did with the polio vaccine.

How about Trump taking the first vaccine on live TV here?  He's shown no interest so far in slowing or stopping the disease, and he's leaving office looking even worse than Nixon.  At least he can try to convince his followers to get the vaccine.

Compare and Contrast

You have to read this op-ed titled On the COVID frontlines, we’re tired of hearing lame excuses for risky behavior, by L.A. physician Mark Morocco. Here's an excerpt: 

"In emergency rooms and intensive care units across the country, frontline nurses, respiratory therapists and doctors like me have been in danger every day for eight months. Smothered in PPE, we’re doused in coronavirus every day while we take care of the very sick, the worried well and the dying. Some of the dead aren’t patients; some are colleagues, friends and our own families.
We are furious and we are exhausted. And now we face again the flooding of our hospitals.
We’re tired of seeing patients who got the virus after their kid’s 'limited' birthday party or because they went out to a restaurant dinner with 'close friends' or flew to a celebration in a state 'that didn’t have much COVID.'
...
Stop being crybabies about a little inconvenience. We already have more than 250,000 reasons to weep — and to be thankful we are alive and can still do something about it.
...
As I put on my PPE before a shift in the ER, I think of seasick WWII soldiers, riding toward a beach as other young men on shore tried to kill them in the surf. Compared to what they faced, what I do is easy.
Then, no one knew how long the war would last or if they would survive. People back home collected rubber and bacon grease for years, gave up countless liberties and luxuries, and no one ever called the war a hoax, even if they never saw a Nazi in their backyard.
We’re eight months into COVID. World War II lasted six years and a day. The Great Depression lasted 10 years. The 1918 flu lasted two years and two months.
Are we really that soft? That careless? That selfish?"

Now contrast that stark editorial with this: Staten Island protesters rally after Mac's bar shut down for defying covid rules.  From what I could see, these bellowing fools were mostly maskless.

Then there's this: "The New York Young Republican Club held its 108th annual gala in-person on Thursday evening. 'Catch us if you can,' one attendee tweeted with a photo of over 20 unmasked guests, directing her comments to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo."

This makes me sick. If selfish, defiant people like this can't be arrested, at least make them visit the COVID ward of any hospital to see what patients and healthcare workers like Mark Morocco are enduring.

"Have You Left No Sense of Decency?"

I never thought it would come to this. Instead  of Trump fighting COVID-19 with everything at his disposal right from the start, and leaving  office with vaccines produced in record time, he is fighting the results of the election that even Republicans have to admit he lost, he has fought with rational people, and now his presidency is ending this way:

From CNN: "A Georgia election official on Tuesday condemned threats of physical violence and intimidation against election workers and officials, pleading with President Donald Trump to denounce the threats and urging both of the state's Republican senators to intervene.

'It's all gone too far,' said Gabriel Sterling, the voting systems implementation manager for the Georgia secretary of state's office, during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at the Georgia Capitol.
Sterling, a Republican, grew visibly emotional as he described an incident in which a video of a Dominion Voting Machines contractor in Gwinnett County was spread online with claims of vote manipulation. After the video circulated, the man was accused of treason and found a noose outside his house. The man's family members have received death threats, Sterling said.

'You need to step up and say this ... stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence,' Sterling said, addressing the President. 'Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed, and it's not right.'"

As I watched this news conference, all I could think of was Joseph M. Welch's takedown of Joe McCarthy:  "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

In addition, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Sidney Powell,  Joseph DiGenova, Rudy Giuliani, and others   ought to think about what's left of their reputations, and just stop this "stolen election" nonsense already!

Here's Another Virus That May Soon Be Sweeping The Nation

From Hot Air:  "Over the past two months, Minneapolis police have logged more than 125 carjackings in the city, a troubling surge that authorities had largely linked to small groups of marauding teens. But an increasing number of adults have been arrested in recent weeks for the same crime.

Within a one-hour period Saturday morning, police reported three separate carjackings in southeast Minneapolis, including one where an elderly woman was struck on the head. Such attacks are up 537% this month when compared with last November.

'The numbers are staggering,” said police spokesman John Elder. 'It defies all civility and any shred of common human decency.'"

Not only the carjackers themselves but the "defund the police" supporters and the City Council should be sued and held criminally responsible for these brutal attacks. And remember, this is all happening during a killer pandemic, which makes the lack of human decency even worse. Maybe they'll all get the virus as their comeuppance.

It''s Like Talking To A Wall

At Vox today, I saw the link to this open letter to the people of Wisconsin from University of Wisconsin health care workers. Change "Wisconsin" to the name of your state.

"Wisconsin is in a bad place right now with no sign of things getting better without action. We are, quite simply, out of time. Without immediate change, our hospitals will be too full to treat all of those with the virus and those with other illnesses or injuries. Soon you or someone you love may need us, but we won’t be able to provide the life-saving care you need, whether for COVID-19, cancer, heart disease or other urgent conditions. As health care providers, we are terrified of that becoming reality.

But like many families facing a crisis, we can rally together and take action to get through this one. You’ve heard these recommendations a thousand times, but if the thousand and first time makes an impact it’s all worth it. If you stop the spread to one person, it’s worth it:

• Avoid gatherings that put you at risk, not just with strangers but extended family members, too. Not just big parties and rallies, but happy hours, conferences and sporting events.
• Wear a mask. They really do work, and they save lives, including your own.
• Wash your hands, often."

Just how many times do adults have to be told the things that they should know well by now? It's extremely infuriating and isn't likely to get these defiant idiots to cooperate.

I've also heard a suggestion that Americans be paid if they agree to get a  COVID  vaccine. That's a pretty outrageous idea and says a lot about the lack of character of the antivaxxers.

The Return of John Kerry

Oh, this should be good: John Kerry is now Biden's "Climate Envoy".  We can look forward to more claims like the one from 2016 that air conditioners and refrigerators are as big of a threat to life as the threat of terrorism posed by groups like the Islamic State. Don't forget 2014, when he said that climate change was the most serious threat we face.

It's scary to think that, during a devastating pandemic, he still feels that way.

Comics That Encourage

From My Modern Met: "Sometimes we can all use a little reassurance that things are going to be okay. Artist Hector Janse van Rensburg, aka Sh*itty Watercolour, delivers these gentle reminders in the form of endearing four-panel comics. In his illustrations, Van Rensburg is comforted by a small gray feline who offers soothing tidbits that are sure to calm anyone’s anxious mind. The cat does this by reminding us that we’re human and doing our best to make it through each day."

I loved this instantly and have been forwarding the article to others. Above are two of the comics.

A Public Service Video That Should Shame Americans

 

This PSA from the Cleveland Clinic is called "Every Mask Up | #MaskUp". It begs Americans to wear masks on behalf of our heroic healthcare workers.

Unfortunately, the Americans in question are still too selfish, ignorant, and self-absorbed to care about anyone but themselves and their "freedom", and not even this plea will change that.

Still Think COVID-19 is a Hoax? You're Dead Wrong!

I saw the CNN interview this morning with South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doerning and have even more admiration for our healthcare professionals and less sympathy for COVID-deniers than I had before.

She had tweeted, "The ones that stick out are those who still don't believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is Going to ruin the USA. All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm, They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that 'stuff' because they don't have COVID because it's not real. Yes. This really happens."

Dr, Leana Wen, who I always watch when she's on CNN, tweeted in response, "It's not how anyone should spend their last days. This is the cost of disinformation." It's also the cost of your own stupidity. Whatever happened to common sense and using your own head? Nobody's brainwashing you; you're choosing to believe nonsense, and you've made the wrong choice. Now you're paying for it with your life.

Lots 'o Links

Check out the latest editions of Larwyn's Linx; Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #86; Maggie's Farm; and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing.

And don't forget Harold Ticktin's Yiddish Vinkl column! Here he discusses one of my favorite words: nosh!  "Title of article by a British journalist about his memories of the old London Jewish Hospital: 'Yiddish nurses, a rabbi, kosher nosh: the hospital had it all, except great doctors.' (thejc.com/news/features)."

A Tsunami of COVID..and COVIDiots

This photo is from a huge anti-lockdown protest march in Manchester, England in which people were packed together, maskless. If the morons in this country & around the world still don’t get the seriousness of COVID after all these deadly months, maybe this headline will enlighten them.  But I doubt it. What WILL it take? A million dead here?  These selfish fools need to read the data more, and shout less.

The Covid-19 crisis in America is so dire now, international aid workers have arrived to help.
"'This is a humanitarian disaster -- probably one of the worst stories I've covered in my career here at CNN,' the network's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Thursday.
Workers from Doctors Without Borders are trying to help the US get a grip on the pandemic, he said. More than 241,000 people have died from coronavirus nationwide -- a number that is rapidly growing every day.
'I mean, this is an organization that typically covers true disasters and medical crises all over the world,' Gupta said.
'And when they sort of look at a map right now and say, 'Where do we need to be?' they pointed to the United States. They were in nursing homes in Detroit. They went to Missouri. They're in these different places trying to offer their services. And still, the numbers are what they are.'
The numbers are simply staggering. On Wednesday, the US recorded 1,893 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The tally would reflect a new high since May, though it may be skewed by an outsized number from Georgia that could include backlogged deaths.
More than 110,000 additional people in the US are projected to die from Covid-19 in just the next two months, according to the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
The US has also topped 100,000 daily infections at least nine days in a row. Wednesday was the second consecutive day of record numbers of Covid-19 hospitalizations.
And new reports show the pandemic is only ramping up as the country approaches a critical holiday season."

--------------------------------------

From STAT, reporting from the frontiers of health and medicine:  "With a meteoric rise in deaths, talk of waves is misguided, say Covid-19 modelers. The numbers have become both horrifying and numbing — and there is no end in sight."

The Wrong Time for Stolen Election Talk

I have to agree with the New York Post when they say President T ump, your legacy is secure — stop the 'stolen election' rhetoric.

"The math is looking near-impossible for President Trump to win re-election. But he should take pride in what he’s done for the nation and the world these last four years." 

If this were any other year, this legal battle wouldn't look so bad. But the optics of refusing to admit defeat and issuing legal challenges while a pandemic rages in our country look very bad. Accept the loss, help Biden with the transition, and be as gracious as possible these last few weeks in order to go out on a positive note.

This is what he should be focusing on now.  From USA Today: "The upward trajectory of coronavirus cases in the U.S. continued Wednesday with the country setting a new mark with more than 136,000 new infections, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
That development came a day after the U.S. reached 1 million cases in November alone and COVID-19 hospitalizations surpassed 60,000 for the first time. Hospitalizations have more than doubled in less than two months, the COVID Tracking Project reported Wednesday.
The number of Americans hospitalized due to COVID-19 has risen almost 50% in the last two weeks. On Wednesday, the U.S. surpassed 240,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus, the largest number in the world. The U.S. has 4.3% of the global population but 18.8% of the reported coronavirus deaths."

Biden Time

This is from the Washington Post e-newsletter I receive: "President-elect Joe Biden is planning to quickly sign a series of executive orders after he is sworn in Jan. 20, forecasting immediately that the country’s politics have shifted and that his presidency will be guided by radically different priorities on everything from climate change to immigration."  How wonderful.

I think the reason the people are celebrating in the streets tonight is not that Biden won, but that Trump lost.  I think if Jack the Ripper himself had been the Democratic challenger, the people would be celebrating.

Trump needs to leave office on a gracious note and not a spiteful one, even though he has good reason to be bitter after four years of incessant opposition.

"A Daily Spritz Up The Nose"

As Instapundit would say: Faster, please.

Per the New York Times:  "A nasal spray that blocks the absorption of the coronavirus completely protected ferrets it was tested on, according to a small study released Thursday by an international team of scientists. The study, which was limited to animals and has not yet been peer-reviewed, was assessed by several health experts at the request of The New York Times.

If the spray, which the scientists described as nontoxic and stable, is proved to work in humans, it could provide a new way to fight the pandemic, with a daily spritz up the nose acting like a vaccine."

Lots 'o Links

Here's some good reading about the fishy Presidential election and many other topics from the week: Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #81; Maggie's Farm; Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness; and Larwyn's Linx.

Great Art as Stress-Reliever

Read this analysis of the beautiful Velasquez masterpiece Las Meninas.  Seeing things like this makes you wonder why anyone can possibly like modern art.

Election Day Eve: Get The Tranquilizers Ready

While we wait, you might want to read this column by Howie Carr titled After Trump., the lefty deluge. Here's an excerpt:

"I remember this weekend four years ago, when like so many others, I was worried by Hillary Clinton’s wide lead in the polls.

After all, she’d been openly campaigning for 'open borders,' and against the First and Second Amendments. And the Clintons, of course, are even more corrupt than the Bidens. (Although it’s much closer than we thought.)

But America caught a break in 2016. We got a four-year reprieve from Barack Obama’s 'fundamental transformation' of the United States into a banana republic.

Now they’re back, the barbarians at the gate. This time, if they win, they want to make sure that no true Americans can ever win another election in America.

They want to pack the Supreme Court, abolish the Electoral College, add more welfare-dependent states, allow felons and illegal immigrants to vote, lower the voting age to 16 …

What could possibly go wrong?"

Well, a lot, including more Islamic terrorism, and less friendly relations with Israel.

These days, the devil you know is better than the devil you really don't want to know. Let's hope that tomorrow night is a repeat of Election Night 2016. 

p.s. The stamina that Trump showed at his many large rallies over the weekend was amazing. For a 74 year old COVID survivor, his energy and the will to win has been extremely impressive.

The Islamic Terrorism Virus

It's too bad COVID can't distinguish between good and evil and kill only evil people, because even during a worldwide pandemic, Islamic terrorism doesn't let up.

How is this for gall?  "Paris -- Several Arab countries are condemning French President Emmanuel Macron after he said he would propose legislation to tackle Islamist separatism and paid tribute to history teacher Samuel Paty, who was murdered after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class. Macron has previously called Islam a 'religion in crisis.'" 

Samuel Paty wasn't just murdered; he was beheaded.

And just today: "Woman Beheaded, 2 Others Killed by Man Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ in French Church.
A violent attack took place in the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption basilica, right in the center of the city of Nice in the South of France on Thursday around 9 AM, when, according to Reuters, a knife-wielding attacker was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' as he beheaded a woman and killed two other people."

How about condemning these brutal killers instead of boycotting France, which is the victim here? I hope Macron stands fast and doesn't cave in or, worse, apologize.

City of Brotherly Hate

Speaking of criminal behavior, isn't it amazing how quickly these mobs always manage to organize, loot, and destroy? With their organizational skills, it's a shame they can't work as COVID testers and contact tracers instead of domestic terrorists.

"Rather than going directly after the police, last night the mobs appeared to concentrate far more on looting and property destruction. As the local CBS News outlet reports, some retail stores in the city are describing the scene as a 'total loss' for their businesses. Storefronts are smashed, shelves are emptied of easily portable goods and fires continue to break out." 

And of course, they're not spreading the virus as they go.

They Should Tire of Hospital & Morgue Restrictions Instead!

Hmmm .. this criminal behavior sure sounds familiar, doesn't it? The virus is only going to keep spreading if these protests continue.

New protests loom as Europeans tire of virus restrictions

"Protesters set trash bins afire and police responded with hydrant sprays in downtown Rome Tuesday night, part of a day of public outpouring of anger against virus-fighting measures like evening shutdowns for restaurants and bars and the closures of gyms and theaters — a sign of growing discontent across Europe with renewed coronavirus restrictions.

Pedestrians and motorists returning home from work in Rome were taken by surprise when protesters, some of them hooded and members of an extreme-right political group, set afire to trash bins in Piazza del Popolo, overturned parked motor scooters and mopeds and hurled smoke bombs, state TV reported. Police vans unleashed torrents of water to disperse them." (As seen in the Vox newsletter.)

A Warm-Hearted Artist

In an exhibition called "Becoming a Witness",  you can see Sophia Soll's portraits of Holocaust survivors.  "'People usually say that's kind of scary or unsettling to see these colors within human anatomy and I say that's what makes my paintings so human,' Soll said. 'I'm focusing and exaggerating these human qualities."

You have to see these paintings.  She's extremely talented -- and only 17 years old!

The Real Donald Trump

What we saw at the debate last night was what we saw in 2016 when Trump outlasted 16 other candidates on the debate stage, experienced politicians like Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. He outlasted Biden last night, too, finally using the presidential tone we've heard before, as well as the  knowledge, wit, and charm we've come to expect. I was very impressed.

I was reading VodkaPundit Stephen Green's always-entertaining and informative Drunkblogging page, as well as the the Townhall Media livetweet thread at Hot Air. Go there to see what you missed.

This was a great line by Trump to Biden:  “I ran because of you, If I thought you did a good job, I never would have run.”  Well, we need him again now, to protect us from the 'fundamental transformation' that the Democrats have in store for us.

Memo to President Trump

Dear President Trump:  Here's some last minute advice for what it's worth.

Don't talk about Hunter Biden. You're not running against him. 

Don't use the phrases "Sleepy Joe" or "China Joe" when talking about Joe Biden.

Stop attacking Dr. Fauci and all other doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists. They know more than you do. 

Don't trust or rely on Scott Atlas for your information. 

Remember that you're the President. Speak more seriously and presidentially, as befits your office, at least for these last few weeks when it really counts.

Lots 'o Links

You can end this tumultuous week by reading the posts at Maggie's Farm, Larwyn's Linx, Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness, and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing. 

Here's what the left is posting over at the Daily Kos' Abbreviated Pundit Roundup.

Troyern, which means to be sad, grieve, or mourn, is the word discussed in Harold Ticktin's latest Yiddish Vinkl column.   "In 1903, Sholem Aleichem wrote: 'Yidishe mayses lozn zikh oys, tsum maynstn, troyerik' / 'Jewish stories end, for the most part, on a sad note.' (cambridge.org)"

There's a great app for readers called Refind, which you can download from the app store. Refind scans the entire web and picks what makes you smarter. Go deep where you want to expand your knowledge. And keep up with what matters to you with 10 personalized picks every day. Read more about it here at Medium.  

One of the Refind picks yesterday was Dan Goodspeed's Dan's COVID charts, in which he "takes normalized COVID data and tries to present it in useful, interesting ways", with colorful visualizations.
Wait till you see this shocking chart called cases since June by state partisanship.

A Catchy Handwashing Tune

Peat & Diesel - Thats the way we wash them 2 from NHS Western Isles on Vimeo.

Per the BBC: "NHS Western Isles has enlisted the help of local band Peat & Diesel to get a hand hygiene message stuck in islanders' heads. The tongue-in-cheek tune, and an accompanying video, have also been made to lift spirits following a Covid-19 outbreak on the isles." 

I wish this was ours, rather than the unmemorable and forgettable COVID-prevention commercial we have here.

Lots 'o Links

It's time for Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #66; Maggie's Farm; Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing; and Larwyn's Linx.  (Isn't "Insanity Wrap" a perfect name?)

In his Yiddish Vinkl column, Harold Ticktin discusses the word dergreykht, which means achievement and success.  "'Tsu sakh, vos me dergreykht in lebn, geyt aroys fun di kinder-yorn /Much of what is achieved in life goes from childhood.' (from a poem by Michael Felsenbaum in Yiddish Daily Forward, Jan. 24, 2014; see bit.ly/3cv9DS6)" Very true!

A Shonda: Hasidim Behaving Like Rioters

Sounds like some cooler heads might be prevailing:

NY Board of Rabbis: Violent Chasidic Protests ‘Shameful’

"The New York Board of Rabbis on Thursday called this week’s protests by Borough Park Chasidim against the state’s and the city’s coronavirus restrictions 'shameful' and asked the Jewish community to follow the health guidelines.

On Wednesday night, Haredi reporter Jacob Kornbluh and video photographer Berish Getz were attacked by a crowd of an estimated 500 Chasidim at a protest led by radio personality and community activist Heshy Tischler (Haredi Reporters Kornbluh, Getz, Assaulted, Called ‘Moysers’ by Chasidim in Protest Led by Heshy Tischler)."

It IS shameful. It not only provides haters with another excuse for more antisemitism, but to see Jews attacking other Jews and behaving more like Black Lives Matters rioters than learned men is appalling for all Jews.

But more than that, their refusal (and the refusal of too many non-Jews) to follow common sense public health requirements, wear masks, stop huge superspreader gatherings, and get their kids vaccinated (remember the measles epidemic?)  shows extreme selfishness. Most other people are making sacrifices during this crisis, so why can't they? I understand their dismay with DeBlasio & Cuomo, who seem to have excused BLM while scapegoating Jewish communities, but still, we have to put out these COVID outbreaks before they get out of control...again.

Afraid of Contact Tracing?

I can't get this news out of my mind:

"White House declines offers from CDC to help with contact tracing

The White House has declined offers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help investigate the outbreak surrounding President Donald Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis, according to a federal health official.

The offer by the CDC to engage with such efforts as running contact tracing occurred almost immediately after the President made public he had contracted coronavirus. Despite the concerns expressed by those at the CDC, including agency Director Dr. Robert Redfield, officials at the White House turned down the CDC's offer to help, the official said. 

The offer was repeated in a phone call Monday, according to the source. USA Today first reported the rebuffed offer."

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I just can't understand this at all. Contact tracing is used not only in COVID cases but also to help control outbreaks of diseases such as TB and Ebola. Why wouldn’t you ask for all the help you can get to get to the bottom of this?  Why wouldn’t you want to find out how this started? What are they afraid of? Unless Trump is afraid that HE is the source, and that will be the end of his candidacy.  But why doesn’t the staff contact the CDC themselves and get that help? They're sabotaging themselves at their own peril. It makes no sense to me at all.

Dying To Win

All I could think of while watching Trump's return to the White House tonight was MacArthur's famous "I Have Returned" photo in the Philippines - and that's not a compliment.

Obviously he learned nothing from this normally life-altering medical crisis, as the world saw when he removed his mask . I felt physically ill myself when I saw that. The criticism from CNN is well-justified.

Walter Reed is a renowned medical center, but his doctors didn't acquit themselves very well. Also, whoever gave him the go-ahead to make that drive yesterday (on the same day as the memorial for the 200,000+ dead from COVID) made a dreadful decision. What were they thinking?

I realize he wants to win re-election, but how is he going to do that if he relapses or dies from COVID-19?

Don't Get Well Soon!

Isn't it pretty sad when Trump receives get well wishes from foreign leaders including even Kim Jong Un but gets death wishes from his own fellow Americans?

Out of an Abundance of Stupidity

I've heard a lot of anti-Trump sentiment since his COVID diagnosis, namely the opinion that he please hurry and die from the disease. But one of the most ridiculous remarks was from Michael Moore and others, who are sure that Trump is faking his illness to get out of the next debate. That would mean that Walter Reed Medical Center is conspiring with the President in a massive deception. How clever!

President Trump's Wake-up Call

Like Boris Johnson and the President of Brazil, President & Mrs Trump have tested positive for COVID. This comes on the heels of close aide Hope Hicks' own positive result. I wouldn't wish this virus on anyone, but you can bet Melania must have said, "You idiot! Haven't I told you to wear a mask?!"

What a nightmare scenario this is. Sometimes a person has to be frightened into changing his behavior. The only silver lining for Americans is that, hopefully, this convinces him that the coronavirus is not a hoax, is not like the flu, and that it will not miraculously just disappear. Moreover, it will convince him to learn from the experience, to fight the national pandemic aggressively, to advocate for masks and social distancing, and to admit he was wrong.

In the meantime, I'm glad he has a good VP like Mike Pence.

Prayers for the Trump family and his aides & associates, and may they all recover and learn enough from it to begin to heal the rest of America.

Lots 'o Links

Hurry up and visit Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #62; Larwyn's Linx (and check out this old Trump group photo); Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness; and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing. 

Your Yiddish lesson of the day from Harold Ticktin's Yiddish Vinkl:  The word is loyb, which means praise. "Hoykh loyb (high praise) from Jane Fonda who in a recent interview said of Ava Gardner “She was a mensch, a true mensch, and she was a babe.” (See Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, Sept. 2)"

A Shout-Out To Ryan Fitzpatrick

I've been following this guy for a few years and was very happy to see the appreciation he received after last week's Dolphins win over the Jaguars.  

He may be 37, a player for 8 teams, and not the best quarterback in the world, but he's having fun and sure feels like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to go outside and play football with his friends. 

I got a kick out of this description from the SunSentinel: "'Fitz is cool, calm and collected and it rubs off on us,' Dolphins right tackle Jesse Davis said. 'Third-and-long is not a big issue. How he conducts the offense really reflects on how he performs.'   That’s why Fitzpatrick’s teammates fight to see who sits next to him in team meetings and bus rides.  'I love sitting next to him and listening to him talk,' tailback Myles Gaskin said after the game."

And here's another anecdote: "Bills fans continue to love Ryan Fitzpatrick, despite playing for division rival. Earlier this month, Bills fans donated more than $15,000 to the Concussion Legacy Foundation in honor of Fitzpatrick’s mother, Lori, who died Aug. 29. They came in $14 increments, because Fitzpatrick wears No. 14."

He's a character who possesses character, is a good leader, and inspires others. How refreshing!

Dan Crenshaw for Congress!

Boy, I sure wish these Texas Republicans were from my state!  Our candidates are wishy-washy, and the attack ads on TV are so frequent and annoying I just  shut them off. This TX ad makes you sit up and take notice.  I've followed Dan Crenshaw's career since he came to Congress, and I hope he is re-elected to continue to show what a real hero, a real Republican, and a real man is like -- we need it!

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Lots 'o Links

For the latest news roundups, visit Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing; Larwyn's Linx; Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #57; and Maggie's Farm.

In his Yiddish Vinkl column, Harold Ticktin discusses the word beheyme, which means a boor, an unmannered individual; an animal, especially a large one. He offers this anecdote: "(Yiddish saying) 'A beheyme hot a lange tsung un muz shvaygn/ A cow has a long tongue but has to keep quiet.' (A 'long tongue' in Yiddish, like a 'big mouth' in English, indicates that a person talks a lot; bit.ly/32hIWNr)"

This COVID Map Speaks Louder Than Words

The experts at COVID Act Now visualized the disease's spread across every state and county in America.  Click here to see the horrifying 22 second animation and read the details.

If a  tweet is easier for you to comprehend, click here.

A Strong Prescription for Anti-Maskers

If you don’t want to wear a mask, come to work with me, urges Dr. Gregory Jasani.

"To me, refusing to wear a mask is unacceptable.  By not wearing a mask in public, you are helping to transmit a deadly virus. Your actions are condemning countless people to serious illness and possibly death. You feel your freedom is being limited by wearing a mask? With freedom comes responsibility, and also consequences. If you insist on refusing to wear a mask, then at least have the courage to come see the consequences of your choices.  Please come to work with me and see things from my perspective.  Wearing a mask in public will seem a pretty small inconvenience after you do."

I like this idea and think that President Trump should be the first one to accept Dr. Jasani's invitation. But I doubt even a look at hospitalized COVID patients would make these people accept the reality.

The CDC: The Complete Disgrace Center

I did a double-take of disbelief today upon seeing this headline in the Washington Post's newsletter:

"CDC removes statement on airborne virus transmission, claiming website error. The agency had posted new guidelines suggesting the virus can transmit over a distance larger than six feet and that indoor ventilation is key to protection against its spread. This is a point that many independent experts have also been advancing, and it had appeared that the agency had come around to their point of view.
But the guidelines were removed late this morning because 'that does not reflect our current state of knowledge,' a top CDC official said."

"Website error", is it? Do they actually think anyone is buying that?

It's hard to believe that this is the same CDC that was once so trustworthy and respected. This alone is helping to destroy its reputation. How can anyone trust them again?

Lots 'o Links

There's a great deal to read this week, including Larwyn's Linx; Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #52;  Maggie's Farm; Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing; and Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness. 

I like this advice at The Atlantic: wear your mask and stop talking.

You can't stop people from singing their favorite patriotic songs, though, no matter what the PC crowd thinks of them!  "'Tears in my eyes!': Viewers sing along with rousing renditions of Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia at the Prom after BBC back down over lyrics' 'imperialist ties'"

These idiots must do nothing all day but scour every word, note, and syllable uttered, written, and sung for things that somehow offend them. Even Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is now under attack as being a symbol of  "exclusion and elitism" 

I have an idea. Anything from the past 50 years can be fair game for attack, but nothing before that time. These fragile, perpetually victimized fools should go find something better, smarter, and more constructive to do with their time - if that's even possible.

A Great Day for Peace in the Middle East

From the Times of Israel: "Moving White House ceremony starts to relegitimize a precious little word: Peace.  26 years after the Israel-Jordan treaty, a whole generation of Israelis and Arabs witnesses something it had simply never seen before."

From the Algemeiner: "'Pivot of History’ in Middle East Heralded at Israel-UAE-Bahrain Signing Ceremony." 

I got to see some of the ceremony at work and felt very proud.  

And then I read this unbelievable headline: "Biden leads Trump 67-30 among Jewish voters, survey finds."

The Fish That Smiled

If you need a laugh, check out the finalists from the 2020 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards! My favorite is the smiling parrot fish, above. How can you resist that face?

COVID Apathy

This is from Elijah Wolfson at Time Magazine's Coronavirus Brief weekend edition: 

"It's the Worst Time Possible to Lose Interest in the Pandemic.  You can imagine, as the editor of TIME’s health and science coverage, how steeped I’ve been in COVID-19 for the last six months. I have no choice but to be hyper-attuned to not only what’s happening out in the world, but to what our readers appear to want and need when it comes to news and information about the pandemic. Over the past two months, I’ve keenly felt how much interest in coronavirus news has declined since early summer—despite the fact that in that same time frame, the U.S. outbreak reached new peaks, and the global pandemic worsens and worsens by the day. A report published late last week bore out my gut feelings: Using data from the social media analytics organization NewsWhip, Axios found that social media interactions have fallen 88% since March."

 I've been steeped in the coronavirus news too, subscribing to many of the available newsletters and reading everything I can to educate myself. It's been obvious to see how the TV coverage has dropped off, despite this being such a traumatic, life-altering pandemic. What's more important than this?

How The 9/11 Terror Attacks Unfolded

 

A heart-wrenching video of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks recounts the events as they unfolded on American soil 19 years ago and remind us why we vowed to never forget that tragic day in history. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) initially released the emotional tribute in 2018, which includes actual audio of first responders, air traffic controllers, dispatch personnel, airline employees, pilots and citizens.

Thinking About September 11

I'm afraid that the commemoration of the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks will receive scant mention tomorrow, what with a global pandemic, devastating wildfires, looting & rioting, and a presidential election going on in our country.

But not a day goes by, especially when I'm at my desk at work at 8:46 am, that I don't remember that traumatic day and the lives destroyed.

Let's hope that those brutal terrorists don't take advantage of our weakened condition to inflict more damage tomorrow and in the future. We're ready for them.

What a Drag it is Getting Old

Here's another reason why the reckless, uncaring behavior of so many people during this pandemic makes me so angry:

"Elderly people and coronavirus: It's the worst disaster of thepandemic. But WHO chief says our lack of concern shows 'moral bankruptcy' -CNN

WHO figures from last week show that almost 88% of all deaths in Europe were among people aged 65 and over. And almost half of all deaths linked to Covid-19 globally have taken place in care homes, according to the Long-Term Care Covid (LTCcovid) network at the London School of Economics.

But despite vast numbers of elderly people dying of coronavirus -- and a significant drop in the quality of life of many of those forced to self-isolate -- the global response to the risks they face in the era of Covid-19 has often been chilling."

Thanks a lot. I can only hope these cavallier people are treated the same way when they get old.

Lots 'o Links

It's nearing the end of the week, so it's time to enjoy a lot of entertaining, interesting, and simply infuriating posts.

One of the stories at Larwyn'x Links is titled D.C. Mayor Considers Removing Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, proving again how delusional and unreasonable the Democrats have become.  The title of Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing is succinct: "Nancy Pelosi 2.0 Is a Desperate, Pathetic, Lying Witch." Her attack on the salon owner reminds me of former Mayor Marion Barry: "Bitch set me up." And there's plenty of good reading at Maggie's Farm, including the news  that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is moving out of his $800K condo after rioters ransack his home. He's probably fine with that.

I'm all shook up after hearing about the sickening vandalism at Graceland. When are our national landmarks and memorials going to be guarded and protected from these vultures? I just hope security has been beefed up at placed like Arlington Cemetery.

Here's a headline you'll love: "California Ethnic Studies Curriculum Accuses Jews of 'Racial Privilege.'" I think they got us confused with the Nazis. And I'm sure that courses like this really prepare people to enter the job market and contribute to society.

Food: A Great Uniter

I greatly enjoyed Raphael Ahren's wonderful description of the visit to the United Arab Emirates and the meal that was prepared. Here's a tasty morsel:

"A kosher banquet and a paradigm change: UAE signals this will be a warm peace. In Abu Dhabi, those keeping kosher were served a kosher-certified gourmet dinner.
(For starters, there was beetroot salad, artichokes, mushroom tempura, zucchini balls with feta cheese, vegetarian spring rolls with sweet and spicy sauce. This was followed by salmon with lemon butter sauce, filled seabass fillet, sweet potato with fresh truffle and crispy microgreens and garlic baby vegetables. For dessert, there was “lava dark chocolate fondant and dehydrated wild berries.”)"

A Grim Milestone: 6 Million COVID cases in U.S.

There's that grim figure again: 6 million. 6 million Jews murdered, 6 million Americans infected.

From CNN:  "Just over seven months ago, no one in theUS had a confirmed case of Covid-19. On Monday, the US topped 6 million casesof coronavirus, which has killed over 183,000 people and left many young adults with long-term problems.  Why it's time to double down on masks and distancing." 

Why not triple down, since the offenders are obviously not listening and not caring. Plus, they are already vowing not to get flu shots or any COVID vaccine. Now that's great  personal responsibility for you.

(Poster by Greg Traverso. See article at the Washingtonian magazine.)