A Real Lift for America

Watching the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon today was a real morale booster for me, as I'm sure it was for many other Americans.  Those of us who watched all those NASA launches as kids in black & white found this one particularly thrilling after a 10-year hiatus.

I was amazed at the clarity of the images of the astronauts after having been used to those old images, and I can't wait to see more.

Lots 'o Links

If you need something to read with the libraries closed, check out the posts at Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing;  Maggie's Farm; Larwyn's Linx; Stephen Green's Florida Man Friday; and Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness.

You can breathe a sigh of relief at this important news: "Grimes and Elon Musk change baby’s name to X Æ A-Xii to comply with law.  Goodbye, X Æ A-12. Hello, X Æ A-Xii."

Harold Ticktin certainly chose an appropriate word for his May 22 Yiddish Vinkl column. It's the word maske, pronounced MAHS-ke, and it means "mask".  His examples include these: "'Shteln oyf a maske! / Put on a mask'; punim maske / face mask; briding maske / breathing maske; narte maske / ski mask; zoyershtof maske / oxygen mask; maskt mentsh / masked man."

Arson, Looting, Rioting - And No Social Distancing

I have to agree with Trump this time: those who looted from stores, smashed windows, overturned and burned cars, burned down buildings, and  created what looked like a war zone are thugs.  A thug is a violent person, and the destruction seen from the air looked violent to me. The mayor says that the "unrest" is "unacceptable". Weak words like that are not going to stop turmoil like this.

You need stronger words to describe the rioters who destroyed a $30M affordable housing project scheduled to open next spring. These are not only vandals and arsonists, but they burned down someone's future home! "Unacceptable" doesn't begin to describe that.

Also, think of the mobs who were participating in this crime spree and possibly spreading COVID-19 in their wake. It's a recipe for disaster.  I haven't heard anyone mention that, but obviously these crowds weren't thinking about social distancing while they were busy stealing jewelry and burning down the police station.

Just Wondering

Excuse me, but how do rioting, looting, violence, and setting fires, during the worst pandemic and in the worst economy, do anything to help your cause or bring George Floyd back to life?

If I recall, Dr. King spoke about non-violence.

Over 100,000 Americans Dead, and Counting

It's hard to believe that the first time I looked at that Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker,  the number of U.S. cases was something  like 67.

NPR says "We all feel at risk", and we are.  I keep thinking about that line in "Wolf Hall" about the sweating sickness: "Merry at breakfast, dead by noon".

Sadder Times at Arlington Cemetery

Thanks to COVID-19, even the sacred rituals in honoring the dead at Arlington have been destroyed. 

From CNN: The new reality at Arlington.

From PJ Media:  Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery During COVID-19 Is Spare and Quiet. Note the before and after pictures, and see the touching photo of the men at Audie Murphy's gravesite.

Don't You Know There's a Corronavirus On?

This is from the Washington Post's excellent coronavirus newsletter:

"Crowds of densely packed, barefaced, droplet-swapping Americans are forming on beaches, bar patios and pool decks over the Memorial Day weekend, fulfilling the fears of health experts who warned the nationwide relaxation of restrictions would help the coronavirus spread.

The most dramatic images came from Missouri —  still in the midst of a local epidemic — where vacationers flocked to the Lake of Ozarks. “In one picture shared by news station KSDK, dozens of people could be seen crammed on an outdoor patio underneath a sign reading, ‘Please practice social distancing,’ ” The Post wrote. A nearby bar and grill advertised a pool party for hundreds of people called “Zero Ducks Given.”

Thick crowds were also spotted at beaches along the East Coast, on a weekend when American flags flew at half-staff in memory of the country's nearly 100,000 confirmed victims of the virus. In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said a recent high school swim party contributed to the state's “second peak” of infections but still encouraged residents to venture out. “We take the virus very seriously, the governor told Fox News. “It’s a risk, it causes death, but you can’t cloister yourself at home, that is just contrary to the American spirit.”"

What is wrong with these people? Are they selfish, stupid, deliberately reckless, or all three? It's as if they live on another planet where they've never heard of COVID-19.

If they know how to read, they ought to look at today's New York Times front page listing the names of 1,000 of the 97,000 people (so far) who have died from this horrific disease. But I doubt even that would sink in at all.

Poppies in Memory

Here's a website that pays tribute on Memorial Day to our fallen heroes, and to the poppy, the symbol of remembrance.

I still remember buying poppies for a donation to an AMVETS representative but haven't seen this in years.

Lots 'o Links

Ready to do some reading? Visit Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing,  Maggie's Farm, and Larwyn's Linx!

Don't forget to look at all the good stuff at Instapundit and American Digest, too.

I'm sure to some people, this too is "just a joke": "Iran’s supreme leader releases anti-Israel poster evoking Nazi 'Final Solution’. As Khamenei shares graphic featuring term, Pompeo and Netanyahu accuse him of seeking genocide of Jews; PM warns ‘regime that threatens destruction of Israel faces similar danger.’"

"Just a Joke"

"A video which recently spread on the popular music video platform TikTok  mocking the Holocaust-era tattoos given to prisoners at Nazi concentration camps has recently garnered over 600,000 views, and has been 'liked' over 63,000 times, according to a report by Algemeiner. 
The video was produced as a remake of the popular 90's song 'No Scrubs' by the pop band TLC, showing a man entering a taxi with the caption reading 'Jewish guy getting in my taxi,' with the driver later asking the man his name. In the video, another subtitle appears to inform the viewer that the passenger 'Rolls up sleeve to check,' and after, the driver breaks into song and lip syncs the TLC song's lyric 'No, I don’t want your number.' 
According to the report, the video was upload by a British man named Bradley Brooker and includes captions such as '#justajoke #darkhumour #dontbemad.'
In response to the video, Brooker said on Monday that 'if you read through the comments on the video there have been Jewish people finding the funny side to it. It’s not me hating a religion — it’s just a joke.'"

Here we go again, more imbeciles with too much time on their hands and too much antisemitism in their soul. It's hard to know where to start condemning this latest obscenity.

How anyone can find anything remotely funny about the Holocaust is mind-boggling. And how so many gentiles always seem to be obsessed with Jews shows there's definitely something wrong in their genetic makeup.

We ought to produce a music video mocking antisemites, to see if they find it to be just a joke.

Folksong and Fiddle Dance

This is another tune I heard for the first time today and instantly loved. It's the "Folksong from 'Folksong and Fiddle Dance' (1914) by British composer Percy Fletcher (1879-1932). Performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Gavin Sutherland."

I had never heard  of Percy Fletcher before, but I'm sure glad I got to hear this.

Today's Typhoid Marys

Before you go overboard celebrating your re-openings, read this story from the UK Guardian: "US lockdown protests may have spread virus widely, cellphone data suggests." 

(Cartoon by Steve Sack.)

Yiddish Time

Harold Ticktin has chosen a good phrase for the May 15 edition of Yiddish Vinkl: "freg nit", which means "don't ask".

Here's a great example that he uses to illustrate the phrase. "Two Jews meet. One always asks about family. The other one says, “How come you never ask me ‘How’s business?’ The other says, ‘OK, how is business?’ and the response is ‘Freg nit’ (don’t ask)."

Not At All 'Normal"

As of this moment, per Johns Hopkins, there are 90,340 COVID-19 deaths om the USA.  The number will undoubtedly be higher tomorrow.  It feels like yesterday when I read that more Americans have been killed by the coronavirus than were killed in Vietnam. For those of us of my generation, 58,000 dead was a staggering, unforgettable figure.

So it's hard to reconcile that news with this, from the 5/17/20 Washington Post e-newsletter:  "Millions of people ventured out over the weekend, eating, drinking and throwing caution to the wind. Most states have lifted enough restrictions that some residents are feeling emboldened and free, even as covid-19 case counts and death tolls climb. In an Atlanta suburb, people sat shoulder-to-shoulder at restaurants and nail salons to celebrate their return to 'normal.'"

Going back to work to earn a living I can understand. Deliberately throwing caution to the wind I can't. And whatever happened to that original notion of staying home to protect our elderly citizens from dying? That idea definitely seems to have been thrown to the wind, to the peril of those citizens, and that's not normal.

COVID Heroes of Israel

Read this wonderful Times of Israel column by Ruth Ebenstein called "I know why the coronavirus ward dances," and make sure you look at the videos. 

Angele Dubeau and La Pieta Play Ólafur Arnalds

I heard this piece on a classical music station today and loved it. Luckily for me, the name of the composer, Ólafur Arnalds, and the title, Happiness Does not Wait, were listed on the website, as were the wonderful musicians, violinist Angele Dubeau and La Pieta, who I had first heard years ago.

Her own website is here.

Spike Lee's Best Movie

You have to watch Spike Lee's 3-minute tribute to New York, one of the best, and most touching, things I've seen all week.

Lots o' Links

Here's the weekly reading: posts from Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing; Larwyn's Linx; Maggie's Farm; Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness; and Stephen Green's Florida Man Friday.

What is Wrong With These People? (Part 2)

"Illinois anti-lockdown protester waves Nazi slogan from Auschwitz concentration camp."

"The sign, reading 'Arbeit macht frei, JB' appeared to be addressed to Governor JB Pritzker who is Jewish"

When I saw this photograph, I saw red. Isn't it amazing that no matter what the event or the topic, anti-semitism always seems to be insinuated into it?

And to compare a temporary lockdown to save lives to Auschwitz, which took lives, is incredibly malicious and sick. I hope this woman is made to suffer for it.

What is Wrong With These People?

From CNN: "An emergency proclamation issued Thursday in Stillwater, Oklahoma, requiring the use of face masks in stores and restaurants was amended Friday after threats of violence.

'In the short time beginning on May 1, 2020, that face coverings have been required for entry into stores/restaurants, store employees have been threatened with physical violence and showered with verbal abuse,' Stillwater City Manager Norman McNickle said in a statement."

These so-called adults are behaving disgracefully. Explain to me what is so terrible about wearing a mask and taking responsibility for preventing the further spread of COVID-19.