Colorful Israeli Pro-Vaccine PSA

Here's a very entertaining and informative Purim vaccination video starring Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he encourages Israelis to get vaccinated and in which he dispels anti-vaxxer disinformation.

Why can't we have spots like this here?   There are no COVID vaccine PSAs that I have ever seen, and if you want to reach people, TV is the easiest way.

Defending Dr. Fauci

I was really turned off by the attacks made on Dr. Fauci by the Fox News Channel earlier. Among other things, they were accusing him of spreading too much "doom and gloom",  and their website has headlines such as:

Fauci’s mixed messages, inconsistencies about COVID-19 masks, vaccines and reopenings come under scrutiny
'Why should we trust Fauci with a national plan? Back in March, Fauci famously told Americans, 'There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask,'" wrote David Harsanyi in the National Review. '(Fauci now says we should wear two masks. No thanks, Dad.)'"

-- and --

"Meghan McCain continues to bash Dr. Fauci over 'incredibly inconsistent and confusing’ coronavirus messaging". 

Why attack a man who's an expert in infectious disease, a doctor who's been trying to keep us safe, a man who  predicted 250,000 COVID deaths while the public scoffed?  Why do these people think they know more than he does? He's near 80 and probably wishes he could retire rather than oversee a national health emergency.

If he says to wear two masks, I'll wear two masks.  There are 500,000 Americans dead and dangerous variants in our country.  If you want to pretend the pandemic is over, go right ahead. I'm not ready to throw away my mask and start celebrating just yet.

How To Visualize 500,000 COVID Deaths

If you're still too ignorant to believe or understand the death toll from COVID-19 over the past year, the Washington Post can quickly enlighten you. 

Artur Galocha and  Bonnie Berkowitz have created powerful visualizations of what the number 500,000  looks like.

They created three scenarios:

"If 500,000 passengers traveled by bus … Carrying all 500,000 people would require a caravan of 9,804 buses that would stretch 94.7 miles."

"If the Vietnam Veterans Memorial contained 500,000 names …  If a similar structure of the same length were to list the names of the 500,000 killed by the novel coronavirus, it would soar to 87 feet tall."

"If 500,000 people were buried at Arlington …  The number of people already killed by coronavirus  in this country would instantly fill a new cemetery  the size of Arlington."

Look at the graphics on the page, then try to tell the authors it's all just a hoax.

Lots 'o Links

(I hope the above COVIDActNow map stays yellow for a while; it's been a long time.)

End your week with these posts at Maggie's Farm, Larwyn's Linx, and Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness. 

From Harold Ticktin's Yiddish Vinkl comes the word shvach, which means  weak, weary, exhausted; bland, insubstantial, unremarkable, as in this anecdote:  “For me, being Jewish means also knowing the best place to get bagels in London, and arguing about it at length. It is delighting in the right to use Yiddish words like shvitzing (sweating), schlepping nachus (taking pride) and shvach (weary).”

GEICO Bagpipes

This is the best GEICO commercial in some time. Notice how deadpan everyone is.

Vaccination: A "Mutual Responsibility"

This is from the New York Times Coronavirus Briefing. I see nothing wrong with Israel trying to protect her citizens and prevent people from dying horrible deaths.  We'd be fortunate to have this system here, but if you can't even get Americans to wear masks, stop travelling, and be considerate of others, then sadly I doubt they'd agree to such a plan. After a year, you'd think people would want too do everything possible to slow this pandemic.  But as selfishness and stupidity rise, our death toll will also continue upward.

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"New rules in a vaccinated society."

 

Israel’s vaccination campaign is the fastest in the world, and in the coming days it will reach a milestone, inoculating half of its population with at least one dose.

The rapid rollout is giving the rest of the world a first glimpse into the rules that may govern a vaccinated society — and they’re raising thorny questions.

This week, the government is allowing the reopening of shopping malls, gyms, sport events, hotels and other venues for the first time in months — but only for people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Under a new “Green Badge” system, customers and attendees will have to carry a certificate of vaccination with a QR code to gain entrance to many areas of public life, from restaurants and event halls, to conferences and swimming pools.

The system is fueling a heated debate about personal rights versus the greater good. But for the country’s health minister, the situation is cut and dry: “Getting vaccinated is a moral duty. It is part of our mutual responsibility,” he said. “Whoever does not get vaccinated will be left behind.”

The health ministry is now proposing legislation that would require some unvaccinated employees to be tested every 48 hours for the virus, and the health minister is promoting a bill that would identify unvaccinated people to the local authorities.

While four million people out of a population of nine million have been vaccinated, about two million citizens who are eligible have not sought a vaccine. In some cities, unvaccinated employees have been threatened with dismissal, including hotel workers and educators. A quarter or more of Israel’s teachers have not sought a first dose, and critics say they pose a danger to students under 16, who are too young to be vaccinated.

Rights groups have pushed back and have written a letter to the attorney general demanding that he issue a clear opinion that, under the law, employers may not demand vaccination status from workers. But with so many competing interests involved, resolving these issues may require legislative action from Parliament.

Dr. Maya Peled Raz, an expert in health law and ethics at the University of Haifa, defended some limits on personal liberties for the greater good. Employers cannot force employees to get vaccinated, she said, but they might be allowed to employ only vaccinated workers if not doing so could harm their business.

“It’s your choice,” she added of leisure activities. “If you are vaccinated, you can enter. As long as you aren’t, we can’t let you endanger others.”

Politically Correct Wokeness Overload

Is this nonsense ever going to stop?  Even after all these years, it feels like there must be a contest to see who can come up with the most ridiculous examples of "offensive" things.

This item about "racist math" is just one of those examples. Why not just dumb down every facet of society and stop teaching entirely while you're at it?

Lots 'o Links

Even though you knew it was coming, it was still a sad shock to hear of Rush Limbaugh's passing at only 70 years old.  It's hard to imagine talk radio without his voice.

Check out the posts at Maggie's Farm, Larwyn's Linx, and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing.

"America's Got Stupidity" - The New Show Starring 'Gorilla Girl'

From the New York Post: ‘"Gorilla Glue girl’ Tessica Brown now has a full-time agent".

"The Louisiana woman who went viral after getting Gorilla Glue globbed in her hair has taken a big step toward making her 15 minutes of fame last as long as a scalp full of adhesive — and has hired a full-blown celebrity management team, including an agent."

Since when does being ignorant and lacking common sense qualify you for stardom? You'd think she would have been too embarrassed to make a federal case about it. The media should refer to her as "Idiot Girl", and the makers of Gorilla Glue ought to sue her.

A Good Word About Bona Fide Masks™ & KN95s

I have bought these KN95 masks and am very happy with the fit and comfort. 

Bona Fide Masks™ is the only Authorized Premier Distributor in the USA for Powecom FDA Authorized KN95 respirator masks. 

The Powecom KN95 personal respirator, which ships from stock directly from their Mount Vernon, NY warehouse, is an FDA authorized respirator face mask made of a multi-layer filtration system of non-woven breathable fibers and is utilized globally.

Bill Taubner, President of Ball Chain Mfg./ Bona Fide Masks™, writes, "We are a family owned business and have been since 1938. Our parent company (Ball Chain Mfg.) is the world's largest manufacturer of ball chains (www.ballchain.com) that you see on military dog tags, ceiling fans, handbags, light pulls, etc.. We make over 3 million feet per week (all of the ball chains are Made in the USA). Our company started in a small garage in the Bronx, NY by my great grandfather and his son (my grandfather). We provide all the ball chains for the military and we take tremendous pride in everything we do." 

"My family has also issued an authenticity statement to provide additional comfort and confidence to our customers and reinforce our commitment to transparency and supply chain security/integrity." 

Check them out today!

Music You Don't Get Tired of Hearing

This is Henry Purcell's Rondeau from his incidental music for Abdelazer (or, the Moor's Revenge), by the musicians of Voices of Music, using original instruments. Benjamin Britten made it famous, but this is as authentic as you can get.

TB + TB = Winners!

The outcome of Super Bowl 55 was never in doubt. Tom Brady is an inspiring leader of men, a great teammate, and the best quarterback ever. Men come out of retirement to play with him. Need we say more? To envious Brady-haters: get a life already.

Violin & Piano: A Musical Antidote

On a classical music station yesterday, I heard a lovely piece called Passaggio by Ludovico Einaudi & Daniel Hope.

It's simple and beautiful, and it reminded me of the piece I like even better, Metamorphosis II by Philip Glass, performed by Anne Akiko Meyers and  Reiko Uchida.

Another Reason to Despise Anti-Vaxxer Terrorists

What a despicable worm, and what a horrific comparison.

From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "Jeremy Corbyn’s brother detained for flyer equating COVID-19 vaccines to Auschwitz.

London police have detained the older brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in connection with a flyer that draws parallels between Britain’s COVID-19 response and the Holocaust. 

Piers Corbyn, 73, was held Tuesday on suspicion of malicious communications and public nuisance, the Jewish Chronicle of London reported, citing police sources. 

 A 37-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in Bow, a village located 180 miles southwest of London, in connection with same flyer.

'Both men were taken to a south London police station. They have since been bailed to return on a date in early March,' a police spokesperson told the Chronicle. 

The flyers show the entrance to the death camp with the words 'Vaccines are safe path to freedom.' 

Contacted by the Jewish paper, Piers Corbyn said that the flyer’s main focus was COVID-19, not the Jewish genocide, and rejected any attempt to accuse him of anti-Semitism. He noted that he had been married for 22 years to a Jewish woman. 

Both Corbyns, who have a history of promoting far-left causes, have been accused of anti-Semitism."

These contemptible, ignorant, dangerous people ought to merge with the creepy QAnon lunatics and get it over with. They can call their new group QAntisemites.

Invasion of the Republican Body Snatchers

Boy, am I glad Liz Chemey has survived her grilling by the Republican conference, something that never should have happened and something that was incredibly shameful. What has happened to the Republicans, that they'd attack her for voting her conscience but actually stand snd applaud for QAnon crackpot Marjorie Taylor Greene? What an embarrassment and another comedown for this party, and what an advantage for the Democrats, who get to watch the Republicans self-destruct without any help from them.

He Blinded Me With Zients

White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients urges Congress to move quickly on passing COVID relief so that the administration can scale up production and distribution of vaccines, increase testing and tracing, and provide more genomic sequencing and more emergency supplies. “We are at war with this virus. It is clearly a national emergency," he says.

Today I got to see the live stream briefing by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, and I was very impressed. It felt like one of those NASA briefings I've seen over the years.  If only the Trump Administration had handled the briefings this way, things would be different today. 

We are at war with COVID-19,  but too many selfish people still don't seem to care one bit. This is from the New York Times Morning newsletter:

"Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged after almost every major holiday of the past year, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. This weekend brings another major holiday, even if it’s not an official one: Super Bowl Sunday. And there is reason to worry that it will turn into Superspreader Sunday"

"'Crowds of packed fans crammed into outdoor dining patios,' The Los Angeles Times explained last week, noting that gatherings often included unmasked people 'chanting, singing or shouting.' The same story quotes Barbara Ferrer, the public health director of Los Angeles County: 'Don’t organize a party at home. Don’t go to a Super Bowl party.'"

But what these idiots hear is: "Attention, moronic, defiant, uncaring people! Please continue to transmit the virus and kill people. How you can continue this lifestyle while you're the cause of the sickness, hospitalizations, and deaths is beyond me. You are prolonging the agony, and you simply don't care."