Why did the chicken cross the road—an internet story with no attribution

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by many sources, good sources - they're very good sources - that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is.

JOE BIDEN: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest.

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.

AOC: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.

HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he is acting by not taking on his current problems before adding any new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross the road so badly. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way the chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it's lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

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I’ve seen several versions; many have left out Trump and Biden but John McCain is in it.

Covid19 vs Pneumonia

Between Feb. 1 and May 9, 2020

60,299 people have died of Covid19

and

81,318 have died of pneumonia

National Center for Health Statistics, CDC

Storage by Mary Oliver, a poem

A good friend knew I was sorting and pitching things (some back to retirement) while moving back into my office after Phil's death, and she gave me this poem. I know many of you need this, so I'm passing it along.

"When I moved from one house to another there were many things I had no room for. What does one do? I rented a storage space. And filled it. Years passed. Occasionally I went there and looked in, but nothing happened, not a single twinge of the heart. As I grew older the things I cared about grew fewer, but were more important. So one day I undid the lock and called the trash man. He took everything. I felt like the little donkey when his burden is finally lifted. Things! Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful fire! More room in your heart for love, for the trees! For the birds who own nothing-the reason they can fly."

I know there are several layers of meaning--like holding on to other trash such as regrets, anger, irritations, failures, etc.--but for now I'll just keep it at boxes of paper and photographs and old letters.

Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir

Hydroxychloroquine has been politicized. Why? Trump recommended it as a possible effective treatment for Covid19. Those infected with TDS went crazy. Likewise, Remdesivir isn't having the same battle. Why? Hydroxychloroquine has been on the market for decades, for other diseases. Remdesivir hasn't been approved for anything but has had some good early data. Some people say "follow the money." Hydroxychloroquine is cheap and available. Remdesivir is expensive, not approved safe yet, no generics. Democrats, you know those guys who hate capitalism and mega-rich people, seem to be backing the one that will cost us a lot of money--Remdesivir.

Doctors who had been using Hydroxychloroquine are being told not to. Hmmm. Interview by Sharyl Attkisson with Dr. William O'Neill investigating both drugs. He has used Hydroxychloroquine on many and found it effective and believes the politicization has been harmful. He's looked at Remdesivir studies--it doesn't reduce mortality, but may decrease days in hospital. So a reduction in mortality vs. a reduction of days in the hospital? There are 6 studies on going for Hydroxychloroquine. There may be other drugs on the horizon. It may turn out it's a cocktail of drugs, not one drug. Hold your powder, folks. The media are not our friends in this search. It sometimes takes 10-15 years to fully understand a new disease.

https://sharylattkisson.com/2020/05/hydroxychloroquine-politicizing-medicine-podcast/

The censored voice of Aaron Ginn

Social media giants like YouTube, Google, Facebook and Twitter have attempted to silence or "correct fake news" about the virus and pandemic. Today's Wall St. Journal points out that some of those canaries in the coal mine were correct and the censors were just wrong. What if in 10 theories, 9 are half-baked, but 1 is just perfect. We know the media, both main stream and social, will attempt to destroy all 10. But isn't that what theories are for?

"Aaron Ginn’s story is a cautionary tale that even well-intended censorship can overreach, suppressing the search for truth. Mr. Ginn, 32, is the Silicon Valley technologist who posted an essay on March 20 titled “Evidence over hysteria—COVID-19” on the Medium website. Citing academic research and government data, Mr. Ginn argued that public-health experts were focusing too much on “flattening the curve . . . while ignoring the economic shock to our system” of shuttering businesses and schools and ordering Americans to stay home.

“When 13% of Americans believe they are currently infected with COVID-19 (mathematically impossible),” he wrote, “full-on panic is blocking our ability to think clearly and determine how to deploy our resources to stop this virus.” The message was well-timed—the day he posted it, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered “nonessential” New York businesses to close.

Mr. Ginn’s essay drew 2.6 million page views in 24 hours—and a barrage of liberal criticism. Carl T. Bergstrom, a University of Washington biologist, called it “Shakespeare run through google translate into Japanese, then translated back to English by someone who’d never heard of Shakespeare.” Then Medium took it down, saying it violated rules under a “risk analysis framework we use for ‘Controversial, Suspect and Extreme content.’ ”

But Ginn had been in Wuhan before most of us had ever heard of it. He also had some internal warnings about censorship--his grandparents had fled Communist China 50 years ago, he knew the Chinese language and (gasp) he had been a Christian missionary. Not only did he believe in the free expression of ideas (something Democrats have lost), but he knew the Chinese data was not to be trusted.

Now millions of us have taken our heads out of the sand (or other dark places) and are seeing the wisdom in his warnings--although it may be too late for the businesses that have been destroyed all in the race to ruin the Trump economy.

"Some belittle him [Ginn] as an “armchair epidemiologist.” He retorts that “facts and data are independent of your credentials..” Knowledge of the virus is evolving, and “we should always take in new evidence and judge it, and figure out what’s the sort of best policy prescription. A lot of things that we originally thought we were right on were wrong.” Take the “6-foot rule” for maintaining personal social distancing, which Mr. Ginn says isn’t supported by scientific evidence. The World Health Organization recommends 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches), while Germany and Australia suggest 1.5 meters (just under 5 feet). Sweden recommends that people use “good judgment.” "

“I want this to be an open dialogue,” Mr. Ginn says. “But we shouldn’t have public-health people making economic policy. We need to have the policy makers who people vote for make those determinations.” After all, “we’re a democracy—we’re not China.”

Who knew?

So when you see those red circles on the floor of the grocery store, just remember there is no scientific evidence for that. Not even by the so called "scientists" we're suppose to revere. Could be 3', or 5' or any distance you choose.

Lakeside will be different this year

We own a summer home in a Chautauqua community linked to the Methodists, Lakeside, Ohio, which depends on the owners and visitors to keep it afloat for 3 months of its business season. Owners, of course, pay year around. There are constant appeals for money in any year, usually to rebuild, restore, restart something in the arts, religion, education and recreation areas. Now, it will be just to stay alive. $2.1 million deficit.

"Lakeside is taking this expected loss of revenue very seriously. We reacted swiftly to implement immediate cost reductions. Reductions in staffing and cuts in operating expenses and programming costs for this summer total $1.6 million. We were able to cut another $200,000 from project spending to bring the cost reductions to $1.8 million, but we are still left with a $2.1 million projected deficit ($3.9 million reduction in revenue partially offset by $1.8 million in cost cutting).

"How do we intend to cover the $2.1 million deficit? Lakeside received a $650,000 forgivable loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the Federal government’s stimulus package. Lakeside already had bank lines of credit of $1.1 million that are typically used to manage variations in cash flow. We will use those. Lakeside is supplementing that by acquiring an additional $500,000 bank line of credit. We have enough debt capacity to cover the remaining deficit, although it comes at a future cost of paying back that debt. " (Lakeside newsletter)

We'll be there, and it will be different. Our family has been Lakesiders since 1974, owners since 1988. Many of our family and friends have visited or stayed with us over the years. We will have Phil's service there this summer.

 

Give me liberty

Stop the insanity

At the beginning (the end of January when the President was called a racist for sounding the alarm about a mysterious virus originating in China), most of us went along with the need to be prudent, which soon moved to the need to avoid our usual places we congregated, then closing the schools, then seeing our businesses close for a few weeks (they originally said until Easter), then the churches, then the orders to wear masks/don't wear masks; then we began to see the light. This wasn't going to stop unless we objected. The cure was becoming worse than the disease.

Then we noticed the push back about opening up was coming from the same people who gave us 3 years 24/7 of investigating and impeaching our president. Yet the statistics and models were all over the place, and many of the experts disagreed. Some never considered removing from the numbers mix the same people who were also at risk for influenza and pneumonia or the people who already had serious health challenges. And if they did, they were ridiculed or blocked. The president's enemies howled even louder if he speculated or commented or disagreed. We have a health system already endangered and weakened by the previous administration's demands to buy a bad product or go to jail. Now we're being told we have to save it by collapsing every other segment of the economy?

Stop the insanity.

Trusting the experts

I think Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are highly respected experts in their fields, but they are not experts in all fields. The are not mental health professionals, they are not agronomists, they are not bankers, they are not sociologists, educators or restaurant owners. They are not librarians, theologians, mathematicians, economists or plumbers. They are not airplane pilots, auto salesmen, butchers, bakers or candlestick makers. They have a tiny piece of safety and health information, but there are many others to be consulted. Their knowledge may have saved a few thousand lives and a few big hospitals in a selected group of metropolitan areas, but they have also ruined others and are producing and directing a horror movie of deaths and illnesses to be released soon.

How to stay well and build resilience during a pandemic

After the first 2-3 weeks and doing common sense protections, don't listen to the experts on TV reverse everything they told you when you did watch. It's the same media who brought you the impeachment of President Trump 24/7.

Trials beginning for the Covid19 vaccine

“Ordinarily, “Safety of a vaccine must be confirmed by extensive animal work, followed by the inoculation of dozens of humans, then escalating to thousands,” write vaccine consultant Stanley Plotkin and New York University bioethicist Arthur Caplan in an upcoming article in the journal Vaccine. “That process normally takes months to years, during which SARS-2 will infect and possibly kill millions. Acceleration of that standard process is necessary.” They go on to propose human challenge trials as a way of achieving that acceleration.”

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/support-for-vaccine-challenge-trials-gains-momentum-67525?

I wonder how many will volunteer just so researchers won't have to use animals in the safer trials? Usually, new drugs are developed very slowly and painfully costing millions of dollars for each trial, then released slowly, declared safe, and then sometimes pulled when millions begin using them and they are discovered not to be safe after all. Be a guinea pig if you wish, but I'll wait for some real evidence.

But then I didn't actually approve of how some older drugs were developed either (when I found out)--like birth control. First the products were tested on Africans who didn't realize the danger, and then when not too many died, or became ill or were made sterile, they were further tested on poor and welfare mothers in western countries who appreciated the perks that went with the testing and didn't know the dangers. And then when it was decided prudent and profitable, ordinary middle class women got "the pill." Nutritional supplements for children were done the same way--tested on African babies and when declared safe, were available in Europe. Antiretroviral medications (which failed) were also tested on African women first to lower incidents of HIV/AIDs. And of course, the ever popular "bed nets" to use in Africa after the backlash withdrawal of DDT killed or crippled millions of Africans after malaria had virtually been eliminated before Rachel Carson and the environmentalist movement.

My sister was a guinea pig in NIH experiments in the 1950s with her BVS service.  I remember going there to visit her. My aunt Muriel even late in her life thought perhaps Carol’s shortened life (57) and poor health was due to something she’d received during those trials. I’m guessing she heard that from my parents, since they knew more of the details.

Wash your hands with soap to kill both bacteria and viruses

Toilet paper seems to have returned to Marc's, and now chicken is disappearing. Bleach seems to be in short supply. Still don't see a lot of antiseptic hand cleaner. I wonder how many people who buy that know that soap and water is still the best for both viruses and bacteria.  Maybe some of those Happy Talk commercials on what fun it is to stay locked down could be replaced by videos of proper hand washing?

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/say-goodbye-antibacterial-soaps-fda-banning-household-item/

The value of a job

“There is no job that’s better than another job,” he continued. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, it might look better on a resume and on paper, but actually it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable, and if we have a kind of a rethinking about that because of what’s happened to me, that would be great, but no one should feel sorry for me, either from a positive or a negative perspective. I’ve had a great life, I’ve had a great career, and I’ve had a career that most actors would die for.”

Spoken by Geoffrey Owens who played Bill Cosby's son-in-law in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, after he was "job-shamed" on social media for working at Trader Joe's between acting jobs. It was just a little blip in 2018 which I ran across today. Let people go back to work and stop shaming them, stop bullying them if they see dignity in work

The Arbery shooting in Georgia

The Arbery shooting in Georgia reflects the need for Democrats to make everything about race. Nothing is ever a love affair gone sour, an innocent inquiry mistaken as a robbery or bad blood between co-workers. At least if the victim is black and the perp is white. Out of 100 black men who are murdered, 94 are victims of a black man (or occasionally a black woman). Four will be brought down by white, Hispanic or Asian men (or occasionally a woman). And statistics are similar for whites and Hispanics. For every 100 white or Hispanic men who are murdered, 83 will be victims of a same race assault. In most cases both the victim and assailant will be young.

The female mayor of Atlanta with no evidence whatsoever, called it a lynching, and blamed President Trump! I pity the family of the black man who never get justice because he was killed by another black man, and no one paid any attention. Certainly not the mayor and the major news media.

After 1994, violent crime dropped drastically--maybe 50%. Thousands of black lives have been saved. Experts don't agree on the reason. Because of the bias in research based on political and religious views, it’s difficult to tease out the details, but one thing is for certain, the media distorts reports of violent crime. It can sell more papers, or get more TV revenue or encourage more clicks on line for profit if it involves a black man being killed by a white man, and particularly if police are involved.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/05/this-was-a-lynching-atlanta-mayor-ahmaud-arbery-shooting/

Honor your father and your mother

"The fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” That’s not just a call to filial piety; it’s a call to patriotism as well." . . .

Did you know that only 18% of colleges require a class in American history? And then we wonder why social media, academe, business and entertainment world are either battle grounds or kindergarten recess. People my age fear dementia--we've seen it ravage family members and friends, taking them from us and leaving behind a stranger. But what about national dementia--we've stolen history from our young people by offering nothing but grievances and pretending smugly only the current generation is smart and moral--they will have no memory to steal.

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2020/05/11/patriotism-in-the-fourth-commandment/?

Scandal around Obama’s role grows, but will it be reported

The Flynn “justice” scandal and the Trump impeachment fiasco. It all points to the top.  Based on any past bad news about Obama, the media will run for cover, or not cover the growing scandal clearly laid out in the documents that the Democrats were pulling off the biggest vote theft in their history--the attempt to undo the 2016 election.

https://nypost.com/2019/11/20/when-the-villain-is-obama-not-trump-news-suddenly-becomes-not-worth-reporting/?

I know what happens in libraries, and it's probably the same in news. Librarians don't purposely "ban books" and that whole ALA "Banned books" week/month is just hype to get you into the library (before they were closed by the government). Library collections become liberal because the banning goes on in the back rooms where books are ordered from favorite review sources, which are liberal. It's a massive, circular system--conservative professors don't get promoted or don't get published so the liberal publishers don't pick up their material, which then circulates through smaller, independent publishers. And at the root the banning goes much deeper. Conservatives may decide against a career in academe or anything that influences the culture because the deck is stacked against them. You'll hear about women or minorities being shut out because that fits the liberal agenda of grievance, but what liberal would ever write about discrimination against conservatives! Just doesn't happen. It's "banned."

Much the same in the news. News media don't fabricate fake news, they don't have to--the people who post on FB and Twitter do that for them by reposting memes and fake stories. What the media do is edit out the part of real news they don't like, major in minors, or just choose to not report something. That's why liberals bad mouth Fox News--its coverage of Trump is only 50% negative, so therefore liberals believe it must be fake if it isn't filled with negative, insulting information. Or they point at Hannity or Levin, which are opinion shows (very pro-Trump), not news. Because the MSM like Washington Post or New York Times contain so much opinion in their regular news coverage, liberal readers are confused between factual reporting and biased opinion (all opinion articles have a bias, as they should, even this one). So if the media cover a political or cultural event that is a current topic, then later find out it actually happened under Obama and not Trump, they scramble to quietly pull it, or don't report it at all.

Stand up!

Acts 14:10: Paul called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet." He jumped up and began to walk about.

In context, this passage is about Paul and Barnabas fleeing persecution and going to Lystra to share the Good News of Jesus. There's nothing like a healing miracle to get people's attention. There's a lot of detail given in this story--the people spoke Lycaonian and worshipped the Greek gods. They thought, witnessing the miracle, that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes. There was a priest of Zeus near by ready to sacrifice some oxen at a temple. Paul used their stunted knowledge about their own religion and the natural world to tell them the Good News.

Do you ever see anything in Scripture that you've never noticed before? I read this as a message to us and the churches in this time of fear and weakness that has crippled us.  Not just stand up, but stand up straight. Not on your knees begging for permission from the government, but stand up on your feet ready for business! Let’s kick butt; we’ve been crippled long enough.

Jail is too harmful for prisoners, but OK for salon owner

Sharyl Attkisson comments on the case of the hair dresser in Texas arrested and jailed for working:  “I’m old enough to remember when working hard, feeding your family and employing others was aspirational. But in the age of coronavirus and the government’s wisdom, doing so can be made into a serious crime.

How serious?

Apparently more serious than the acts committed by thousands who have been released from prisons and jails because of coronavirus fears — including a man accused of killing a girl in a hit-and-run, thieves, people convicted of assault and sexual crimes, a man who allegedly set his girlfriend’s door on fire and choked her mother, and a prisoner accused of assaulting a homeless services officer.

Jail is considered too harmful to these people; they are considered safe to roam the streets. But Dallas Judge Eric Moyé sentenced salon owner Shelley Luther to a week in jail — where she would be at elevated risk of contracting the coronavirus — because she refused to apologize for being “selfish,” in his words, by operating her salon in violation of a state order. Luther insists it’s not selfish to feed her children and to make sure her employees are not going hungry.”

https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/496671-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do-virus-exposes-two-standards-of-justice

A Mother’s Day task?

I thought I heard someone mowing his lawn at 7:30 a.m. on Mother's Day, then I looked out the window (my new desk location), across the creek and through the leaves, and saw someone using a leaf blower to remove debris from his swimming pool cover. Aside from the fact that an outdoor pool in central Ohio is a pretty silly thing anyway, with all this stay at home time, is it really the only day and time the neighbor could find to do this?

Cancer treatment checklist

I found this at a blog written by a woman who had metastatic breast cancer. Due to HIPAA and Phil's reluctance to ask his family for assistance, we were helpless in helping him battle his disease. He was brave, determined, combative and very angry. He'd already had a stroke (retinal occlusion) and had a number of health problems which he chose to ignore. After his death I found a letter written by a cousin suggesting that he not try going through this alone, to accept help. He disregarded her, too. The mistakes I've seen were compounded by a very small thing yesterday when we received a sympathy card from the doctor he trusted most and told us never to question her advice. His name was wrong in the card! Doctors, too, are helpless if a patient is noncompliant. And he definitely was. But he had amazing faith in her, not withstanding.

Lessons Learned Checklist:

1. Expect mistakes from your health provider;

2. Ask critical questions at every visit. Take a written list of questions in order of priority. If you get home and realize something is not clear, contact your doctor again;

3. Get a friend or family member to serve as your advocate;

4. Communication between doctors is absolutely critical. If a Radiology report indicates possible metastatic disease or something equally alarming make sure you get a definitive diagnosis. Rule out the worst-case scenarios. Make sure the doctors involved have talked;

5. If you aren’t confident about the doctor’s diagnosis, ask your doctor to review your records with colleagues to see what might have been missed;

6. Get a second opinion;

7. Choose doctors who take time and listen. Ask for a copy of the doctor’s notes to ensure your issues are documented properly. This also ensures the doctor heard what you said;

8. Ask specialists to take a “fresh look” at your case;

9. Make use of hospital patient advocate resources without delay.

Democrats target Trump again

While I'm sort of enjoying not listening to the House (Democrat controlled) Daily Drool over investigations of Trump to beef up their campaign funds and pay the investors of the MSM, they are working on the next one. It was all Trump's fault.

Apparently, they haven't looked at CDC national death statistics for all causes, especially flu and pneumonia taking out the elderly, or the number from coronavirus (not published, but it won't make the top 10 unless it's changed to "with" and not "of"). Why not take advantage of a crisis to 1) kill the Trump 2020 campaign and 2) destroy small businesses that employ 99% of us by extending the shut down. They've still got their mega-corporate cronies like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos who fund their favorite projects. The original shut down was to save the hospitals from being overwhelmed. That didn't happen, but Democrats want to continue with what didn't work.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death (2018) and since many of these conditions are chronic and treatable, these numbers could soar from lack of treatment during the shut down of Spring 2020.

Heart disease: 647,457
Cancer: 599,108
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
Diabetes: 83,564
Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173

But they want US to forget that most of the Covid19 infections came from the European air travelers who were infected by Europe's traffic from China. European leaders didn't want to be "racist" (or lose a lot of investments) by closing down air travel. But Trump acted swiftly. He closed air travel before the first death in a nursing home in Washington. So we can thank Mayor De Blasio and Governor Cuomo for seeding the rest of the country, because NYC was still "open" in March. "Y'all come and take home a souvenir! Ride our filthy subway!"

Since they are Congressional Democrats, they only know how to run impeachment scams. That's all we've seen of their work since January 2017. And there are plenty of Republicans who will be invited to say insulting things in opinion columns, none of which will have anything to do with the baseless charges. They just don't like him, and fear losing their own base, whether that's in Congress, academe, their business, or their church.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/new-york-city-coronavirus-outbreak.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-de-blasio-coronavirus-failures-20200331-fogyfsta4fcl5k27xmf6mob4ti-story.html

Coverings and bonnets and a new desk

If one of my nieces had asked me, "Who has Grandma's prayer covering," I could have honestly told her, "I don't know, ask your mother." No more. I found it along with many pair of scissors, at least 10 old eye wear, a hand held calculator with no batteries, a 2017 pocket calendar, Museum of Art membership card for 2018, phone # for appliance repair, bags and envelopes of cancelled stamps for donation to an organization that uses them, math compass, rulers 12" and 6", User's guide for my CD clock radio 1999, perhaps 20-30 half used small notebooks, old photos that didn't make the cut for one of our 40+ photo albums, sacks of cards waiting for just the right moment which never comes, decorative magnets purchased as souvenirs of our travels, 20-30 CDs with various updates or unknown information, and an unopened box for a course in Constitution 101. I have several more boxes to go through before the transition to my new desk is finished.  The old Steelcase that I’ve had for over 40 years will go to new home, when pick ups are allowed again. At least 85% of its contents need to leave this house with it.

For those unfamiliar with Anabaptist traditions, a prayer covering is something Christian women wear for communion, or if they are conservative Mennonite or Old order Brethren, they wear them all the time. Mother usually kept a few extras in her desk drawer (neater than mine) in case there were relatives visiting during the Easter season when the twice a year observance took place. The last time I had communion (Brethren Love Feast) in my home church was probably the mid-1990s, so I would have borrowed one. But this one was hers--the tattered envelope is labeled. She died in January 2000.

I found a blog written by a Monica Rice, a 2011 MA graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary, who has studied this tradition in depth. It's not exactly the way I remember things, but it's been over 50 years since I was a member and each locality or congregation sets its own standards. The photo looks like Mom's covering and the one I had. Some are in bonnet form and each style has its own history and tradition. Somewhere packed away I have my great grandmother's black bonnet from the 19th century.

I also own the first yearbook of Bethany because my grandfather was on the Board, but that’s another blog (or I’ve already written one).

http://www.brethrenlifeandthought.org/2012/09/28/what-about-the-prayer-covering/

On being a caregiver

It's been 2 weeks since our son Phil died, and I may write more of my reflections (and advice to others) at my blog when they come to me. Let me first say it is a privilege to be with a loved one when he is dying, although it will be the most difficult thing you'll ever do. Phil was Phil from the beginning to the end, and although that could be very frustrating when we wanted him to go a different direction or not cause self-harm, he was also a testament to God's creative power. From the moment of our conception to the moment of our last breath, we are the same person going through stages. Jesus has ennobled our frail human bodies that get sick and die, and from here on Phil has no bounds.

When we got the call from hospice in February we were totally unprepared--we thought Phil would be continuing his chemo and battling his brain tumor. It was an ugly fight, but he was determined to stick with the treatment. The appointments were on the calendar. But with hospice, treatment stops and palliative care begins. Our weekly visit and daily phone calls turned into 24/7 care. Because of HIPAA and Phil's personality, we knew little about his treatment or glioblastoma, only what we'd been able to learn on our own. We didn't live in the same community and knew nothing about his financial situation. The national situation almost eliminated our familiar support network. And we were so wrong about so many things.

Imagine (if you are about my age) you know how to drive a car--you've been driving so long it's almost second nature. But it's becoming difficult and you no longer do the free ways and stay with the streets you know. You vaguely remember how to drive a stick shift because you learned that as a teen (or in my case, your husband has one). So, these two nice ladies you've never seen before pay you a visit, show you a 1950s era pick up truck, put you behind the wheel, and say, "Don't worry, we'll teach you what you need to know." Meanwhile you're headed for the entrance ramp to drive through the center of Atlanta at rush hour, or Chicago through 50 construction zones at night. In a pick up truck you don't remember how to drive. At every stop light, a different person climbs in the cab and reroutes you--no map, no GPS. Sometimes at night something breaks down and it takes hours to get help. Fortunately, there are some hitch hikers to pick up along the way who really do help and explain things.

If you've been or will be a caregiver, your mileage will vary; spouses have rights and relationships with the medical system, financial institutions and social networks that parents and adult children don't have. The same people who are there to help may also say, by law we can't advise you, or that's not my area of expertise.

If you are healthy now and have no worries, pause and reflect. Two days before Phil was diagnosed we'd had a birthday lunch at the Chef-o-Nette in our old neighborhood and we knew nothing about what would be coming on October 1.

Misreporting, not reporting, and fudging the Corona virus statistics

That's interesting. There were 13,276 diagnosed Covid19 cases in Ohio by April 22. "Not everyone who is diagnosed is being admitted to the hospital, about 25 percent are." Stephen Markovich, President and CEO, Ohio Health, "Caretaker in Chief," Columbus CEO, May 2020, pp. 8-13. When you hear the number of cases reported on the news or on social media, have you ever heard that? 75% don't get admitted?

We have four enormous hospital systems in Columbus: Ohio Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System and Nationwide Children's Hospital. In March the CEOs of these behemoths were even considering turning our Greater Columbus Convention Center into a field hospital. That was the size of the panic, fear and inaccurate models. But as of yesterday during the entire pandemic there have been less than 3,000 confirmed cases in this county (the majority of which didn't required hospitalization), and only about 3,800 hospitalized in the entire state! We're a state of 11.75 million with a number of major cities.

Why are we judging the entire country and its needs by what happened in the New York metropolitan area with a Democrat governor who kept inviting people to come and ignore the fear even on March 2? There was an Italian film playing at Lincoln Center. He urged people to see it. In a month NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic and the rest of us have had to suffer from his carelessness.

Who locked the church doors?

The entities in our society who've disappointed me the most during the pandemic are the public libraries and the Christian churches—particularly  the large ones with healthy budgets and large staffs. Both are evangelists, although for different causes. One for information and learning and the other for Jesus Christ and a life style that includes worship, charity, and good works.

I was a librarian for many years (Slavic studies, Latin American studies, cataloger, bibliographer, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine) and have worked in libraries since I was a teen-ager, I know what they mean to people seeking health information, assistance with school work, leisure activities, access to computers, and mind-numbing recreational reading--all of which should have been considered essential during a pandemic. It's just not difficult to "social distance" in a library, or for the staff to keep a library clean. One summer my assistant Sarah and I moved our entire 50,000 volume library across the hall to an empty lab so painters could give it a fresh look. And no, heavy, back breaking labor wasn't in our job description. I don't know a librarian or para-professional who hasn't done something outside the standard guidelines in order to keep her job. And usually, willingly because they love what they do and see their work as a service to society.

I've been part of a Christian faith group for as long as I can remember--from the days when I wrapped my little arms around my mother's leg as she chatted with friends after the service to the funeral of Ann Hull in February 2020 when we all hugged and cried with her family and friends. Do you know that half of the churches in the U.S. have a congregation below 75 (the median)? The average congregation has about 185 people--and that was 10 years ago--it's probably less now. They do a lot, those little churches--food pantries, hospital visits, volunteering at the local nursing home, after school classes in the faith, preparing the youth for confirmation, serving at all the funerals of the "old folks" who didn't move on to something with more glitz and glam, gathering the faithful 10 or 12 for a choir, and some don't have a full time pastor--they have sort of a circuit rider like the 19th century rural churches.

Those churches of less than 200 (many elderly or ill) probably didn't have enough people who could put together a task force or committee to drive to the state house and convince the governor that churches are just as essential as Lowe's and Walmart to the community. And do you think those little old ladies who have served at a thousand funerals and weddings don't know how to keep a church clean?

But where were the big brother churches who could have shouldered that burden? Playing with their computers, Zooming and Skyping and listening to confessions in the parking lot of their cathedrals. I don't like Teledoc and have never been one to watch TV preachers, although I am fond of old reruns of Bishop Sheen and Billy Graham.

Years ago--probably the 1970s or 1980s, an era when churches really began losing ground to the culture--my mother wrote an essay about how discouraged she was after a lifetime of service in the church to see so few young families in her small town church. I wish I could find it—never one to promote herself, she may have written it as fiction. She'd taught Sunday school, Bible school, sewed the curtains for the fellowship hall; she'd been the Christian education director, she'd birthed and raised the church organist, she'd decorated and served in the church nursery; she'd made thousands of casseroles and Jello salads for church dinners, she volunteered for 30 years in the local nursing home; she donated her garden produce, she taught sewing to migrant workers, she led a Friday morning Bible study in her home for years, and used her own funds to create and manage a religious retreat center. She may have even had a stint running the church library because she loved libraries. And I might add, she did it all (except for gardening) in a dress, hose and heels.

I think her essay was directed at my generation, or maybe just me. I wasn't doing a fraction of what she and her generation did. My generation  gathered to sit on the floor in focus groups and have consciousness raising discussions on what it meant to be a woman in the 20th century. We were petitioning for more power on the male dominated church boards and going to the state house with signs to demonstrate for the ERA. We went back to work in droves until a second income was essential for all families, as was a 2nd car and a bigger home.

As we women discovered who we were, went off to seminary and joined the boards back in the 1970s, our children just walked out of the church after confirmation or after baptism depending on the denomination and became the "nones." Somehow, I just can't see the women who struggled through the Great Depression and WWII, whose husbands and brothers had gone off to defend our religious freedoms and assembly and speech freedoms putting up with the government making rules that would cause the pastors and church boards to put a lock on the church door.

Life is a risk

Just so you know--life is dangerous.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

Heart disease: 647,457

Cancer: 599,108

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383

Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404

Diabetes: 83,564

Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633

Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173

Just so you know (because the media haven't told you) many people with heart disease and cancer, stroke and diabetes, haven't had their needs met because hospitals and medical staff were chasing Covid19 cases that didn't arrive. You can expect these numbers to increase because early treatment is essential

Where are the leaders?

I do wish church leaders would lead. Fortunately, the first century Christians were not this risk averse and didn't follow the culture.

Time to open, guest blogger Jane Baird Lathem

CAUTION: Personal Opinion!!!!! I have completely understood the need for social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks, etc. for our safety. I do not doubt the severity of Covid 19. I know many have died or have been very sick with this virus. However, I find some inconsistency in the continued response. Every year thousands of Americans die with the flu. It is a terrible thing. But we are not informed every day on the news of the death toll from the flu and told to be very careful, wear masks, wash hands, etc. Yes, we are all encouraged to get a flu shot and, if of a certain age, be very careful about being around anyone with symptoms. But there is not the daily reporting about the flu and yet thousands die every year!

With this virus EVERYTHING came to a stand still. No church, no sports, no concerts, no state or national parks are opens, beaches closed and we must mask ourselves, wash hands for 20 seconds, sanitize everything that enters our home. I understand why this was done in the beginning. . . . this virus was an unknown. But I think it’s time to gradually open up, allow businesses to open while exercising common sense and allow churches to open their doors while also using common sense. It is beginning to feel like the government wants to tell me what I can do and when I can do it. I have seen what that does to people’s lives in Venezuela. I don’t want to see that here.

Will there still be cases of the virus. . . .yes. Will there still be cases of the flu. . . .yes. Will everyone exercise common sense.  . .  NO! But we must allow people to go back to work so they can provide for their families and provide for the needs of others. The government can give guidelines for the safest ways to do that but, ultimately, people will have to make the decisions for their own safety.

Who are the essential workers? Congress or Walmart, guest blogger David Meyers

"This strikes me as funny-sad.

In this time of national crisis, who are the essential workers? The House of Representatives or Walmart employees? Since the reps are staying home, it must be the Walmart workers. But are they staying home because they feel it's not worth risking their health or they just don't have anything of value to contribute?

On the flipside, do they consider Walmart workers expendable whereas they are not?

Every time I have gone into a grocery store, I have thanked each worker I have encountered for being there for us. I do the same when I cross paths with anyone who is still out there working--the mail carrier, the UPS driver, the police officer. (That's about all I have encountered, but they are many others out there that deserve thanks, particularly health care workers.)

After this is all behind us, the reps will probably want to vote themselves a raise for their extraordinary efforts on behalf of the country--i.e. sheltering in place and printing money.

In the meantime, most of the workers I have spoken with have been extraordinarily helpful and courteous. And they are all just hoping they don't come down with Covid."

David is a retired state employee and local author specializing in history and music.

What or who are you going to believe?

These days, I never believe anything until it's been rerun in a safe media source a few times. Masks don't help; masks do help; masks are mandatory; or maybe not, just kidding. Not enough ventilators; President's fault; ventilators found; ventilators turned out by millions; not enough people need ventilators; president's fault. The virus can live 3 days on surface; wrong, lives 15 days; wrong again, I'll get back to you on that. Pets can't get covid19; pets can get covid19. We need temporary hospitals and hospital ships; tent hospitals standing empty; President's fault--he should have known better.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/scientists-conclude-people-cannot-get-coronavirus-twice/

Liberals have more trust and faith in government edicts than conservatives do—Ohio study

It appears Covid19 has always been political in Ohio according to a recent study.

"For example, results showed that a higher percentage of conservatives than liberals thought they were at low or very low risk of catching the virus during both surveys. But the gap closed quite a bit between the first and second survey as more liberals no longer saw themselves at high risk.

There were also differences in how liberals and conservatives perceived the reactions of their fellow Americans to the pandemic.

Of the people in the April survey who said that most Americans were “not taking risks seriously enough,” 44 percent described themselves as liberal and 21 percent described themselves as conservative. In contrast, of those who said that most Americans were “overreacting to the actual risks of contracting the virus,” 16 percent described themselves as liberal and 38 percent as conservative."

https://news.osu.edu/survey-shows-how-ohioans-views-on-covid-19-have-evolved/

Cutting back after the shut down

After the lock up/ shut down/ shut up is over, half the adults will be going on a diet (my estimate). Here's some tips:

My observation is that diet drinks and special diet foods make people fat. They don't taste right and create a craving for more food. Use less, or just add your own water or milk, which is often the first ingredient.

EPA reports if you remove 100 lbs of junk from the trunk or back seat, your car's fuel efficiency will improve by 2%. Same with your body. Remove 10% of your body weight from your trunk or back seat and it will improve your own energy efficiency. I think I'll try that 10% and I still might weigh more than Bob .

Women who weigh themselves every day are on average 7-8 lbs lighter than those who don't.

Move! Obese people tend to sit for 150 more minutes a day than their lean counterparts.

Losing the sloppy jeans and t-shirt and getting a good haircut will make you look 10lbs thinner, even if you don't lose a pound.

Eat less, move more. ELMM. Shop the outside aisles at the grocery store.

And remember: A BMI of below 25 can't be normal if so few people are there.

I’d planned to start today, but had 2 slices of peanut butter toast for breakfast.  Maybe tomorrow. . .

How to prepare for a pandemic

I found an interesting document on how to prepare for a pandemic among my son's hospice material: "Household Preparedness A to Z." Each letter of the alphabet covers one or two critical details. B was household chlorine bleach; J was sports juice or fluids containing electrolytes; X was extra batteries for flashlight and radio, etc.

"Experts believe a worldwide outbreak, or pandemic, of influenza will happen someday. The exact timing is not known, but it is certain our everyday lives will drastically change during a pandemic. These changes may include temporary closing of schools or cancellation of events, disruption of normal services such as utilities and some shortages. There are things you can do now to prepare. Take time to understand the needs of your household; and take action to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family."

Since he received it in mid-February, it was out there and available before the current pandemic. It was posted at the Ohio Department of Health, www.ohiopandemicflu.gov. I checked it and it no longer exists and there's no date on the document. It appeared to have a lot of additional information for schools, businesses, communities, local governments, with planning newsletters, fact sheets and brochure.  I later found that document at http://www.pike-health.org/Elements/PdfDocuments/Items/HouseholdAZ.pdf

I'm guessing all states had this document on how to prepare for a pandemic. So why was it the president's responsibility and not ours? Or the hospitals? Or the schools? And why were people so excited that Bill Gates had given a Ted Talk and "warned" us if it was right in our Department of Health web page?

Kidneys and Covid19

The divide on whether to open is coming down to politics not medicine--specifically, who hates Donald Trump. But maybe it should come to whether you care about your kidneys. Take a look at the comorbidities of those who died of or with (which seems to be a lot of it) this novel SARS virus--diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Specifically, diabetes. About a third of those with diabetes (which is often related to both hypertension and obesity) will develop chronic kidney disease. The kidneys can't filter your blood and you may also have nerve damage. It's a disease that affects the same people vulnerable to this virus--over 60, high blood pressure and member of a minority group. A chronic condition means usually it's controllable by changes in life style and medication, and nagging from the doctor.

The very people who aren't seeing their doctors or are afraid to call, are the ones you're putting in danger by hanging on to your hatred of Donald Trump so you can blame him for the virus and the shut down. End the shut down; save your kidneys.

And please, Trump haters, stop acting so morally superior by accusing conservatives of wanting people to die by going back to life and work. You are the problem. . .

Why retirees have problems cleaning out the files

Have you ever tried to clean out your storage or files and found out it takes days to go through one drawer or file cabinet or closet? For me, the big mistake is sitting down to read something I wrote 25-30 years ago. I don't know what happens in the offices of retired pastors who preach every Sunday and lead Bible studies or school teachers who saved reams of projects and lesson plans, but it's a nightmare for librarians like me who have attend hundreds of meetings and who had publishing requirements for promotion and tenure and saved all their notes.

For instance, my notes (never published because they were for me) for "The Ohio White House Conferences on Library and Information Services--Literacy," September 27 (1990?) held at the Worthington Holiday Inn. I'm not sure why I attended--it seemed to be for public librarians, and not academic. We live in different worlds and focus on totally different problems and clientele. Ohio doesn't have a "White House" so the title means each state or region was having meetings to funnel information back to the President--George H.W. Bush--information on which any administration rarely acts, but the money would have come from the federal government. My writing style always includes off topic ideas that occur to me, so before I wrote out my notes, I commented on the poor representation of the media at this conference and I blamed my profession, not the media.

"Librarians have been notorious for not being able to market their product. Distilleries put their information on billboards in the inner city and at interstate exchanges. Librarians put notices on bookmarks which can only be picked up in libraries. Cigarette companies give away cigarettes to induce a life time addiction. Librarians give away time and effort registering voters and showing movies in hopes that the user might check out a book. Librarians sponsor National Library Week when for the cost they could probably create one of those phony commercial talk shows for cable television that are on every channel from midnight on. Targeting neighborhoods with direct mail campaigns has sold millions of dollars worth of goods, but when was the last time you received a doorhanger from the library except at levy time? Have you ever received a phone call from a telemarketer interrupting your dinner to ask if your library card in current?

There are millions of literate people who never set foot in a library. They either don't need them, don't like them, or have had bad experiences in them. They join book clubs, subscribe to magazines and newspapers; they visit book stores and book sales, but not libraries. There are also millions of literate people who are non-readers. . .

The largest, single common denominator identifying all librarians is that we are members of that particular cultural group--the readers. We are so chauvinistic we cannot imagine anyone could be happy who doesn't share this common trait. Librarians have created every imaginable network, coalition, association, and service organization to lure people into their libraries, but they haven't been able to keep libraries in the schools, not even with all the dues we pay. We can't even get a librarian appointed as the "Librarian of Congress." [note: that did finally happen under Obama--a 3-fer, Carla Hayden, black, female, librarian]."

And I went on to mention the dropping numbers (30 years ago) for literacy among children, even in families where moms read to them. Then I wrote about the activities at my public library that week for children: 4 programs involving movies, and 3 for Halloween crafts.

I went on and on for pages--have no idea what happened at the conference. This was 8 typed pages, and no information on what resulted from the meeting. There is a printed report listed on Amazon as out of stock, Jan. 1, 1990, and a copy in the OSU library.

Maybe some attitudes have changed in libraries the last 30 years. I'm no longer an insider. If there were two institutions that should have been considered essential during this shut down it was churches and libraries. Both are filled with evangelists for their passion, and both were silenced, submissive and shuttered.

Spiritual resources for the pandemic

In the Ohio State Health Beat newsletter (on-line) today there is a section for well-being resources during the lock down/culture shock for the pandemic.  https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/features/covid-resources/staff/well-being  There are a number of links featuring ideas or publications for mental health, well being, coping and spiritual helps for employees. So I clicked on "Spiritual Resources" (listed after Mindfulness which actually IS a practice well within the eastern religions) and after Chaplin services, telephone support, audio spiritual pause, a prayer request link and poems, I came to "Faith specific prayers." Here's how they are listed. 1) Islam, 2) Buddhism, 3) Judaism, 4) Christianity, 5) Hinduism. Isn't that odd? Christians are the largest faith group in the world, and approximately 75% of Americans claim some connection to Christianity even if they are just Chreasters and only attend baptisms.

So I continue down the list to a link for "Sacred Texts" which is four links below poetry-- 1) Buddhist Scriptures (13 are listed), 2) Holy Bible, one verse from the NIV is listed, with a link to Bible Gateway keyword feature, 3) Holy Quran, individual links to 114 chapters that link to Meccan references 4) The Tenach (Jewish), with detailed links to the Torah, the Prophets, etc. Whoever put this together threw a dart at the internet religious resources and came up with a politically correct list, all turn key, assuring that no OSU employee would find anything Christian as a resource in this difficult time.

Let's hope they all are attending Bible studies on Zoom or something. Maybe they won't notice our government is shredding the First Amendment in a dangerous precedent while the Christian churches are silent because they can still shop at Walmart.

What is even more anti-Christian is a whole link https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/features/covid-resources/staff/well-being/daily-breathing-practice  devoted to "5 minutes of Mindfulness" on CarmenZoom, with links for each day by video. EACH DAY. Imagine (it's impossible, but try) if there were all those digital resources and planning from a state agency devoted to video links of a pastor or rabbi reading from the Psalms, or offering instruction for the devotional practice, The Rosary.

"Mindfulness" is a religious practice of Hinduism/Buddhism (you can find instructions at both Buddhist and Hindu sites), using an English term that sounds like it isn't religious since the brain doesn't need to be engaged. Well, my brain is engaged, and I'm calling foul on the state for advocating for one religious group over another and pretending it's something else. And shame on Christians for having your babes so poorly catechized that they go off to college and get "evangelized" for eastern religions at almost every turn.

Gabbe Health and Wellness which provides these breathing techniques daily is part of the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State. Today's topic is “Hope as a state of being,” and if you click on it the pleasant woman will provide instructions for the religious techniques.

It’s not about your health when . . .

Kevin Sorbo: "It’s not about your health when the State says it’s too dangerous for you to walk in the park with your child, then puts dangerous criminals back on the street – or, when it tells you it’s safe to go in-person to a grocery store, but not to a voting station. . . when the State shuts down millions of private businesses but doesn’t lay off a single government employee, it's not about your health."

The worm has turned: Covid19 misinformation

Candace Owens: "I broke this story 2 months ago, and was called a "conspiracy theorist". It feels so good to be vindicated. Last night, Tucker Carlson honorably admitted that he fell for the initial hype, and now realizes that the virus is not as deadly as the experts predicted. When I (Candace Owens) started reporting on #coronavirus it was difficult because every single person was convinced it was really as deadly as the journalists were saying, and that I was spreading misinformation. Now things have shifted and virtually everyone is admitting they were wrong. If nothing else, this pandemic should teach us the following:

1) Just because a lie is said a million times, doesn't make it true.

2) Our subconscious works at a faster pace than our conscious. Remember to trust your gut.

3) The speed at which Americans were willing to sacrifice their liberties for a false sense of security should disgust and alarm everyone.

4) The mainstream media is poisonous.

5) Stand up for what you believe in. It's better than being popular."

https://www.dailywire.com/news/yes-hospitals-get-paid-more-for-coronavirus-coded-patients-even-if-they-havent-been-tested?

Comparing the polio epidemics and Covid19

I’ve been anti-shutdown for weeks, but I only saw this video today.  https://youtu.be/lGC5sGdz4kg  So it has had no influence on me.  I’ve watched how the people of Ohio have been led into complete submission while our small businesses have been destroyed. Big box and chains are open.  I watched our sensible, conservative Republican, Trump-supporting, Governor DeWine and his sidekick Dr. Amy, appear every day on TV always quietly oozing more fear and regulations.

If you’re old enough to remember the polio epidemic, the video makes a lot of sense.  I recall my cousin Jimmy Corbett who died in 1949 of polio, and the Kable children I think 4 of the 5 had it, but all survived. We had a big gathering of Corbetts at the John Corbett home (parents of Jimmy) because of visiting relatives from California.  We had a wonderful time and within days Jimmy was dead from polio and about a week later my sister Carol had it. We all were quarantined (in those days they quarantined the people most at risk to contract the disease not the entire country), but not the adults.  My father moved out of our home in Forreston and moved in with his parents in Mt. Morris so he could earn a living (novel idea for 2020)—all had been at that family dinner.  So why weren’t they afraid for the adults?  Immunity.  Most adults born in the late 19^th or early 20^th century had some immunity to polio, a disease that had been around for centuries. Whether it was improved sanitation (indoor plumbing) or something else, I don’t know, but children of the 1930s and 1940s were being struck down.  Some young adults did have it—like FDR, and I wonder if it was his somewhat pampered life (flush toilets) that created the vulnerability whereas my Dad used an outhouse and met his first flush toilet at 14 when he started high school in Polo, IL.

Our son Phil died a week ago and we’d been caring for him (no wife or children for a safety net) first in his home, then in ours as we began to wear out. Under normal circumstances, my 82 year old husband would have seen his own doctor as soon as he began to have breathing problems, but it was postponed due to our situation and because of the shut down/telemedicine.  He needed testing and that isn’t done on the phone. Eventually the squad took him to the ER when he realized he was exhausted walking to the neighbor’s to get ice cream we’d stored in her freezer. He was admitted, tested, and found to have some serious cardiac issues.  The hospital, the largest in Columbus, was virtually empty. Everything—heart, lung, knee, hip, brain—was postponed because of the pandemic scare.  And how many thousands and thousands either didn’t go to their doctor or weren’t diagnosed because of the focus and policies about Covid19? Even today, the death toll nationwide is higher than normal, and the bump isn’t due to Covid.  It’s probably due to people not going to the doctor when they should have—technically, we’d created a nation of uninsured.

I think our president has been misled and so have many of the governors. Whenever I hear the word “data” I mentally flag it.  Dr. Birx of the president’s task force often said, “the data show. . .” Data is not information, information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom.”
With more sifting and examination the data are actually showing that over 90% of those who died had one of three, or all three—obesity, hypertension, or diabetes.  So meanwhile, reporters who think will probably not be sent to investigate and all the sheeple get are stupid memes about injecting Lysol.

If you’re too young to remember polio, think about how HIV/AIDS was misreported and politicized (still is) as a disease that all of us would get in the 1980s.  And that’s nonsense in service of an agenda.  It’s still isolated for the most part to gay and bisexual men and drug users, and it’s behavior, not homophobia that spreads it.

Stop the insanity

Old people like me are at risk for Covid19. But no more so than the flu, falls and pneumonia. The shut down/lock up is hurting us more. There are shelves of research showing that being social is key to being healthy in old age; that moving even 45 minutes a day can extend your life, maybe more than 3 hours at the gym. Mall walking with a friend or shopping or a stroll in the park help us more than it helps young whipper snapper reporters opining about the evils of people who want the lock down to end. We may not remember the sermon, but we need our Sunday School class or choir participation or working with the ladies in the kitchen to connect. And yes, Alzheimer's doubles every 5 years after 65, but it's those tiny little strokes, the ones you can't detect on the phone, that really slow down our brains over time.

Governor, stop the insanity. You're killing us.

Down on the farm, 1969

  

Our children loved our vacations at my mother's farm located between Franklin Grove and Ashton, IL. My niece Cindy sent this treasure. I'm thinking this is June, 1969 and Cindy's family was living there. We'd come down ( we always said "down" when traveling from Mt. Morris to Franklin) to check out the remodeling progress. Eventually my mother created a wonderful retreat type facility for church groups. So Phil was about 7 months old in this photo. My nieces and our son Stan (deceased) were all within weeks of each other in age. That's Cindy on the far left. Squished and wiggling in her cousin's arms is our Phoebe. The guy with red hair is Bob.

Restrictions

When things finally open . . .

Opening season will be open season on Trump (who has been in the cross hairs of the media since 2015), and we know WaPo, NYT, LAT, CNN and MSNBC will be spewing misinformation, fake news and ridicule for what he didn't do, might have done, did 20 years ago, is doing and won't do.
"A targeted, data-driven approach that recognizes the differing conditions of the states, rather than placing them all on the Procrustean bed of a single policy, is the right prescription for this crisis."  City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/white-house-plan-to-open-economy?

A procrustean bed: A situation or place that someone is forced into, often violently. In Greek mythology, the giant Procrustes would capture people and then stretch or cut off their limbs to make them fit into his bed.

These government policies have indeed cut off our economic and cultural arms and legs to make us fit into their one size fits all shut down.

Seeing things unseen

When Phil was hospitalized twice in 6 months, we met and talked to many foreign doctors, nurses, paraprofessionals, social workers, techs and staff. We also noticed that medical practitioners from other cultures, particularly African and Indian, have a whole other way of looking at, touching and treating people. It's not about being kind, although they were; it was intuition. It's like they have a second sense endowed by their cultures about the body that book learning and college degrees don't offer. And they were not like each other, either. Filipinas were not the same as Nigerians. I wonder how this translates to current demand using telephone, Zoom and Skype.

Covid19 stats for Ohio

April 26 COVID-19 snapshot:
Data provided by ODH as of 2 p.m. April 26
Confirmed cases in Ohio: 15,360 
Number hospitalized in Ohio: 3,178 
Number of confirmed deaths in Ohio: 687 
Number of cases in Franklin County: 1,942
And about 28,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular problems.

David Meyers comments:

There is a lot of half-baked science being touted right now. I say half-baked because it’s being put out for public consumption before it is ready. Even in the absence of a major health crisis, it is not uncommon to make claims that turn out to be wrong. The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to Johannes Fibiger in 1926 for the discovering that a roundworm caused cancer in rats. Only it didn’t. It was an honest mistake.

Good science usually takes time. It should be devoid of politics and independent of outside influences, i.e. money and fame. But good science takes money. That’s the dilemma researchers find themselves. Right now, there are real scientists—someone said about ninety teams—working hard to diagnose and solve a problem in a few months that would normally take years. They are no doubt feeling pressure to skip steps. The test groups are often small and the controls are possibly lacking. Some scientists are bypassing peer review because that takes time. Others seems to be motivated by a need to draw attention to themselves.

In the meantime, our economy is taking a shellacking. Only time will tell if it was worth it, although many people have already made up their mines.

I decided to take a look at the CDC website to see if I could learn anything more from it that we were being told. The first thing that struck me is that the CDC is lumping Covid-19 together with influenza and pneumonia.** Apparently, anybody who dies of influenza or pneumonia is per se a Covid casualty, now. The death rate for this group is (according to the most recent data) 18.6 people per 100,000 and declining. It had been over 21 just a couple of weeks earlier. I don’t know what it is, now. But on a yearly basis I would expect it to decline.

I wanted to put this in perspective. Unfortunately, the most recent data for the leading causes of death in the United States is as of 2018. They are:

655,381 heart disease [163.6 per 100,000]
599,274 cancer [149.1 per 100,000]
167,127 accidents/unintentional injuries [48.0 per 100,000]
159,486 chronic lower respiratory diseases [39.7 per 100,000]
147,810 cerebrovascular [37.1 per 100,000]
122,019 Alzheimer disease [30.5 per 100,000]
84,946 diabetes [21.4 per 100,000]
** 59,120 influenza and pneumonia [14.9 per 100,000]
51,386 kidney disease [12.9 per 100,000]
48,344 suicide [14.2 per 100,000]

As you can see, the typical rate for influenza and pneumonia is 12.9 per 100,000. It will be interesting to see what it will be at the end of 2020, but we probably won’t know that until 2022.

We’ve had to buy an extra recycle bin for our trash

What's with covering plastic bottles with plastic envelop labels with instructions to remove the label before recycling? I've only noticed it recently because before I don't buy a lot of small, specialty items like sports drinks and nutritional supplements like Ensure or high calorie treats from Tim Horton’s. But I guess that marketing waste has moved to some things I do buy. I've most recently experienced it with Half n Half and pints if milk (Kroger brand). With all the carry out food and back-to-plastic bags for shopping, we will have undone a decade's worth of nagging and hypervigilant recycling habits in just a month of stay home/stay shuttered/stay stupid that will not change the death statistics.

Sunday musings on the Trump critics

I've noticed some strange behavior among the Trump haters.

In addition to calling me names like stupid Fox News watcher or Trump cult member, they ridicule Trump's appearance, his 3 marriages, his children, his speech and his Christian faith.

Odd. With a 50% divorce rate among Americans, how many divorces are OK with these folks? Did his critics just shack up or sleep around and not bother with legalities? Is that wagging finger pointing back at the speaker with a tinge of guilt?

And his appearance? 69% of women are either overweight or obese and 75% of men. How slim are his critics? Could the critics keep up his schedule?

His children? Have you checked out the Kennedy genealogy and Roosevelt kids lately? Didn't Cuomo and Schwarzenegger both marry into the Kennedy clan and then dump their wives, one for a cook the other for a maid?

The way Trump talks? It was OK with Trump critics that both H. Clinton and B. Obama would change their speech patterns with their clothing to try to ingratiate themselves with certain ethnic groups or income levels. But Trump never changes. He tweets, he talks, and he jokes, but it always drives the left crazy that he doesn't change to suit them. They don't want him to talk like a deal making businessman--they want him to sound like a washed up, has-been politician who has been failing for 40 years in government.

Christian faith? With 35,000 different denominations, independents, and Bible churches among Christians who can't even agree on how to baptize or when Jesus is coming back, just which group is OK with his critics? The one they belong to? The one they don't honor with their presence or tithe?

It's puzzling.

Covid19 April 24 in Ohio

So far, 649 have died of Covid19 in Ohio, and based on previous years, about 28,000 will die of heart disease in Ohio. Probably more than previous years because hospitals and clinics are not seeing cardiac problems in a timely fashion and are using the "wait and get sicker" method of socialist countries. We're experiencing that in our household.

Philip Vincent Bruce, 1968-2020

Philip Vincent Bruce was born November 25, 1968 in Columbus, Ohio, and died April 21, 2020 in the home of his parents, Robert and Norma Bruce, in Upper Arlington, Ohio. He so longed to be in his own home in Canal Winchester where he'd lived for many years, however, a diagnosis of glioblastoma on October 1, 2019 meant he needed around the clock care in his last months. Phil attended Tremont, Jones and Upper Arlington High School, graduating with the class of 1987, enjoying all the amenities of the pools, parks and athletic leagues growing up, and the spiritual guidance and programs of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church where he was confirmed. He later took a few business classes at Columbus State. Although Phil learned to read before kindergarten, what he really cared about was not books or degrees, but people.  From the time he could walk, his interest was gathering a crowd for play or friends to visit, or standing on a stool to reach the kitchen wall phone. In pre-school at First Community Church, story hour and sitting still were not interesting; the playground or playing in the corner with other "busy" boys was his idea of a good morning. And that never changed. To the end of his life, he maintained friendships from his old neighborhood, elementary and high schools, the work place and church.

For both socializing and alone time, he loved music, especially guitar. Although he did have a few guitar and piano lessons, for the most part he didn't have patience for that and preferred working out the details on his own, and for that he would be absorbed for hours. He loved to put words together and wrote his own music.  It was his solace in alone time to unwind after a hectic day at work and his main vehicle for building friendships and socializing. Phil from the beginning was spiritual--and often would express his tenderness in comforting or visiting the suffering. His parents heard many stories about his reaching out to families of his friends or to co-workers in difficult times.  But he was also religious and enjoyed the sacraments, structure and organization that holds Christians together when we gather to worship Jesus as the visible church. As a little guy he would comment that he could feel the water on his head while the pastor gathered the children to watch a baptism. The last decade of his life he participated in the fellowship of Gender Road Christian Church and enjoyed playing in the praise band. He dearly loved his church, and even at the end of life would talk about going back to church in a week or two. His last communion was on April 14. A final prayer service with his family was held at his bedside after he died with Pastor John Romig of GRCC and Pastor Paul Ulring of UALC.  At this time, the funeral at Gender Road Christian Church has not been scheduled until we can gather freely and remember Philly B with stories and songs.

Phil is survived by his parents, Bob and Norma Bruce, his sister and brother-in law, Phoebe and  Mark Doncevic, many aunts and uncles, Jean and Bob Poisal, Debbie Sterling, Rick and Kate Bruce, Joanne and Nelson Miller, Stan and Casey Corbett, and many cousins, especially Joan and Dan Poynter, and some who sat on his lap as babies and then grew up to be bigger than he was becoming good friends as adults, and devoted friend to the end, Sara Reichly.

Phil was blessed with many grandparents and knew and loved them all--great grandparents Joe and Bessie Corbett, great grandmother Irma Byrum, Jim and June DeMott, Howard and Olive Corbett, and Bob and Rosie Bruce. Two brothers, Stanley and Patrick Bruce, died before Phil was born, but he always included them. Phil had been married and divorced, and for many years enjoyed being a step-father.  Phil loved animals, and after his last dog Rosa, a chocolate lab, died in 2018, he didn't get another dog, but started a pet sitting business and loved each client as his own.

For most of his adult life Phil had worked in the automotive repair business, in Grandview Heights with his Bruce Automotive Services, with Jack Maxton as the Quick Serve manager in Worthington, and most recently with Jeff Wyler in Canal Winchester.  He also had been an insurance agent at Collins Financial Services.

Baptism, 1969

With Grandma Corbett at the farm, Franklin Grove, IL 1971

With Grandma and Grandpa DeMott, Phoebe and Mom, Indianapolis

Phoebe and Phil at cousin Joan's for Christmas holiday

2018 Praise Band, Gender Road Christian Church 

2019 high school friends

Myths about the prison system

How many myths about the prison system are you believing—they are mostly drug offenders? Wrong. Long sentences? Wrong. Media and activists aren't telling you the truth. The truth doesn't sell. Or bring in donations for liberal think tanks. Most criminals have victimized their own communities. Think on that. Reduce the population? But they hurt their own communities, not yours.

https://www.prageru.com/video/why-are-so-many-americans-in-prison/

Reading and cycling

My office was cleaned out to the bare walls and moved to the laundry room to make way for our son’s hospital bed and supplies. At first the exercycle was in my husband’s office, but I pushed it into the laundry room so I could multi-task.  My washing machine, which I’ve written about before, is a little touchy and likes to dance around if not loaded evenly, so sometimes I just jump on the cycle during spin.

But it’s sort of boring, so I’m reading a new book I was sent for review: American Harvest, God, Country and Farming in the Heartland, by Marie Mutsuki Mockett, a Californian with a Japanese mother, and American father.  There’s been a 7,000 acre wheat farm in her family for over 100 years, although her grandfather had left the area as a child.

What caught my interest was not just the farmer angle, but the Christians who annually harvest the wheat using teams from the Pennsylvania Anabaptist country. I’m only in chapter 2, but so far, unless her liberal side takes over, I’m enjoying her vivid descriptions of the farms and her compassionate look at the harvesters she travels with to get material for this book.  I can go 3-4 miles a day with Marie.

http://www.mariemockett.com/books/american-harvest/

Here’s a review, but it sounds like the reviewer only finished the first 2 chapters, which is how far I am on my exercise plan. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-04-03/evangelicals-marie-mockett-american-harvest