Weather or Climate

Swimming Pools in Iceland

Flying on Mars

Boating in 2 countries

Living with loss

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense,

 who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;

- Why the early bird gets the worm;

- Life isn't always fair;

- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,

- by his parents, Truth and Trust,

- by his wife, Discretion,

- by his daughter, Responsibility,

- and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his five stepchildren;

- I Know My Rights

- I Want It Now

- Someone Else Is To Blame

- I'm A Victim

- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident who is not sure of the author. Snopes thinks it might be Lori Borgman in a 1998 Indianapolis Star issue.

Which group are you in?

Hard to Believe

Coronavirus and Latinos

The UN comments on the Portland mess

From the Washington Post:

"Peaceful demonstrations that have been taking place in cities in the U.S. such as Portland really must be able to continue without those participating in them and also the people reporting on them, the journalists, risking arbitrary arrest or detention, being subject to unnecessary disproportionate or discriminatory use of force or suffering other violations of their rights,” Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office, said at a news conference in Geneva, emphasizing that officers must be “properly and clearly identified.”

“There have been reports that peaceful protesters have been detained by unidentified police officers and that is a worry because it may place those detained outside the protection of the law and may give rise to arbitrary detention and other human rights violations,” Throssell said.

In June, the U.N. Human Rights Council decried violent police tactics and called for an inquiry into systemic racism in the United States. The resolution came after an unusual debate on “systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests” in the United States, requested by all 54 countries in Africa. It was adopted unanimously by the 47 countries that belong to the council. “It is important to show Africa … the Human Rights Council has heard the plight of African and people of African descent calling for equal treatment and application of equal rights for all,” Dieudonné W. Désiré Sougouri, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the United Nations, said when presenting the resolution.

Some Thoughts on Eating

Clarification Regarding COVID-19 from John Hopkins Research

This virus is not a living organism. It is a protein molecule (RNA or DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular (eyes),nasal (nose) or buccal mucosa (mouth), changes their genetic code (mutates) and converts into aggressor and multiplier cells. 

Since the virus is not a living organism, but is a protein molecule, it cannot be killed. It has to decay on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies. 

The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat and that is the reason why soap or detergent is the best weapon. The foam CUTS THE FAT (that is why you have to scrub for 20 seconds or more, to create lots of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down.

HEAT melts fat; this is why it is necessary to use water above 77 degrees for hand washing, laundry and cleaning surfaces. In addition, hot water makes more foam, making it more effective. 

Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ALL FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus. Any solution with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaking it down from the inside. Oxygenated water increases the effectiveness of soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein. However, because you have to use it in its pure form, it can damage your skin. 

NO BACTERICIDE OR ANTIBIOTIC WILL WORK because the virus is not a living organism like bacteria; antibodies cannot kill what is not alive. 

The virus molecules remain very stable at colder temperatures, including air conditioning in houses and cars. They also need moisture and darkness to stay stable. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade the virus faster. 

UV LIGHT on any object that may contain the virus breaks down the protein. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin. 

The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin. 

Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat. 

NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is only 40% alcohol, and you need a minimum of 65%. LISTERINE is 65% alcohol. 

The more confined the space, the higher the concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less. 

You have to wash your hands before and after touching any commonly used surfaces such as : mucosa (mouth area), food, locks, knobs, switches, remotes, cell phones, watches, computers, desks etc. and don't forget when you use the bathroom. You have to MOISTURIZE YOUR HANDS due to frequent washing. Dry hands have cracks and the molecules can hide in the micro cracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better. Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.

Courtesy of a childhood friend

NOTE

Snopes will not confirm that the above came from Johns Hopkins, They don't say it's false although they question some statements made. They say it has been misattributed. For details go to https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/johns-hopkins-covid-summary/

An heroic nun

Father and daughter sing

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

Mayors defend their cities

Protesting in Portland, Oregon

Do you know any QAnon members?

Fashionable masks in India

Our daily life

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

Look at the numbers

A very interesting article by Caroline Chen and Ash Ngu in ProPublica. You should read it as I've only given you what I see as the highlights.

How to Understand COVID-19 Numbers 

Case Counts Won’t Give You the Full Picture

Look for positivity rates below 5% 

Look at seven-day averages over weeks 

Deaths lag behind cases. Wait a few weeks after cases change to see if deaths do too. 

There Are Some Things We Can’t Know for Certain 

Take a Deep Breath and Try to Look at the Big Picture 

Understand the caveats of the data. The data is not perfect but it is still useful. 

Look at hospitalizations and the positivity rate. 

Find trusted sources.

A good quote from John Lewis

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." [Advice from Rep. John Lewis / NYT]

Speculation about Mark Twain and some of his stories

Corornavirus deaths by country

Source: John Hopkins University

A variation of Billy Joel's lyrics

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

A young publisher

Or does he have adult help?

They like bears

The floods in India

Here's a job for you

Twelve Commandments For Seniors

 #1 - Talk to yourself. There are times you need expert advice 

 #2 - “In Style” are the clothes that still fit 

 #3 - You don't need anger management. You need people to stop pissing you off.

 #4 - Your people skills are just fine. It's your tolerance for idiots that needs work. 

 #5 - The biggest lie you tell yourself is, “I don't need to write that down. I'll remember it.” 

 #6 - “On time” is when you get there.

 #7 - Even duct tape can't fix stupid - but it sure does muffle the sound. 

 #8 - It would be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller? 

 #9 - Lately, You've noticed people your age are so much older than you. 

 #10 - Growing old should have taken longer. 

 #11 - Aging has slowed you down, but it hasn't shut you up.

 #12 - You still haven't learned to act your age, and hope you never will. 

 And one more: 

            “One for the road” means peeing before you leave the house.

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

Simon and Garfunkel

Comparisons

Protest in Russia

Review the Moderna vaccine testing

This is absolutely ridiculous

15 and in jail for not doing homework

"Grace", who is 15, a high school sophomore and black, has been at a detention center in Michigan since the middle of May. She's there because in the judge's eyes she had violated her parole, which was the result of her being found guilty of assault and theft last year. She violated her probation by not doing her online homework and her inability to get up for school. Because of this and, based on the prior charges of assault and theft, the judge considered her a “threat to (the) community." Also she and her mother had had a rough time arguing over the past year or two. It was so bad the mother called the police several times.

Well, "Grace* has ADHD and receives special education services. She had a hard time with the transition to online learning and fell behind. She did not complete her schoolwork. Hence, the judge ordered her to detention.

"Grace" has done well at the center; there have been  “no issues” during the more than two months she has been at the Children’s Village detention center. The judge feels that "Grace" is best served by getting treatment and other services that would set her and her mother on a better path forward.

The case has received a fair amount of attention, enough to generate protest demonstrations.

An example for Trump

Truth or Fiction

You need to speak Turkish to understand him.
I think it's fiction. Gliding on a sofa? Watching tv? No seat belt?

Courtesy of a Florida resident

He liked baseball cards

Jimmy Micioni died in March at 97. He collected baseball cards since he was 9 years old. And he collected tons of them. Many of them are autographed, some by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. They all found a place on his basement walls. Some of the cards date back to the 1930s. Specialists in the field have said that the cards are "valued at north of $1 million, but could ultimately sell for several million." A Babe Ruth card was recently sold for $153,400.

 

Courtesy of a Florida resident

Why are there fewer IRS audits?

Why Florida has so many Covid cases

A collapsing glacier

Good or Bad?

Stephanie Kelton and other supporters of the Modern Money Theory or Modern Monetary Theory (both terms are used), don't think it's bad. See this article in the The American Prospect.

Kids make television shows

Working at home

Memory

Max Boot, a long time conservative, has some thoughts about President Trump

From the Washington Post
Three months ago — all the way back on April 5 — I proclaimed Donald Trump the worst president ever. Oh, how innocent I was. Sure, I knew he was bad. But not this bad. Back then I thought he was barely edging James Buchanan in the annals of presidential ineptitude. But now, with the commutation of Roger Stone’s well-deserved prison sentence and so many other vile acts, he has disgraced the nation’s highest office as no previous occupant has come close to doing. Think about all that has happened since April 5.

That was before security forces attacked peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square so that Trump could stage a bizarre photo-op. Before he pushed to send the armed forces into the streets. Before he embraced “white power” and called Black Lives Matter “a symbol of hate. Before he vowed to veto the defense authorization bill to prevent the renaming of military bases named after Confederate generals. Before he used the novel coronavirus as an excuse to shut down immigration and threatened to revoke the visas of college students unable to attend classes in the fall. Before he ignored reports that a Russian intelligence unit had placed a bounty on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Before he moved to pull out of the World Health Organization during the worst pandemic in a century. Before he held rallies that most likely helped to spread the disease. Before he falsely accused MSNBC host and Post columnist Joe Scarborough of murdering a staff member. Before former national security adviser John Bolton revealed that Trump praised China’s prison camps for Uighurs and asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help him win reelection.

Most of all, that was before the coronavirus had infected more than 3.1 million Americans and claimed the lives of more than 131,000. The pandemic was already a disaster on April 5, but back then we still had “only” 331,000 cases and 9,400 deaths. On April 5, 1,344 new cases were reported. As many were recorded in 30 minutes on Friday, when daily new coronavirus cases climbed to a record-breaking 63,900. In early April it was still possible to imagine that the virus really would abate by the middle of summer. That this hasn’t happened — that the virus is still raging out of control in America while being brought under control in so many other countries — is directly attributable to the epic failure of leadership by a president who infamously proclaimed “I don’t take responsibility at all.”

But what makes Trump the worst president ever is not simply that he is colossally incompetent. It is that he is also thoroughly corrupt. It is hard to think of a single major decision he has made for the good of the country, rather than for his own advantage. Trump has so egregiously abused the power of the presidency that he makes Warren Harding and Richard Nixon look like choirboys. Trump was impeached for trying to use military aid to blackmail Ukraine into helping his reelection campaign. He seems to have learned nothing from the experience save that, with Republicans in control of the Senate, he can get away with anything. Since his acquittal, he has committed one appalling act of corruption after another.

Trump has purged anyone who dared to testify against him. The most recent victim was Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a decorated combat veteran who was forced to retire while being belittled by a callow White House press secretary as a “former junior employee.” Also gone are the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and numerous inspectors general who dared to investigate Trump and his cronies. At the same time, Attorney General William P. Barr has launched a politically motivated probe of the investigators who had looked into the Trump campaign’s copious ties to Russia. FBI agents have already been hounded into retirement and slandered by the president. They may yet face prosecution.

While seeking vengeance against those who spoke the truth about his ugly machinations, Trump has sought to reward those who broke the law on his behalf. Barr wants to drop charges to which former national security adviser Michael Flynn already pleaded guilty — a move that a retired federal judge described as “clear evidence of gross prosecutorial abuse.” Barr also sought a reduced sentence for Stone, even while conceding that his “prosecution was righteous,” before Trump on Friday simply set Stone free. Stone served as the liaison between the Trump campaign and Wikileaks, the website that Russian intelligence used to release stolen Democratic Party emails to help Trump win the presidency. Stone refused to testify about what he knew; he perjured himself and obstructed justice to protect the president. And now Trump has rewarded him for his silence. The quid pro quo is blindingly obvious. Not even Nixon during Watergate dared to pardon his co-conspirators or commute their sentences. That Trump has done so secures his unrivaled place in the annals of presidential infamy.

He is not just the worst president ever; he keeps getting worse.

Should Dr. Fauci resign?

A letter to the New York Times

To the Editor:

Vice President Mike Pence recently led a public briefing of the Covid-19 task force with a self-congratulatory statement: “We slowed the spread, we flattened the curve, we saved lives.” False, false, false. Standing quietly behind this series of falsehoods was Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, implying by his presence support of the task force.

While Dr. Fauci has diplomatically disagreed with it from time to time, his overall presence could cause some to believe that the task force has his general approval.

The Trump administration is severely limiting Dr. Fauci’s influence by withholding its permission for interviews, lectures and other public discussions. Consider what our late mutual friend Larry Kramer might have said: “Tony, how can you lend the slightest support to these incompetent idiots who are killing Americans?”

This is a time when Dr. Fauci should not be restricted in expressing exactly how he feels on all issues. This is a time when Dr. Fauci should do the right and courageous thing — resign from the task force. That applies with equal force to Dr. Deborah Birx.

William D. Zabel
New York
The writer is a founding partner of the law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel.

Preparing dinner

Everybody needs a mask

11 year-old ballet dancer

El Chapo can do good

Leonard Bernstein Sings

Guarding the border

More evidence of our ability to deal with Coronavirus

Immunity from the virus

Virus in the sea?

We're helping the virus?

Pink Snow

Friendship is vital

The meaning of hope

WHAT IS HOPE

What is hope? It is a word used casually every day – “hope you are well”, “hope it will be a nice day tomorrow”. But the word has a more serious meaning, namely -–to have a cherished and strong desire or wish that one expects, and depends on, to be fulfilled. Hope is what humans cling to in times of crisis and chaos.

There are so many signs in the awakening of nature that fill us with the hope of renewal. There are more sunny, warmer days; brown stems and grasses opening to incredible beauty; birds chirping and creating new lives. How can we not feel hope in these signs?

Young children and teens are suffering the isolation and lack of physical contact of school mates and teachers, friends and family members. Yet hope comes from the creative ways that learning with loving and caring teachers is being made possible or from the unusual celebration of graduations in 2020 that will never be forgotten?

The elderly are missing the touch of children, grand-children and great  

grandchildren, as well as the hugs of friends and neighbors. They are missing visitors and limited access to the outside world. They are celebrating milestone birthdays, with little or no celebration. But, their hopes are being raised by visitors outside their windows or balconies, along with signs posted by family that allow neighbors and strangers to offer their good wishes, to know that they are not forgotten.

What also brings hope is witnessing the goodness and sacrifices that so many are making to keep others healthy and safe; the distribution of food in neighborhoods, strangers helping strangers. The joy and pleasure of hearing from long time acquaintances and friends, pleasant surprises, a new activity or a resurrected hobby and something newly learned all give us hope.

Let us remember that a positive attitude is the hidden secret behind successfully enduring all manner of trials, and the hope that one day the world might be a place of peaceful gatherings and sharing.

Anita Satriano, a Duncaster resident

Ocean Views

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

A poem for our times

by Arthur Waskow, a sometime controversial rabbi:

We are the generation that stands between the fires:
behind us the flame and smoke
that rose from Auschwitz and from Hiroshima;
before us the nightmare of a Flood of Fire,
the flame and smoke that consume all Earth.

It is our task to make from fire not an all-consuming blaze
but the light in which we see each other fully.

All of us different,
all of us bearing One Spark.

We light these fires to see more clearly
that the Earth and all who live as part of it
are not for burning.

We light these fires to see more clearly
the rainbow in our many-colored faces.

Blessed is the One within the many.
Blessed are the Many who make one.

The best rendition of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole

The Seven Wonders of the World

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

What's happening with the elephants in Botswana?

Trying to find the truth

Looking at risks

One Aspect of the Coronavirus Effects

Baby is born

Courtesy of a Florida friend

What is going to happen with the West Bank

Quotes

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words. And they are provided by a Duncaster resident.

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir, "said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy " -Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." -William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." -Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." -Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." -Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one." -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." -Winston Churchill, in response

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." -Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." -John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." -Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." -Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." -Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." -Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" -Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." -Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." -Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

A foster mother to squirrels