What memories stand out for you concerning the past spread of COVID?

“Emerging infections are a perpetual challenge.The only way you address a perpetual challenge is by perpetual preparedness.” (Dr.Anthony Fauci)

Yesterday I watched a report on PBS that stated Dr. Anthony Fauci’s being investigated by Congress for possible wrongdoing and criminal activity during the COVID crisis.    How shocking this seems as I vividly recall him as America’s foremost media spokesperson for stopping the spread of the COVID epidemic in recent years.          

So for the sake of  defense against such accusations, let me first turn to his track record as a major medical advisor for seven Presidential administrations. For Dr. Fauci not only spearheaded over his long tenure a definitive medical response to COVID, but he played a vital role as well in helping to  deter the incidence of other contagious viral diseases like HIV/AIDS, SARS, the SWINE FLU,MERS, and EBOLA. He also had been widely  praised for his  timely leadership as an expert to develop drugs and vaccines for military and civilian use following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

But beyond these impeccable credentials, it’s pretty clear in my memory, that in the absence of Dr. Fauci’s straightforward directives in favor of masking, social distancing, and vaccine inoculations from 2020 onward, I would have  become a saddened victim of COVID for sure. Consider in this regard as this contagious virus began to spread wildly across the country during that era, Ruth and I remained determined to continue our month to month, cross country travels and global journeys. So in fact we risked taking six road trips during those peak infectious years along with an intense tour of Southern India.     

To prepare for such health challenges, we thus depended on staying diligently current with the latest Fauci recommendations. For road trips, that meant taking the vaccines required, limiting  our social visits, eating most our meals in secluded private places and stocking up in our vehicle with plentiful supplies of masks and anti germ moisturizers. As for India, we made frequent contacts with our tour operator as to whether in fact our trip would go on. As a result, we felt quite self assured when the journey did proceed on the intended date schedule with all members of our group fully complying with Dr. Fauci’s COVID  restrictions.

In spite of our enhanced COVID awareness, nevertheless, we experienced undesired stress during scheduled road trip stopovers at several touristic places such as Smoky Mountain National National Park, Bourbon Street, New Orleans and Las Vegas “Casino Land”. For we noticed on those occasions that many people along crowded corridors there simply ignored masking and distancing guidelines. Meanwhile, we’d already “caught on”to the COVID danger message quite clearly with restaurants offering only “takeout”, motels eliminating  breakfast ,and COVID testing sites popping up seemingly everywhere at random.     

So whether such misguided public behavior against COVID preparedness happening around us resulted from ignorance or just plain rebellion, either way you could not blame Dr. Fauci’s spreading scientific based recommendations to the public at the time. On the other hand, one might in retrospect consider to what extent Donald’s Trump’s several misleading statements about the COVID virus during his Presidency (ie. injecting bleach as a treatment for one ) contributed to such widespread COVID confusion. 

Know then to this day, I have never been diagnosed with COVID. But was it just good luck? No I doubt it. For I can only thank that little voice in my head of Dr. Fauci’s habitual reminders to take the COVID epidemic seriously and  proceed forward with the right action when it vitally mattered.

Source:

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/anthony-s-fauci-md-bio

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci

 

What does respect for human values mean to you? 

Human values are the positive virtues and opposing negative vices that guide us to take action. We use these moral behaviors to justify how we think about ourselves and how to interact with others. Now let’s try to understand the  issue of human values from a child’s  perspective. Click on the following video link below. 

https://youtu.be/NnXQ0iOcDU8?si=pcy_e1smpIL_2vss

Let us take another look at a father and son making conversation with different point of views about this human rights issue. How might this dialogue impact who you vote for in the next Presidential election?

“Hi son, how was your day at school?”

“ Ok. Hey dad, but I heard in my Current Events class that the rich man you are always talking about got convicted yesterday of a serious crime?”

“Now son,  nobody’s perfect. Don’t mind the news on this matter.“

“Sure dad!  But they said he cheated on his wife when she was pregnant. Why did he lie that it never happened?”

“Son, that’s his business not ours.” 

“But dad, our school just banned a library  book that a lot of kids were reading that explained  that Thomas Jefferson had sex with one of his slaves. Shouldn’t  our next President care about doing such things?”

“Son, he says he wants to “Make America Great Again. You should know that! Go tidy up for dinner.”

“Ok dad. Do you know when mom will get back? I really miss her.”

“We will be fine son. She’s just taking a short vacation from us for awhile to enjoy her freedom. And so am I.

FLASH MOMENT ARRIVES

Well a likely answer has arrived with respect to the choice between these two scenarios at 5:07 pm. EST, Thursday, May 30.

What life lessons have you learned to best handle hatred intentions?

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

As the Palestinian/Israeli and Ukrainian/Russian conflicts  continue to drag on, one wonders what it will take for “cooler heads” to prevail. So on this solemn Memorial Day tomorrow  when we honor millions of soldier deaths in battle, I offer the following story of children embracing actions of peace rather than war in handling a real life crisis. 

No Time For Aggressive Blunder

Ms. Gordon, knew from experience that the end of the school year in this inner city environment would again present a difficult challenge. Many of the  5th grade students in her self contained, gifted class the week before Memorial Day seemed to be growing edgy as student absences escalated, and she seemed to struggle more with getting them to line up quietly for lunch at noon. When several fights broke out outside her classroom last week, she knew that something drastic needed to be done.

She thus felt that changing the dynamic of student communication would help ease the impending crisis of classroom management that she currently faced. So she decided to shake up her curriculum and turn to role play as an effective way to handle such pupil tensions. Over the holiday weekend then, she pasted full length, photo profiles of ten people exhibiting a variety of physical appearances on sturdy poster boards. Eight of those individuals included a nurse, fireman, mother with baby and other figures of a more positive light. The other two would depict the obvious threatening images of a bare chested robber with mask holding a loaded gun and a scowling wrestler flexing his bulging biceps to arouse a raucous crowd. 

On Tuesday morning, Ms. Gordon’s students seemed quite interested that these large, human display boards sat conspicuously in front of the classroom. So the time seemed right for Ms. Gordon to introduce her role play lesson. She first chose ten students randomly to each grab a poster and then write their first name in large letters on the top. She furthermore revealed to them that sometime in the afternoon, they would be asked to perform an imagined skit together with their poster board images nearby in mind. In accepting this learning challenge, the chosen ten pupils would need to watch a short action video depicting a family locked in a tightly secured room filled with booby trap bombs, double locked doors/windows  and the uncertain return of enemy intruders. Their job would thus involving acting out a suitable plan of escape.

Sadly, when her class returned from lunch that day, she noticed that the two poster board figures of the robber and wrestler were gone from the room. Two of the students assigned to the role play would ultimately confess to her that they’d pulled a prank to hide these poster boards in the stall of a nearby restroom. Upon prompt return of the missing items to the classroom, Ms. Gordon then made a quick yet risky decision. She would assign the two theft culprits as punishment to play the  villainous roles of the robber and wrestler in the skit. But she had no way of knowing how each of them might react in live action to atone for their previous guilty actions!

So as this role play lesson proceeded, would the chosen ten desire to make peace or harbor hostility in handling this room dilemma?  With peer pressure a significant presence then, as well, would the group feel too ill at ease to perform at all? How excited Ms. Gordon thus felt then when  ALL ten of these students acted in mass to de-escalate the impending crisis by calmly resolving to defuse  the bombs and devise a timely exit strategy to escape from this imprisoned  setting in an entirely non-violent way. Notably the two disobedient pupils despite being tempted to play their  “bad guy” roles on stage in the skit seemed to have learned an important lesson that cooperation not confrontation made best sense at the time.

What plants do you most admire in springtime? 

“All good things are wild and free.” (Henry David Thoreau)

I possess a strong desire in my travels to come and go with an adventurous spirit. So it stands to reason that I would gravitate toward places where springtime plant growth similarly models such unrestrained possibilities of the human condition. Thus take a look at the following travel recommendations accompanied with photos of four plants that blossom randomly in abundance during springtime. Consider then that each of these botanical wonders would be well worth a vacation visit to exemplify one’s desire to roam wild and free.

ORCHIDS

Taking a short walk in a local park nearby my Fort Lauderdale home last week, I noticed wild orchids bunched up in all directions along the rough bark of an old oak tree as well as on the flaky skin of a sturdy palm tree. For orchids seem to like our noticeably hot and humid weather conditions. So for  botanically engaged enthusiasts of this beautiful flower, I would recommend you check out the Orchid Gardens at Fairchild Gardens Botanical Park in Coral Gables, Florida.

BLUEBONNETS

On a spring road trip recently, I took a sidetrack route from the Interstate Highway through Hill Country, Texas. Driving a popular loop corridor called the Bluebonnet Trail, I became a fortunate witness to the colorful explosion of Bluebonnet flowers blooming on  dry and rocky surfaces near and far. To further extend one’s vacation experience  of this Bluebonnet sensation, check out any seasonal Bluebonnet happenings in those small towns along the path  of this trail such as Ennis, Llano, and Kingsland, Texas. 

POPPIES

I would not expect to see a profusion of wild poppies as we drove east on road trip from Southern California into the Mojave Desert at anytime of the year. But I observed for myself during that springtime excursion such a concentration of bright orange flowers that resemble fields of gold thriving along country roads in this region.  For California poppies tend to thrive in such direct sunlight and sparse tree conditions. So I would recommend Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, in particular, as a worthy stop for the road trip tourist in the springtime blooming season. 

DANDELIONS

Yes, I know that dandelions are a kind of invasive weeds. So why would I include them as one of my favorite plants in springtime? Let’s just say that as I grew up as a child in Northeast Ohio, I displayed curious fascination with those little yellow flowers that bloomed in springtime abundance on seemingly every lawn in my neighborhood when those long winters ended. It thus became sheer fun for me for several months to either eat them, throw them, or just intently watch hungry bees feed on them for some prized nectar. Apparently, there are many others who live in temperate regions today that appreciate the dandelion buildup in springtime. So you might check out the local spirit provided by this conspicuously seen weed at Dandelion Festivals in Medford, New Jersey,  Boise, Idaho, White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia and Waukegan, Illinois this late spring/summer. 

 

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How do you best handle being at a funeral proceeding?

“Success is not delivering a good punchline. It’s living a good story.” (Dan Marino) 

At the funeral service I attended yesterday, everything surrounding me seemed pretty much expected for this sad occasion. Guests entered in orderly fashion mostly dressed in formal attire.The family of our late, dear friend Lesley next entered together and took their seats in the front of the gathering area.The rabbi at the podium up front along with Lesley’s sister, niece, and two sons would likewise follow by offering heartwarming words about Lesley’s meaningful life.Yet while I also felt the strong need to be there then for Lesley, the somber service itself made me noticeably “ill at ease”. 

But then it happened! Miami Dolphin ex-quarterback legend Dan Marino suddenly appeared in the room and quietly took his seat a few feet next to me. Appearing humbled yet attentive to the proceedings, Dan’s unspoken presence over this short time seemed to powerfully counteract such unease I felt in witnessing this ceremony of Lesley’s passing. For I’d made an emotional connection to Dan being here as both a leader of men in football and one whose presence I valued today in real life. Such an “aura” exuding extraordinary hopefulness and determination that I saw in him then (which Lesley portrayed as well) will likely help me to better cope with handling “loved ones” remembrances at any future funeral proceedings I attend as well. 

What’s your reaction to the widespread student protests going on at college campuses now?

“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plain of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” (Dr.Martin Luther King)

THE FOLLOWING BLOG ENTRY IS STRICTLY A WORK OF FICTION. ANY REFERENCE TO ACTUAL PEOPLE, PLACES, OR EVENTS AS A RESULT OF MY FACTUAL RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED OF IMAGINARY INTENT AS WELL.

During final exam week, four full time students enrolled at a large urban university held a short panel discussion as part of a live, public television broadcast. During this segment, they would be expressing their views about serious episodes of student protest on campus related to the current Israeli/Hamas conflict. All of them were in various stages of completing their Bachelor’s degree, lived in the dorms on campus and were not on scholarship. The PBS moderator asked several questions alternately to one student at a time, which gave  the others sufficient opportunity to listen and respond afterward. For those who chose to participate  in the scenario below, here’s what they had to say?

Question #1  How do you view the student protests  on campus which are escalating into lawlessness at this time? 

“I’m really stressed right now about passing my classes. I need to study right now and can’t handle all these distractions.”

“Yes, it’s all business during class times.There’s nobody I know of in my courses who would jeopardize their grades to do this.”

“Actually, my grades are meaningless unless I see the relevancy of the college experience to my whole life. I definitely see these protesters waking me up to take some strong legal  action to doing something about unfair treatment that others face.”

One student remained silent. 

Question # 2 – How do you feel about the likely presence of State Police and National Guard units on campus to deal with this crisis?

“My parents taught me to abide by the law and the presence of a police officer on campus me feel safer.”

“I can make my own decisions about safety. I don’t need the police to tell me what to do.”

“Since when does the military actually care about those they are trained to kill? So it makes me nervous that they carry a gun!”

One student remained silent.

Question #3 – Who or what influences your attitude the most about the Middle East protest that’s causing so much uproar on your campus?”

“My friends are always on  their iPhones sending texts or social media commentary about what’s happening on campus. I would usually accept what they have to say.”

“I don’t  have time to wait for a beep or ring on my phone. And I also do not like too much chatter in general. I’m smart enough to know that our campus has probably been infiltrated by dangerous outsiders making trouble. Maybe I’ll just buy a gun.”

“You’re wrong on your reasoning. I believe that violence  breeds violence The only way to stop “putting gas on the fire” would be to find peace within ourselves and then make an effort to share it with all we meet.”

Student Four – “Namaste, brother.”

CONCLUSION:

So in the Q&A scenario described above, these four university students chose to seriously “speak their mind” without actually joining the chaotic mayhem surrounding them on campus. Instead, they acknowledged several related challenges concerning completion of their academic coursework, while also spouting off strongly a variety of philosophical viewpoints about how such highly politicized scenes of protests seriously impacted their personal lives. Thus, I hope there’s such a new generation of college education entrants that will continue promoting such non violent assertiveness by turning out in mass to vote for the best qualified candidate in the upcoming Presidential election. 

Source:

https://weeklysift.com/2024/04/29/what-to-make-of-student-protests/

Since 2016 and the strange rise of Donald Trump to the Presidency, I’ve pondered when his brand name of glorified, reality show fakeness impacting our country will end. To answer this question fully, however, it’s important that we now know that he gathered  many co-conspirators to his devious plot to rule as an all powerful king. For it appears that voters have been “played such as a fool” too long by Mr. Trump and his sycophant puppets. 

Consider as a shocking sample, the recent testimony under oath of former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker at the ongoing Stormy Daniels Hush Money Trial targeting Mr. Trump for felonies in the state of New York. We now know from Mr. Pecker’s testimony under oath that he regularly approved printing sensationalist articles of questionable fact accuracy to favor his friend Donald’s election chances in 2016 while further agreeing to omit use of scandalous stories in his magazine that made Mr. Trump look bad then. Mr. Pecker’s court statements during  prosecution questioning also confirmed evidence that he produced  “shock and awe” stories  to negatively portray Donald’s political opponents running against him then.

 So take a look for yourself in the photos below how the National Enquirer used language to bias its readers to support or oppose candidates running for President during the 2016 election voting cycle.

Thus, the real news about Election year 2024 should be how strongly we can change perceptions of the current voting populace to rise up and make a more informed choice for President in November. For those values we should portray with respect to truthful engagement about critical issues we face in lieu of slander and gossip will largely determine in my view whether America’s longstanding experiment with Representative Democracy can survive. Otherwise, our country will continue to be threatened by extremist madness fueled by senseless cult and conspiracy behavior.        

Have a listen to this classic “The Who” tune from my generation.  For it definitely “fires me up” to see the need to make a big societal shift  now as I once aspired to do in my early adult years. Click on the link below.

https://youtu.be/9G7jZg0wSkk?si=vGxaeotd6HB-QOkQ