#139: Larry King dies

I woke up this morning to find out former CNN host Larry King passed away.  He was 87 and according to the news, had Covid-19.  As bad as 2020 was, 2021 may end up being worse as far as deaths go.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/01/23/larry-king-cnn-talk-show-legend-dies/331963002/

I read about a week earlier that actor Lou Gossett Jr had contracted the virus and was hospitalized in Georgia, but supposedly checked himself out after learning about patients dying on his floor.  According to the news, Gossett is isolating at home with his son.

I keep thinking back to the right-winger who angrily told me that this just a virus and that people should stop giving in to fear and reopen the country.

I wasn't aware the country was actually closed.  Next, even though society has faced deadly germs in the past and people do die from the flu, it is still asinine to dismiss the coronavirus like that.  We know some people are asymptomatic, but others, including those not in the high-risk groups have died.  It doesn't seem fair.

#138

Reluctantly, I will try and get the Covid-19 vaccination within a month or two.  Under the advice of a friend, I did a little research on the vaccine because I was hearing that some vaccines use a weakened version of the virus.  Unlike the vaccine for influenza, I am not interested in having any part of this coronavirus in me if I can avoid it.

I would prefer to wait this out and continue to social distance and wear a mask but it seems like we will never get past this pandemic.  Even if I get the vaccine I won't change my policies.  I saw an interesting article  (see link) that sums up my feelings.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/5-reasons-to-wear-a-mask-even-after-youre-vaccinated

#137

 So apparently Republicans are always supposed to win their elections,  If they don't win the the election was stolen.  So the next time the Democrats lose an election they can make the same claim?

#136: The 2021 Mayoral Elections

 I remember the election for mayor back in 1977.  I was too young to actually vote .  I recall the biggest thing about that election was that there were a lot of people running.  Incumbent Abe Beame was unpopular and running for reelection.  His opponents included Herman Badillo, Mario Cuomo, Percy Sutton, Ed Koch and Bella Abzug.  There were probably a couple more but I can't remember them.  The important detail is that Ed Koch was one of the lesser known candidates but won that election.  He was the mayor of New York until 1989.  The 2021 election for mayor in New York is starting to resemble the 1977 election with about 10 serious candidates listed with the actual list being close to 20.

As of this date (January 11, 2021) I have no intention on voting for mayor.  This would mark the first time I ever missed a major election.

I have about four issues I am concerned about and the current candidates haven't really addressed them.  In order of importance my issues are:

1.  Crime and cops combo:  Most people are for one or the other.  There is no reason New Yorkers cannot have both.  We need a mayor who is not only tough on crime, but one who holds police officers accountable.

2. COVID emergency mode:  I need to know what plans the future mayor has for the city during this pandemic.

3.  Homelessness:  New Yorkers need a mayor with solutions to dealing with the homeless issue.Arresting the homeless is not an answer.  Letting them sleep on the subway is not a solution.  Dumping them in one or two neighborhoods is no answer.

4.  Affordable housing:  This almost goes hand in hand with dealing with homelessness.

From what I have read nobody has addressed 1 and 2.  For me those are deal breakers, so for the next few weeks my eyes are open.  I can and will sit this one out.

#135

 Four days have gone since the riot at the Capitol.

1.  Still no word on a 25th Amendment

2.  No further word on impeaching trump.

3.  Lawmakers who were present during the siege have tested positive for Corvid-19.  Some people refused to wear masks.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/congresswoman-positive-covid-19-capitol-attack_n_5ffc92d5c5b6c77d85e8fc1a

#134

It's been a long week.

I'm not going to write a recap of the horrible events of the past four days, but I will provide links to the actual news stories of the riot at the Capitol which as of this writing left at least six dead, including two officers.

I have just a few words.  Just about everything that needed to be said has been said.  Well except what people really want to hear, which would be that Congress is filing impeachment charges against the President and that they were also invoking the 25th Amendment finding Trump unable to hold office.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/inside-house-chamber-capitol-was-overrun-angry-mob-n1253640

I was as appalled by what went down Thursday as most people.  However, I have this perspective-this is what happens when you put someone in office that unprofessional. People (mostly Conservative Republicans) took light to Trump's racist and xenophobic rhetoric.  The political incorrectness was one black eye for us. Eventually, that pattern of speech became the norm.  In simple terms, had it been dealt with in the beginning we may not have had a riot.  The hate speeches ignited his followers.

Republicans bare a lot of the blame for this.  I am probably the only person who feels this way, but I feel that the normally stiff and anal Republican party gave Trump several passes because they knew they felt they had the Supreme Court justices in the bag.  Conservatives wanted to overturn Roe v Wade so bad they would have sold there souls to the devil.  Putting up with Trump's bad behavior was nothing compared to the payoff.  And even if those politicians lose their jobs in the near future, they have the Supreme Court.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/white-rioters-capitol-got-police-respect-black-protestors-got-rubber-n1253408

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-capitol-police-chief-shares-thoughts-why-officers-appeared-let-n1253273

Watching the news on television it looked ridiculous seeing how inept the Capitol police were.  The first thought that came to my mind was "why hasn't anyone been shot for this?"  As soon as the breach happened shots should have gone out.  But then again, like most people have acknowledged, most of the rioters were white.  People, including my conservative friend who thinks he is on the right side seem to feel race plays no part in policing.  Think again.  I was never for defunding the police, but I do feel the police departments across the country need to be restructured and retrained.Police officers are human beings (no I am not being funny) and human beings make human mistakes.  So, it is pretty logical to me for a white officer to choose not to arrest or discipline a white offender while opting to go full force at an offender of color.  Once again at the Capitol, most of the officers were white and most of the rioters were white and we saw they got a free pass to create mayhem.  Black protesters this past summer couldn't get close.

So now I am at "wait and see" mode.I am waiting to see if the 25th Amendment is invoked or if someone attempts to impeach Donald Trump.  Some Republicans are still playing the loyalty game, not caring about the lives lost or the potential hundreds of lives that could have been lost.  Nor, apparently are they concerned with the precedent of having so many breach the security of the U.S. Capitol.

It's not over yet.

JOURNAL ENTRY #133 Steve Lightle

I woke up Friday morning to find out I lost a friend.  Steve Lightle, an artist who used to draw for Marvel and DC Comics passed away early Friday morning.  His son posted on Facebook that he had a cardiac arrest.  Steve's wife later posted that the doctor said that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and that the cardiac arrest was in connection with that.  

Lightle was one of my favorite pencillers.  He drew The Legion of Super Heroes during the 1980s.  I didn't know him personally though.  We were Facebook friends, and normally that is a totally different type of friendship.  However, unlike a lot of folks you meet on Facebook, Steve would interact with you.  He would regularly post and you could ask him anything.  Well, mostly anything.  Steve was one of the more human people on Facebook and he wasn't going to tolerate nastiness or bigotry on his page.  He would speak out against racial injustice and inequality.  He wold speak his mind against the right wing nuts who ranted on about their right to not wear a mask during this pandemic.  Ironically, it was the virus that helped take his life.

I feel cheated.  I lost a contact and a friend, though I never got to physically shake his hand.  And lost him to a virus he took seriously.  Meanwhile, there are people all over the country who refuse to wear a mask or socially distance themselves in hopes of getting this pandemic over with and they are still here.  Steve Lightle, a husband, father and grandfather, follows the rules and still gets sick.

Rest in Peace Steve.  I am glad to have met you, even if it was just Facebook,  My prayers go out to your family.

JOURNAL ENTRY #132: OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD...BORED WITH COVID

 As of today, over 21 million Americans have reportedly caught covid-19.    This includes over one million New Yorkers and nearly 457 K people from New York City.  More than 38 K New Yorkers have died from the virus.  We have been dealing with this pandemic for a little more than a year and have been hit specifically since March.    As of this date, people are still divided about how to respond to this.  People still don't want to mask up or socially distance themselves.  I am bored with it.

I have already stated that I have my doubts about everything I have heard.  No, I don't trust the government.  This doesn't mean I am going to take a chance and expose myself.

I have an occasionally intelligent right-wing African-American friend who recently told me that we should reopen the country and that we are living in fear.  According to him, we are always going to face viruses and we should just get on with our lives.  Like I said, occasionally intelligent.  The number of casualties and fatalities indicates we should be doing more.   The actions indicate that a lot more of us will get sick and die from the coronavirus.

When it comes to the reactions to covid-19 I have found that some of the biggest problems come from people who are resistant to change.  From March, people have dealt with this disaster as if it is temporary.  It may just be.  However, learning about recent new strains of the virus tells me that we may be in this routine for a very long time.  The vaccine that is being given out isn't a cure for covid-19.  Like the influenza vaccine, you can still get sick.  So even if 95% of the country gets vaccinated, we would still need to wear masks, and socially distancing would be the smart thing to do.  

I mentioned months ago that we should have been prepared for this. Teleworking is something we should have enforced a decade ago.  Maxi-flex hours and alternate work schedules should have been done by the majority of jobs, private industry, and civil service.  But why aren't we having a discussion about Covid in 2022?  Truth be told an intelligent society SHOULD be having that talk about a worst-case scenario meaning we never get rid of this virus.   We lost lives and jobs because we weren't prepared for today.    Why aren't we taking measures to make sure we aren't standing with our pants down in July, December, or next year.  How do we do this?  What should we be focused on?  

Well, the worry now is that hospitals are going to be overwhelmed by the number of infected.  I am no expert, but how about a long term plan on how to deal with the maximum amount of civilians, except placing them and treating them based on how sick they are?  We are doing that on some scale now, but we may need to start brainstorming more ways.  Off the top of my head, how about using some things not being used now?  How about using the ships and yachts which are no longer able to run cruises for patients needing basic care?  Or creating Urgent Care Facilities in neighborhoods, near the testing sites, to house people with mild symptoms?  

New York City restaurants are getting hit hard compared to restaurants upstate.   Why aren't we trying to develop ways the restaurants can do business in the cold?  You mean a group of people with money vested in that industry can't brainstorm how to make a living without people packing into a restaurant at the same time?

Sports baffles me the most.  Teams with players making millions of dollars to do something we dream of doing should be able to quarantine for the length of their season. I make less than a fraction of that to work from home and readjust my life and it works fine.  Getting 25 baseball players together for a few months into a reasonably sized bubble shouldn't be that hard for the salary they make.  We only think it is unreasonable because we believe the pandemic will be over during the summer.  What if it isn't?  Are we that stubborn to not deal with the future?  Or are some of us just like people who can't let go of their rotary dial telephones, thinking one day we will have a need for them?

JOURNAL ENTRY #131: Another New Year

I brought in the new year quieter than ever for 2021.    I have brought in the New Year by myself in the past but this is the first time I ever brought in the new year in the apartment, alone.  Thank the pandemic.

I have been arguing with right-wingers about the pandemic.  You know, folks who like to say things stern and mean so they make you think their way of thinking is the right way.  Anyway, their argument is to open the city and stop succumbing to fear. And "it's just a virus".  Stupid stuff like that. It's not just a virus.  Stop comparing it to the flu.  In my lifetime I don't recall any famous person dying from the influenza virus.  This is different.  Granted, there is a high survival rate, but the death toll is still staggering. And the flu never left as many people incapacitated.  People have had neurological problems after dealing with Covid-19.

As I mentioned in the past that I am for mask-wearing and social distancing.  I am also for creating new ways to do business.  It is called evolving.  It is 2021.  We should have been teleworking more for a decade now.  We should have broken up the workday a decade ago.  That wouldn't have been a cure, but it would have made stricter social distancing a lot easier.  And it is better than thinking we can just continue doing what we were doing two years ago.  Anyway, I put most of the blame on them for why the infection numbers are spiking as well as the deaths from this coronavirus.  In any case, because of the pandemic, I spent a very quiet New Year in the apartment by myself.

I didn't have any resolutions last year, partly because I was still dealing with my mother's death.  I have a few though for 2021:

1.  Try to eat better   Incorporate my vegetables and fruits into my diet.
2.  Prepare to retire.  I have a few years left, but now is the time to start preparing to go

3.  Lose a few pounds.  Difficult, but if I am successful at item 1, I can lose some weight.

4.  Visit four cities and one new place.

5.  Purge my apartment of excess crap.

6.  Blog more.  At least once a week for both of my blogs.

I have already set things up at my apartment to eat better.  I have a deep fryer, an air fryer, and a crockpot so I can cook in different ways..  I bought a freezer recently so I can get more chicken and fish and cook better options.  I can also get fruit and make my smoothies and probably juice more.

Losing weight will be hard since I now work from home.  I have to maintain, then during the spring, get a bike and exercise more.  Thankfully, I have not over-indulged since the pandemic started.  I do need to exercise more though.

Last year I visited Maine, Baltimore,  and toured Boston while I was traveling to Maine.  I am going back to Maine in 2021 and I might actually visit Boston for a couple of days.  I would like to revisit Detroit and Toronto, two cities I had to cancel last year because of the pandemic.  If the pandemic continues I am thinking about going to Buffalo

I did a pretty good job of getting rid of a lot of paper from my apartment during 2020.  I am doing more before May.

I feel like writing again and taking pictures, so look for more blogs during 2021.