The headline in the Jerusalem Post read:
There’s one word that stands out in that headline: “eliminate.”
Here’s the dictionary definition of “eliminate:”
Continue reading “US asking Israel to eliminate China ties in sensitive areas”
Time Magazine published a story about penguins and an art museum yesterday. It was a great story.
As social distancing precautions drag on, many Americans are aching to get out of the house and explore the world’s wonders. Earlier this month, one temporarily closed cultural institution received visitors from the Kansas City Zoo: a trio of Humboldt penguins.
On May 6, the three penguins strolled through halls of the the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, located in Kansas City, Mo., viewing artworks by Impressionist and Baroque masters.
“I don’t know what they feel, what it says in their mind,” Julián Zugazagoitia, the director and CEO of the museum says. “They stop, and look and wonder.”
Continue reading “Missouri Penguins Enjoy ‘Morning Of Fine Art’ At Local Museum”
J.C. Penney declared bankruptcy today, the latest in a string of retail bankruptcies including the Neiman Marcus Group, J. Crew, Stage Stores (Bealls, Goody’s) and others. More bankruptcies are sure to come, as retailers like Macy’s edge towards the brink. All these companies were suffering before the pandemic; the crisis is hastening their demise. Retail as we know it, will never be the same.
But it’s the Penney’s bankruptcy that hits me the hardest. Why? Well it’s not because I’m a loyal Penney’s shopper (although my wife claims my mother bought all my underwear there when I was a kid). In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was actually in a Penney’s store. And if Penney’s has a website, I never visited it.
Continue reading “J.C. Penney declared bankruptcy today – Why I care”
The various stay-at-home orders enacted around the country as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have created anger, protests and, in some cases, extremely bad behavior. People are, naturally, frustrated. They want to go back to work (assuming there’s a job to go back to), they want to shop, they want to eat out at restaurants, they want to get their hair styled, they want to socially gather. The pent-up demand is palpable. Despite the need to balance health, safety and the economy, opening too early, an idea fueled by President Trump and many of his Republican governor allies, risks a resurgence of the virus and even more frustration, not to mention sickness and death.
Continue reading “What’s most important to open? Beaches!”
President Donald J. Trump held a coronavirus news briefing on Monday. It was the the first in weeks in which Trump and coronavirus task force officials took questions. I didn’t watch because, frankly, I can’t watch him anymore. The lies, the absolutely idiotic statements that spew from this man’s mouth are injurious to my mental health. If you do watch, the only way to endure is to be fully prepared.
How?
Continue reading “Couldn’t watch Trump’s latest briefing? Neither could I”
He’s not listening
Around the Block dedicates its space to CNN’s coverage of National Nurse Day in the Oval Office yesterday.
(CNN) President Donald Trump contradicted a nurse he was honoring in the Oval Office on Wednesday, insisting there are no personal protective equipment shortages in the US despite her account that availability could be “sporadic.”
Continue reading “Trump contradicts nurse he’s honoring over PPE availability”
Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic on April 28; he was not wearing a mask despite Mayo Clinic rules and despite administration guidelines. He was the only person in the room without a mask. While he subsequently said, he “should have worn a mask,” the impact of his irresponsibility had already been registered with a certain segment of the American public.
Continue reading “A security guard was shot after telling a customer to wear a face mask”
James Hohman of The Washington Post wrote today in his “Daily 202” column, “The White House revealed on Monday that members of its coronavirus task force – and their deputies – are barred from testifying before Congress unless they get special permission from chief of staff Mark Meadows. The reason being given for blocking public health officials is that they’re busy trying to get control of a contagion that has now killed at least 68,172 and infected 1,175,000 Americans.”
Continue reading “White House moves to shield Trump from oversight of his coronavirus response”
Today, May 4, 2020, marks the 50th Anniversary of the Kent State Massacre.
On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed college students at Kent State University during a mass protest against the bombing in neutral Cambodia by the United States. Twenty-eight Guard soldiers fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.
Continue reading “Fifty years after Kent State, there’s Lansing.”
I was watching the videos of gun-toting demonstrators protesting Michigan’s coronavirus lockdown as they stormed the state capitol building. The images were horrific!
I read that the President of United States said that Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer should “negotiate with them…make a deal,” because “they are very good people.” It was a stunning, but not totally surprising, statement from this man.
Continue reading “Trump calls protesters who carried guns into the Michigan Capitol ‘very good people’”
Around the Block