He was my friend, Alan Parry. “Christmas – 1966“; South Vietnam (December 12, 1966). He served as a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol), a sniper in Cambodia. Alan took his own life when he returned to the United States. Honor and remember our servicemen and servicewomen far from home today and every day.
A now iconic image symbolic of the COVID19 pandemic has become the infrared thermometer. I must admit that I had incorrectly assumed that they were only available to medical professionals. That is until my son bought me one as a present at a local store. I can just see it now. You meet a stranger and say, “Hi, my name is …. Please just hold still for a moment.” Then you whip out your infrared thermometer and zap his forehead. “O. K., thank you, now we can talk”. We could all carry one in a devised holster like in the Old West. Bizarre, perhaps, as if from some science fiction movie, but if you really want to be sure when you meet a stranger, what the heck!
We mourn the passing of Harriet Gumbs a/k/a/ Princess Starleaf of the Shinnecock Nation here on Long Island. I had the opportunity to meet this grand lady some years ago at the Shinnecock Powwow. One could not fail to be impressed by her grace. I have also met several times with one of her sons, Lance, who has been a trustee of the Shinnecock Nation. She was much accomplished in life. You can read her obituary in Newsday 12/4/20. She will be missed.
Pennsylvanians stood their ground on Little Round Top in July 1863 to help save the Union. Once again, in November 2020 Pennsylvanians have left their mark this time on the Presidential election.
My oldest son is a resident in a group home here on Long Island. Our family, including my son, have covered all the bases over many decades from various group homes run by different agencies, to out of state residences, to numerous psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, hospitalizations and medications. There is no magic pill. One of the most difficult days of my life was when we left my son in an out of state residential setting for individuals with his diagnosis and drove away while watching him in the rear view mirror. He was just a teenager at the time, and spent three years in that setting. He has a dual diagnosis and as such falls between the cracks, neither wholly an MR patient nor an MH patient, and so he is aware of his condition. It is a constant battle to lessen his anxieties, but we cannot give up. This brings us to a decision that many parents have trouble accepting.
A motivated electorate to be sure. First time for early voting in New York. I arrived at the polling place at 8:45 A. M., and I was finished at 12:15 P. M. Not bad considering that I estimated about 700 people in line ahead of me when I arrived. Poll opened at 10:00 A. M. Part of the delay was due to the fact that voters had to register on one of only two computers before receiving a ballot. When I left there must have been 3000 people on the line. As the polls close at 3 P. M. many of these people will not get to vote today. Early voting runs all week.
These images speak for themselves.
Sorry for the Superman quip it’s just that the analogy seems to fit this situation. I purchased a Nikon lens for my camera from a dealer in Narita, Japan this past Saturday afternoon at about 4 P. M. New York time so it was very early Sunday morning in Japan. Narita is 37 miles east of Tokyo, but it is also home to the Tokyo International Airport. Kudos to DHL Shipping. I have always used FedEx or UPS for shipping purposes, but this is the second time that I have bought a lens in Japan and both sellers have used DHL. Allowing for Customs processing in Japan and the U. S. the lens arrived today, Thursday at 2:15 P. M. It doesn’t get much better than that. The lens is in perfect shape. A 40 year old used lens that appears as new.
and I’m all out of bubble gum”. The movie line, of course, is from “They Live” (1988) starring Roddy Piper and Keith David. Game over folks. According to a CNN report today 91,000 people have died in the U. S. since the reopening. There’s a killer on the loose, and he’s hungry. This is not a macho thing. Wearing a mask will not last forever, but it is the smart move perhaps one of the few moves that will save us until better days have come. I’m not asking you to wear a mask or imploring you to wear a mask, I am telling you to wear the mask! The first person that we lay eyes on upon entering this world is wearing a mask, “The Nurse“; U. S. c.1920. Unfortunately, for some of us the last person that we may see when we leave this world will also be wearing a mask, but this time with the addition of gloves and a face shield as well. Don’t be stupid. Follow the science.
O. K. I get it. The virus is like carbon monoxide. Invisible, colorless, oderless. Why should I wear a mask? Some people are just non-believers in science. Thrill seekers. These folks just have to look over the edge at the precipice in California despite the warning sign. Can we assume they they are illiterate? That they cannot understand the meaning of the word danger? I think not. So for varied reasons not everyone will wear a mask despite the overwhelming evidence that wearing a mask will save lives, maybe even their own.
“Danger“; California c.1990