I’m Back

Well… hello again everybody.

Yes, after a long time away… i’m back in the WordPress universe!!!

Soooo… where are we? NYC still doesn’t have Broadway open, restaurants here are just allowing indoor dining at 25% capacity…

and some of our neighborhoods are in deep denial about the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds anywhere. This is how #COVID19 could get worse than it’s ever been here. #wakeup!!

Is everybody in the USA getting ready to #vote? I hope so… because this time our very nation depends on it. While we have made progress with the protests over the brutal, inexcusable deaths of #GeorgeFloyd and #BreonnaTaylor, what’s been going on in the courts makes clear we still have far to go. #blacklivesmatter.

Now let’s not forget there are still people being locked in cages along our borders.. people whose jobs may never rerun because of the #COVID impact… plus with the death of the #NotoriousRBG, there is a big rush in the #USSenate to put a new justice into the #SCOTUS before the election!! #ugh!!!

We’ve gotta VOTE!!!

Catching up

Well… #COVID19, it’s safe to conclude, has been quite a humbling experience. While we have lost many to this pandemic… there are many who have risen to the occasion and saved many more. It’s not over yet, despite the reopenings around the country. We have to remain cautious.

As I write, the nation and the world are rising up in righteous protest in the wake of the murder of #GeorgeFloyd… what is being seen in the streets is an outlet of rage against centuries of #systemicracism… an outlet that’s truly welcome. I’m hoping this will translate to a major move at the polls to sweep #45thesnob and his kind out of office. In addition, it’s imperative that there be a serious conversation on how to make this country anti-racist. #blacklivesmatter (reading Ibram X. Kendi’s book How to Be an Antiracist is a good way to start the conversation.)

Signs of life and progress are appearing… statues of racist/Confederate people who shouldn’t have been considered icons are being torn down… the #NBA is about to resume its season at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Stadium in Orlando… the #NHL is preparing to get the players back onto the ice… UFC and boxing are gearing up… #NASCAR has resumed racing while banning Confederate flags.

But crowded beaches…crowded parks…the absence of masks… c’mon people!!! We’re supposed to still be practicing #socialdistancing – the majority of your states have hospital cases spiking up – you have no excuse!! Aren’t you scared of a potential second wave!? You should be.

Businesses, it’s clear, will have to forge a new path – those that survive this pandemic must work hard to make sure that working environments are safe for all. Meanwhile, working from home is still the way to go.

Theaters can wait (yes, Broadway, I’m speaking to you)… cinemas can wait…(so glad that I have Netflix, Amazon Prime Video (with HBO, Showtime and Topic) and Disney+)… big concerts can wait…. big audiences at stadiums aren’t necessary now….Only our health matters now. Only our loved ones matter now. #weareinthistogether.

Open Letter to Governor Cuomo

Dear #governorcuomo, I am one of many Essential workers who backed you up on your decisions for stay at home. Before Covid-19 we always stood/stand on the front lines dealing with plenty of other contagious viruses and we still are put on the back burner. Stimulus packages are paying non-essential residents to stay at home. Meanwhile, DOCTORs, RNs, RTs, CST, LPNs, CNAs, DSAs, MAs, PHARMACY WORKERs, SOCIAL WORKERs, UTILITY WORKERS, MTA, DOC, NCPD, USPS, DHS, PARKS DEPT., SUPERMARKET EMPLOYEEs, HEALTH CENTER WORKERs, CAREGIVERs, HRA WORKERs, DIETARY WORKERs, JANITORs, SECURITY OFFICERs, AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICs AND SERVICE WRITERs, TRUCK DRIVERs, DSP’s GAS STATION ATTENDANTS, and many more, all put their lives at risk and the lives of theirs families as well. If it wasn’t for ALL OF US and if we all PAUSED with the rest of the world, who would you turn to? Where is our hazard pay and bonuses? Better yet, we should have our own stimulus packages set aside and it should be MANDATORY with no questions asked. We as “ESSENTIAL WORKERS” should be taken care of also. “We” take care of everyone ALWAYS. Not just during trying times. #I’m essential.. Where is our 600.00 weekly extra pay!!!
“ALL” essential workers please copy, paste & share…
#essentialworkers #imessential

World Health Crisis

I’m confused – wasn’t this the same #45thesnob who, after gutting the #CDC, claimed the #coronavirus was going to just go away!?

Well… nothing like a series of downturns in the market to get serious, huh!? Or maybe not… I suspect 45 is just desperate to placate the health-concerned population in order to ensure his re-election.

Meanwhile… the #NCAA has decided to have no audiences for the tournament (whaaa!? No fans on hand for the #BigDance!?)… #Europeans (except the British) can’t #travel to the #USA for the next 30 days from Friday night… #TomHanks and #RitaWilson have caught the virus… #UtahJazz player #RudyGobert’s positive result means no more #NBA games after last night till further notice…

…and for those of us who love #iceskating aka #figureskating … yesterday there came word from the #isu that #WorldFigure2020, which was to be held next week in Montreal, has been cancelled by the #government of #Quebec.

This is a pandemic – its official.

#COVID19

1 Corinthians 13 for the Christmas season

Greetings.  sorry I haven’t written on this page for a while… I’ve had a lot going on.  Anyway…

In the spirit of the #Christmas season, I want to share a poem by an unknown author  based on 1 Corinthians 13 .  Thanks to my cousin Paulette Thomas for sharing this on Facebook.

#MerryChristmas to all.

CORINTHIANS 13 ~ A CHRISTMAS VERSION ~
author unknown

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling
lights and shiny balls, but do not show love,
I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned mealtime,
but do not show love,
I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home
and give all that I have to charity,
but do not show love,
it profits me nothing.

f I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata…
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

and endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust,

but giving the gift of love will endure.

 

 

Spring

“Hello, #belovedcommunity.  Hello #USA.   Aren’t we beautiful!?

But we’re also a symbol for you weary fighters:

Remember this past winter – how the snow and wind just kept blowing around

AND you thought that would never end!?

Well… look around.

We’ve fought for months under the frigid ground

Just to get to come out into the sunshine and show off our finery to you.

Let us be a lesson to you in these #hotmesstimes.

We’re the flowers that have come up out of the ground…

Here to let you know that you must continue to #resist the tide of oppression

And create a bold new world called love.

Because this much is true  –

That while you fight, there’s hope for your nation.”

#theresistance #resist #lovetransforms #revolutionarylove

#WeRemember

November 8/9, 2018 marked the 80th anniversary of that horrible #pogrom called #Kristallnacht.  In the midst of commemorations I saw an article which declared that at the #EvianConference in July 1938, the #DominicanRepublic was the only nation that agreed to take in Jews fleeing #NaziGermany – 700 were resettled as a result.  Click on the link below to read the whole story.

#neveragain #weremember

 

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-11-09/dominican-republic-took-jewish-refugees-fleeing-hitler-while-31-nations-looked?fbclid=IwAR1q8XnDCEdD5bzymT0d4a-a2fqMQOnwWLS6eQmNQoQrQeCD7fBvwgeP9l0