There have been many social consequences of this pandemic here and around the world. One is described in today's news summaries -- the disruption of the ancient custom of men meeting up in coffeehouses in Turkey.
A similar custom exists in Afghanistan teahouses, where Afghans favor a frosted almond candy called nuqui with their tea.
Here in Western countries, of course, we enjoy our coffees and teas more based in the Italian and French traditions, with various types of lattes and cappuccinos as the big favorites among the current generations of Americans. But business at cafes everywhere is suffering these days.
I started taking my kids to coffeehouses when they were very young. Recently, I've wondered whether my two oldest grandsons (12 and 13) aren't at about the right ages to begin accompanying me on my trips to coffee houses, at least once some of the Covid restrictions are lifted around here.
It's my assumption that children of that age, on the cusp of the transition from kid to teen, are prime candidates for carrying on our family tradition of conversation over coffee, as well as the occasional pastry or bagel.
For many years, as a freelance blogger covering the tech and media industries for BNET and 7x7.com, I met the people launching startup companies in the Bay Area in local San Francisco coffee houses.
There, I met entrepreneurs from Lyft, Uber, Airbnb, Flipbook, Facebook, Twitter, Google and dozens of others. I eventually, in 2012, published an ebook, "30 Startups to Know Now" with a tiny publishing startup called Hyperink. I made a small amount of money off writing that was decidedly positive in tone about the entrepreneurial efforts going on all around me here in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Does it seem strange for someone known as an investigative reporter, normally doing highly critical stories about companies and others in power, to be writing positive profiles? Well, people are complicated, and I'm no exception.
The same skill set that can take down one company can build up another -- critical journalism is the flip side of marketing and PR. Maybe it says something about me that I never saw any contradiction; then again, as a journalist, I'm unlikely to ever stick to one position for longer than a New York minute anyway.
Which reminds me of that old line when a tourist stops a stranger on the streets of New York and asks, "Excuse me, sir, do you know what time it is or should I just go f**k myself?"
***
This pandemic holiday season, I gravitate to romantic movies of one stripe or another. Since it was the 79th anniversary of Pearl Harbor recently, I watched the movie of the same name.
Of course, it's about a terrible event of war but also about people and how they find each other in troubled times. If anything, against the backdrop of an extreme conditions, people may forge deeper links faster than in normal times.
A veteran friend of mine calls it "romantic intrigue."
This pandemic is called a war and the way we encounter each other is not unlike during WW 2 -- lots of distance and separation and barriers, but mutual attraction will still find a way.
At least that's my wish this holiday season -- that somehow lovers will find one another.
If anything, the romantic in me likes the idea that people may have to engage in a longer courtship, unable to consummate the relationship, as we all observe masking and social distance, avoiding hugs, let alone intimate gatherings in restaurants and bars.
But once the restrictions are lifted, who knows!
***
Today's headlines:
* ‘A Shot of Hope’: What the Vaccine Is Like for Frontline Doctors and Nurses -- Even as medical workers lined up for America’s first shots, many of them recalled nightmarish moments from the pandemic. (NYT)
* De Blasio Warns of Another Full Shutdown -- Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said the increasing amount of hospitalizations from the coronavirus could lead to another shutdown of nonessential businesses. (Office Of The New York City Mayor)
* After weeks of negotiations, a bipartisan working group couldn’t compromise on blocking lawsuits from people who say they were negligently exposed to COVID-19. The lawmakers, led by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), reached an agreement on extensions of unemployment insurance, small business aid and vaccine funding, but Manchin was the only Democrat who supported a new version of a clampdown on lawsuits. [HuffPost]
* Poor countries face long wait for vaccines despite promises (AP)
* A group advocating media freedom says a record number of journalists have been detained around the world because of their work.The Committee to Protect Journalists says in its annual report released on Tuesday that at least 274 journalists are jailed as of December 1, the highest number since it started compiling data in the early 1990s. (NHK)
* Turkey’s Coffeehouses, a Hub of Male Social Life, May Not Survive Virus -- Coffeehouses, mainstays of Turkish neighborhoods for centuries, are suffering under pandemic restrictions — particularly a ban on games. Regulars fear losing “our jokes, our laughter.” (NYT)
* Hopes for a ‘normal’ Christmas fade as pandemic rages in Europe and North America (WashPo)
* Teacher shortages caused by early retirements and quarantines force some administrators to recruit parents and bus drivers to baby-sit classrooms; “it’s all hands on deck.” (WSJ)
* Poll: Despite Record Turnout, 80 Million Americans Didn't Vote. (NPR)
* The fringe right-wing lawyer who filed a court challenge to Trump’s election loss in Georgia has called on supporters to stock up on “Second Amendment supplies” — presumably firearms and ammunition — to prepare for what he apparently envisions as an apocalyptic future. “Our leader is Donald Trump, not Biden,” attorney Lin Wood tweeted. [HuffPost]
* Russian Officers Were Near Navalny When He Was Poisoned, Report Says -- The agents, from a unit with poisonous chemicals expertise, were tracked by their telephones, the Bellingcat investigative group said, the strongest evidence of Moscow’s involvement in the nerve agent attack. (NYT)
* California Gavin Newsom faces a serious recall effort and a worsening situation with Covid-19. (CNN)
* As Americans die by the thousands, Trump cronies cut in line for coronavirus treatments and vaccines (WashPo)
* A study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice found that incarcerated people who participate in educational opportunities behind bars were 40% less likely to return to prison. (KQED)
* The U.S. population has grown about 8% over the past decade to more than 332 million people, according to a Census Bureau analysis released before the results of the decennial count (WSJ)
* Cats recover from COVID-19 very quickly, scientists want to find out why (Jerusalem Post)
* What’s Next for Trump Voters Who Believe the Election Was Stolen? -- Some are certain the election was fraudulent. Others aren’t so sure. What becomes of their skepticism has important implications for American democracy. (NYT)
* Package Thief Makes Off With Entire Front Porch (The Onion)
***
"There You'll Be" -- Faith Hill
And the dreams we left behind,
I'll be glad cause I was blessed to get,
To have you in my life,
I look and see your face,
You were right there for me.
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
To feel the sky within my reach,
And I always will remember all,
The strength you gave to me,
Your love made me make it through,
Ohh I owe so much to you,
You were right there for me.
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
And everywhere I am there you'll be,
And I wanna thank you now for all the ways,
You were right there for me, you were right there for me
You were right there for me,
For always
In my heart there'll always be a place for you,
For all my life,
And everywhere I am there you'll be
And everywhere I am there you'll be
No comments:
Post a Comment