Seeing Today Forward

“Art is kind of a reflection of society and an interaction with social values and experiences and whatever happens in the artist’s life. Even if you do the most abstract nonrepresentational work.” -- Enrique Chagoya. As we gingerly begin imagining what a post-Covid society might be like, which aspects of this experience will we take forward? For an answer we can look to the arts, which as Stanford's Professor Chagoya told the Times, directly and indirectly reflect our lived experiences. Even abstract art is rooted in these concrete aspects of being here in a time of such moments consequence. But our community arts groups are among the most disrupted by the economic dislocation of the pandemic. Chagoya was referring to the visual arts, where I had an unlikely involvement years ago -- as a dealer. It goes like this: Hurricanes had followed me around for years. My friend Gus was a contractor on Sanibel-Captiva Islands off of Florida's Gulf Coast. We got to know each other because both of us had daughters who were home schooling there at the time. After one big storm hit the islands, Gus drove around helping people do repairs and get their lives back in order. He did it in a neighborly kind of way, not for money or anything like that. One man he helped was named Bob. He appreciated Gus's help so much he later become a client. Bob turned out to be Robert Rauschenberg, and over the next few years, as Gus built his seaside studio, the artist paid for his work not so much with cash but with original paintings. To make a very long story short, Gus called me and asked if knew anyone who might like to buy them. Over the next few years I managed to sell three Rauschenberg paintings for Gus, two in the States and one in France. Gus kept at least one piece for himself, which is pictured here. *** As more of us get vaccinated, the indications of whether we are less likely to spread the virus are mixed. There are some hopeful signs here and there but I'll wait for the scientists to weigh in on that question. In addition to the art that is emerging from the pandemic, over breakfast at a coastal resort Friday my daughter and I discussed other long-term consequences that may emerge during the coming months and years. * Valuing gatherings. * Masking when feeling ill. * Starting home-based businesses. * Home-schooling. * Gardening. * Reconnecting with old friends. * Recording elders' stories. * Reckless socializing. * Facing climate change. Of course that list can go on and on, and it is completely arbitrary. For every positive, ether are corresponding negatives, with the rise of hate-based extremism and anti-fact propaganda front of mind. And I can't but wonder if some people will simply seal themselves off from society as an impact of the pandemic, sort of like those Japanese soldiers who hid away in the South Pacific for decades after World War II ended. Or Howard Hughes in his final years. It's not that hard to turn into a hermit. But for some of us, the end of isolation will bring a chance to live more fully and maybe, just maybe find a way to work for a better future. If we give hope a chance, we might begin collectively begin seeing today through the lens of tomorrow, not just as the world was yesterday. ***

The headlines:

* Texas and California, the country’s two largest states, have taken very different approaches to managing their energy needs. But both are confronting the same frightening reality: They may be woefully unprepared for natural disasters driven by climate change. (NYT)

* 'A Katrina-Scale Crisis': Austin Is Desperate For Help In Weather Disaster (NPR)

* Release of intelligence report on Khashoggi killing could push U.S.-Saudi relations to new lows (WashPo)

* 

White House working with Facebook and Twitter to tackle anti-vaxxers

 (Reuters)

* Biden Administration Formally Offers to Restart Nuclear Talks With Iran (NYT)

* Joe Biden used his first big presidential moment on the global stage at Friday’s Group of Seven meeting of world leaders to announce that the U.S. will soon begin releasing $4 billion for an international effort to bolster the purchase and distribution of coronavirus vaccine to poor nations. [AP]

* A mass-casualty event every day: Inside the dark winter of covid-19 (WashPo)

* Covid-19 Was Spreading in China Before First Confirmed Cases, Evidence Suggests (WSJ)

* A U.C. Santa Cruz epidemiologist says that he analyzed vaccine trial data and it suggests that not only do vaccines prevent recipients from getting sick, they also combat the virus’s spread. [Lookout Santa Cruz]

* An education program is immersing underprivileged students in Ivy League classes, and the students’ success has raised questions about how elite university gatekeepers determine college prospects. (NYT)

* Sen. Sanders finds himself in a position of power after decades as an outsider (WashPo)

* Six Capitol Police officers have been suspended with pay and 29 others are under investigation for their roles in the Capitol riot. “Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not in keeping with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline,” a spokesperson said. [HuffPost]

* The United States is back in the Paris climate accord, just 107 days after it left. While Friday’s return is heavily symbolic, world leaders say they expect America to prove its seriousness after four years of being pretty much absent. They are especially anticipating an announcement from the U.S. in coming months on its goal for cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases by 2030. [AP]

* Moscow goes green: Russian capital eyes fully electric bus fleet by 2030 (Reuters)

* "Oakland looks like a trash can and it's a shame that I have to say that I'm an Oaklander and have people visit me and see what we have going on around here, like, 'Wow, really? You guys are living like this?' It's a dump!" -- a concerned neighbor. (KTVU)

* On a jagged island in the Canary archipelago, a whistling language known as “Silbo Gomero” is still in use thanks to mandatory classes for schoolchildren. (NYT)

* Undeterred by Facebook news blackout, Australia commits to content law (Reuters)

* Facebook’s attempt to crush regulations in Australia may backfire (WashPo) 

* Lawmakers in U.K., Canada Slam Facebook After Australia News Blackout (WSJ)

* Facebook and Google could lose bargaining power under upcoming U.S. bill to help news outlets (Reuters)

* The number of anti-abortion bills making their way through state legislatures has exceeded 200 as GOP lawmakers, emboldened by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court, attempt to enact extreme laws limiting women’s reproductive health. Of the pieces of anti-abortion legislation pending, about half seek to put harsh limits on the procedure across 30 states. [HuffPost]

* Perseverance’s arrival extends the successful U.S. landing record on the planet, and brings sophisticated tools to the hunt for alien life. (NYT)

* Ohio State and Michigan's First Top-5 Matchup Ever? In Basketball, Yes (WSJ)

* Ferret becomes first North American endangered species to be cloned (BBC)

* FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States (The Onion)

***

Take a drive baby up the coast, yeah Highway 101
I'll pass Ventura Santa Barbara too, Just as fast as my motor runs
Gotta pocket full of memories, some are happy and some are sad
Gotta girl standing by my side, through the good times and the bad

Listen to the boulevard, listen to the falling rain
I believe in love now, with all of its joys and pains

-- Songwriter: Michael Ness

-30-

What's Right Now

 

If there is one thing all Americans might be able to agree on it is that Dolly Parton is a national treasure. She presents as a simple country girl but she is one of our greatest story-tellers, she helped finance the Covid-19 vaccine, she spoke out on behalf of Black Lives Matter, and now she has modestly rejected the Tennessee legislature's offer to build a statue in her honor.

There's simply "too much goin' on in the world right now," she explained.

Well, the biggest thing going on in journalism right now is starting to get some notice beyond the tech world and that is the agreement in Australia by Google to pay legitimate news sources for the content that drives so much of their success.

Facebook, by contrast, is so far flatly refusing to pay, which reminds me that while I publish these daily reports here on Facebook, they all first appear on a Google platform. Neither company pays me a penny, although it is true I am not an Australian.

But as a short, concise article in Axios notes, what' at stake in the Australian battle (as well as similar efforts in Europe) is whether the honest, legitimate news companies will survive the current assault  by conspiracy theorists and would-be dictators denouncing "fake news."

The only thing fake on news sites is whatever quote is repeated from the likes of Donald Trump.

I'm standing by, like a Proud Newsboy, for this particular skirmish to play out before deciding whether to close up my Facebook shop and return to my longtime home at Google exclusively -- or whether to open a new service at third-party platform like Substack.

But what happens with me matters about as much as a flea one of those giant pre-historic elephant's behind. What is at stake here is the fabric of democracy. We can't go on like this, tolerating dangerous lies and conspiracy theories that directly undermine our fellow citizens' ability to co-exist with us. Millions of them are still inhabiting an alternative universe, one that resembles a cult rather than the country I know.

Current case in point: The massive snowstorms assaulting Texas. These are due to global climate change, yet the right-wing propagandists blame it on windmills. The antiquated fossil-fuel industry is actually the main culprit, but Texans will have to find their way over to the legitimate journalism world to find that out.

It's sad to see people freezing to death while denying reality, rather like the tragic cases of dying Covid-19 patients moaning on their deathbeds, "But this China virus isn't a real thing..."

They thought it was fake news. Maybe with more shared heroes like Dolly and more initiatives like the Google-Australian arrangement(*), we will start taking baby steps closer toward where we need to go...

(*) I'm reserving judgement.

***

Today's headlines:

* Tech coughs up money for news as regulatory threats loom -- Without government intervention, experts predict that many quality news outlets will eventually crumble, leading to a more serious global misinformation problem. (Axios)

* Australia is demanding tech giants pay for news. Google relented; Facebook didn’t. (WashPo)

* Facebook 'unfriends' Australia: uproar as news pages go dark (Reuters)

* Twitter In Standoff With India's Government Over Free Speech And Local Law (NPR)

* Time to get tough with 'bully' Facebook, UK lawmaker and publishers say (Reuters)

* Humans are making Earth a broken and increasingly unlivable planet through climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. So the world must make dramatic changes to society, economics and daily life, a new United Nations report says. Unlike past U.N. reports that focused on one issue and avoided telling leaders actions to take, Thursday’s report combines three intertwined environment crises and tells the world what’s got to change. It calls for changing what governments tax, how nations value economic output, how power is generated, the way people get around, fish and farm, as well as what they eat. (AP)

* U.S. to rejoin Paris climate accord (NHK)

* The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending generators and other supplies to Texas to help the state cope with power outages after a severe winter storm, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said. (NYT)

* More than 70% of continental US covered in snow, according to NWS (ABC)

* White House says severe winter storm likely due to climate change (Reuters)

* Fed's Brainard: Climate Change Already Affecting Economy, Financial System (WSJ)

* Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America needs to get better at dealing with it, experts said as Texas and other states battled winter storms that blew past the worst-case planning of utilities, governments and millions of shivering residents. (AP)

* The FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, New York, have reportedly begun a preliminary investigation into how New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his coronavirus task force handled nursing home data during the COVID-19 pandemic. [HuffPost]

* Protesters Urged Defunding the Police. Schools in Big Cities Are Doing It. -- Los Angeles will eliminate a third of its school police officers, joining cities like Seattle, Denver and Minneapolis that took action after Black Lives Matter protests. (NYT)

* Arizona Republican lawmakers have launched a “full-scale assault” on democracy, a coalition of voting rights groups in the state warned, pointing to a flurry of bills that would restrict ballot access, purge voter registrations and overhaul the state’s election system in the wake of major GOP losses there in the 2020 election. [HuffPost]

* Promotions for Female Generals Were Delayed Over Fears of Trump’s Reaction (NYT)

* Dr. Larry Brilliant, a Bay Area epidemiologist, predicts a somber future for the pandemic: “The problem is tomorrow’s variants. We’re just on the cusp.” [San Francisco Chronicle]

* Pfizer, Moderna vaccines have reduced effectiveness against South African variant, new studies show (WashPo)

* WHO investigators are honing their search for animals that could have spread the new coronavirus to humans, identifying two—ferret badgers and rabbits—that can carry the virus and were sold at a Chinese market where many early cases emerged. (WSJ)

* A spike in Covid-related deaths at a state-run psychiatric hospital in Fresno County has angered and alarmed patients. They blame hospital staff for an outbreak that infected hundreds and killed more than a dozen patients over the past six months. [The Sacramento Bee]

* Nikki Haley reached out to Donald Trump on Wednesday to request a sit-down at Mar-a-Lago, but he turned her down. (Politico)

* U.S. Capitol Police are investigating two incidents related to the new metal detectors set up outside the House chamber: one involving a member of Congress who roughly forced his way past a police officer and the other involving a lawmaker trying to bring a gun onto the House floor. Both incidents were witnessed by a HuffPost reporter, who has been interviewed by investigators. [HuffPost]

* As protests against the recent military coup have gripped Myanmar, one gesture has emerged as an icon: the three-finger salute. Inspired by “The Hunger Games” and popularized by Thai protesters in 2014, it has become a symbol of democratic resistance across Asia. (WSJ)

* We’re living in the world Rush Limbaugh created (WashPo)

* Japan, U.S., India, Australia call for return of democracy in Myanmar (Reuters)

* For nearly a decade now, singer-songwriter Sza has been making music that feels like the lyrics were taken directly from her journal and sequenced on a project. Her love for nature and drive to combat environmental racism has fueled a new partnership with Tazo Tea and American Forests. Their mission is to hire a local workforce to plant and maintain trees to fight climate change and create jobs in marginalized communities. [HuffPost]

* Dolly Parton Says It’s Not ‘Appropriate’ To Put Statue Of Her At Tennessee Capitol -- “Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time.”  (Twitter)

* End of Neanderthals linked to flip of Earth's magnetic poles, study suggests --Event 42,000 years ago combined with fall in solar activity potentially cataclysmic, researchers say (Guardian)

* NASA rover Perseverance touches down on Mars in search for signs of past life (WashPo)

* In college basketball, #3 Michigan beat Rutgers 71-64 for a 15-1 record. (Fox)

* Facebook Takes Down All Posts Spreading Misinformation About Fictional Nation Of ‘Australia’ (The Onion)

***

"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb and I also know I'm not blonde." -- Dolly Parton

-30-

Here, There, Anywhere

Technically, this is my second road trip of the pandemic. The first was last June when we visited the foothills of the Sierra, retracing the steps of John Muir and Mark Twain. That was to the east; this time we're headed south. 

When I was younger I used to think that traveling was about getting somewhere. But at some point in my globetrotting past, I started realizing that moving around was not the point; instead it was somehow to be moved by the process. Perhaps ironic that the passive voice is needed to describe the active part, but so be it.

According to legend, on this trip we will crossing over to Southern California around Paso Robles. That legend was allegedly created by Lucas J Meeker, about whom I know next to nothing. He is quoted with saying,"Bakersfield is definitely SoCal and Modesto is definitely NorCal, and nobody wants to lay claim to Fresno, the apparent regional culture DMZ."

(Note to self: Must go to Fresno.)

In any event, Meeker's imaginary line is higher in the east than the west so by the time you get to the coast, it runs right through San Luis Obispo.

(Later)

As we arrived in this area, driving through what I call the Cambria Valley but the map says is the Green Valley, the sky was perfect California blue and from high spots we could see the vast Pacific stretching beyond the horizon. It looks like God's bathtub from up here. All the hills are dusted green (recent rains) and the deep cuts in the cliffs remind me of the central Asian steppe more than any other section of the North American continent.

This is also one of the central coast's major wine-growing regions. More specifically, for cultural reference, we are just north of where the wonderful movie "Sideways" was filmed.

Our route to get here was mostly along 101, the longest highway in California. It connects L.A. with the Bay Area. Much of 101 simply retraces El Camino Real, the ancient connector linking the 21 missions of Alta California. 

Whenever you travel this highway you have to pay homage to the county music band named after the highway, with their song lyrics like this:

"Somewhere tonight he's a live wire
He's got his sights on someone new
Somewhere tonight he's a high flyer
And I'm so lonesome, I don't know what to do."

Anyway, the nearest beach to the lodge we've rented is called Moonstone Beach and it's a beaut.

From time to time during this pandemic, many of us have dreamt of road trips; fewer of us have taken them. I'm fortunate that my kids tend to be wanderers. And since I travel light when I'm moved, me-my-computer-my phone-my-pills-and-I can pretty much be anywhere and be in the same place too.

Greetings from anywhere.

Meanwhile, news reached us that Rush Limbaugh has died. He was the earliest and the worst of those to make a living spewing racist, misogynist, homophobic hate via talk radio, building the constituency that ultimate led directly to Trump. 

As far as I know, the only time he ever took note of me personally was when one of my sisters-in-law, who was living in North Carolina at the time, told me she heard him denounce me on his show as a traitor.

The occasion was a short essay I published in The Nation contrasting life in the U.S. with that under a dictatorship. Perhaps the example I used was unfortunate, because I simply noted no one had yelled at me at a Giants game when I didn't rise and remove my cap during the national anthem.

That hadn't necessarily been a political statement; I'd been too busy preparing my scorecard before the game started to stand up and be counted. My main point was nobody cared and that made me proud to be an American.

Of course, had Limbaugh gotten his way we'd all be living under a dictatorship by now and I'd be in a prison camp, probably somewhere out near Fresno. My only question would be can you get Giants' games on the radio out there? 

(Note to reader) When trying to reach the original author of this essay for comment on Limbaugh's timely passing, we got word that he was on a road trip, headed south. But the philosopher known as the Pink Panther did weigh in with this comment: "Not every death is a tragedy."

***

The heds:

* A Glimpse of America’s Future: Climate Change Means Trouble for Power Grids -- Systems are designed to handle spikes in demand, but the wild and unpredictable weather linked to global warming will very likely push grids beyond their limits. (NYT)

* Millions of jobs unlikely to come back, even after pandemic, economists warn -- Businesses are planning for a future of less business travel, more automation and more people working from home. (WashPo)

* Stay or Go? Biden, Long a Critic of Afghan Deployments, Faces a Deadline -- The question is whether the small contingent of American troops can accomplish anything after 20 years — and whether full withdrawal would clear the way for Taliban advances. (NYT)

* Google Makes Deal to Pay for News -- "The developments in Australia are being closely watched in Europe and the US for evidence the tougher approach will reset the balance between publishers and tech platforms. Among the code’s features is an arbitration system that would make binding decisions on the fees Facebook and Google would have to pay news providers if commercial negotiations fail." (ArsTechnica)

* Facebook to block news content in Australia, rather than pay like Google (SJ Mercury News)

* Rate of new coronavirus cases declining around the world, WHO says (WashPo)

* North Korean hackers attempted to steal information about coronavirus vaccines and treatments, South Korea’s intelligence service said, but it denied a lawmaker’s claim that vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. was targeted. A member of parliament’s intelligence committee told reporters that North Korea hacked Pfizer. [AP]

* President Joe Biden asserted that the general public will have access to 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July and said he’s hopeful the country will be in a “significantly better” place by Christmas. [HuffPost]

* Virologist: WHO Team Found No 'Credible Link' Between Wuhan Labs, COVID-19 (NPR)

* Police Forces Have Long Tried to Weed Out Extremists in the Ranks. Then Came the Capitol Riot. -- At least 30 law enforcement officers from around the country took part in the rally on Jan. 6 that preceded the riot. Many are now being investigated. (NYT)

* There is no Trumpism. There is only Trump. (WashPo)

* America’s ability to promote democracy around the world was damaged by “recent events,” in particular the deadly U.S. Capitol riot carried out by a violent mob of Trump’s supporters on Jan. 6, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. [HuffPost]

* Amazon favored big sellers on its India platform – and used them to maneuver around rules meant to protect the country's small retailers from getting crushed by e-commerce giants, internal documents show. (Reuters)

* New York Sues Amazon Over COVID-19 Workplace Safety (NPR)

* On Trump, Michigan Republicans Lean One Way: ‘Fealty at All Costs’ (NYT)

* If the West boycotts China’s Olympics, the Games could end forever.  (WashPo)

* Pentagon rethinking how to array forces to focus on China (AP)

* Los Angeles’s school board voted to cut its police force and divert funds to improve the education of Black students. [The Los Angeles Times]

* Big Tech's Democratic critics discuss ways to strike back with White House

 (Reuters)

* World’s Oldest DNA Unlocks Lineage of Ice Age Mammoths (WSJ)

* In a scientific discovery reminiscent of the plot of 1982 science-fiction thriller “The Thing,” researchers have discovered life in Antarctica that theoretically shouldn’t exist. These life forms are sponges, along with what appear to be barnacles. They were discovered after scientists with the British Antarctic Survey drilled beneath a section of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, which is more than 2,950 feet thick, in northwestern Antarctica. [HuffPost]

* Muddy’s Coffee House, near the corner of 24th and Valencia streets, has closed after 27 years. (Mission Local)

* The CineArts movie theater in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood is closing for good. (KQED)

* A new report finds that life expectancy in the U.S. dropped a staggering one year during the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic caused its first wave of deaths. (NBC)

* ‘You Go Back Where You Came From,’ Says Texan Pointing Gun At Snowman Trespassing On Property (The Onion)

***

On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way
Is on the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

-- Willie Nelson

-30-

The March of the Spirits

A memorable moment during the opening weeks of 2021was when two people who overcame speech impediments shared the national stage -- Joe Biden and Amanda Gorman. It was, of course, on Inauguration Day. They both stuttered as children, and if you listen to them carefully, you can still detect the letters they had trouble pronouncing when they were younger.

Biden's train of thought and his speech halt momentarily when he encounters one of those difficult sounds. He has trained himself to briefly close his eyes, look away and then start up again, by slightly altering the sequence of words that had confounded him.

As one who overcame speech problems myself, I am always fascinated by how others do it. In Biden's case, it seems likely that he did so by sheer force of character, by an all-powerful will and boundless ambition. I imagine that experience sealed his confidence that he can overcome *any* obstacle. And in politics, where people tend to freeze into oppositional positions that would appear unmovable, his confidence is a powerful tool.

Note to Republicans: Never underestimate his ability to "negotiate."

Don't underestimate Amanda Gorman either. Until very recently, she says, she couldn't pronounce the "r" sound. But with the help of a speech therapist and one of the recitations of "Hamilton" she overcame this impediment.

“I would listen to the song, ‘Aaron Burr, Sir,’ which is just packed with r’s, and I would try to keep up with Leslie Odom Jr. as he is doing this amazing rap. I would say, ‘if I can train myself to do this song, then I can train myself to say this letter.’ And so that has been a huge part of my own speech pathology. It’s why I included it in the inaugural poem.”

Listening to her closely, you can detect when she meets a word starting with "r." There is an almost imperceptible hesitation, then an overwhelming sense of willful confidence. She too has boundless ambition; she intends to be President someday.

Both of these people inspire me -- in different ways. Biden not at all as a speaker; he's pretty mediocre, but I admire his ability to empathize with those who disagree with him and indeed embrace them. If the people who stubbornly adhere to Trump's alienated version of America are ever to find their way back to the mainstream, Biden is the one who will be there to greet them.

Gorman, of course, is a poet but no ordinary poet, if there even is such a thing. She is a rapper, a preacher, a rebel and a dancer with words. She weaves her way across the stage without ever moving her feet. Her arms and hands weave her story through the air so rhythmically that she reminds me of a conductor, pulling the chords out of an orchestra.

Yet she is her own orchestra, playing all the verbal instruments at once.

Perhaps it was serendipity that while I was restlessly wandering through YouTube for music as I was organizing these thoughts that I settled onto a track by the late great Roy Orbison. Many of his fans probably assumed he was blind, but he wore those thick dark sunglasses to overcome an extreme case of stage fright and shyness in order to perform.

He mumbled very few words during his performances, but he sang like an angel. Over and over he epitomized male vulnerability when most male singers projected machismo -- the Elvis syndrome. There was nothing tough about Orbison, which is to say he was much tougher than the others.

Nobody from that era could sing songs about heartache, at least from a man's perspective, like he did. But it was his obsession with the subtle difference between dreams and reality that mesmerized me.

"In dreams I walk with you... In dreams I talk to you.... In dreams you're mine... all of the time...Only in dreams."

He co-founded the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. But he died at the age of 52 of a heart attack. And a month after his death, his song "You Got It" was released and it became his first hit in 25 years.

All of us who are blessed by people with disabilities in our circle of family and friends are familiar with how brave people overcome their constraints. The contributions of people who do not have their sight or hearing are legion, but these lesser conditions -- stuttering, speech impediments, shyness, stage fright -- are less commonly celebrated. 

When it comes to art, and it comes to greatness, the human spirit always finds a way.

Pictured facemark: <https://www.etsy.com/listing/947242614/amanda-gorman-washable-face-mask-3>

***

I just want to again highlight that the origin of the Covid-19 virus remains in doubt and that an accidental lab scenario at Wuhan is very much among the possible explanations. The NBC report below contains salient new details. 

Today's headlines:

* Ancient Rome Has an Urgent Warning for Us -- The era of the Antonine Plague offers a reminder of what a powerful force nature has been throughout human history. (NYT)

* How Amanda Gorman Overcame Her Speech Impediments (CNBC) ,https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/21/how-amanda-gorman-used-writing-to-overcome-speech-impediment-.html>

* Trump, Giuliani Accused of Conspiring to Incite Riot in Lawsuit -- The NAACP, on behalf of Rep. Bennie Thompson, filed a federal lawsuit against former President Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, accusing them of conspiring to incite the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol (WSJ)

* Trump’s rot has reached the GOP’s roots (WashPo)

* President Joe Biden is working to "recalibrate" the American relationship with Saudi Arabia, White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said Tuesday, and plans to communicate with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud instead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The approach marks another notable break from former President Donald Trump, who had been strongly supportive of bin Salman even after U.S. intelligence agencies' concluded that he had personally ordered the killing of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. (CNN)

* Lawyers in the Washington attorney general’s office are reportedly examining the legal viability of charging Trump for inciting the Capitol riot. [HuffPost]

* Adam Kinzinger’s Lonely Mission -- Censured by his party and shunned by family members, Mr. Kinzinger, a six-term Illinois congressman, is pressing Republicans to leave Donald Trump behind — and risking his career doing so. (NYT)

* The FBI still is seeking to identify hundreds of pro-Trump rioters who flooded into the Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI has already identified and charged the most high-profile insurrectionists, but the agency is still sorting through literally hundreds of thousands of tips it received in the aftermath of the Capitol attack. There are still a ton of suspects with photos on the FBI’s website who have yet to be identified. [HuffPost]

* Democrats' stimulus plan would cut taxes by an average of $3,100, analysis shows (CNN)

* At least 19 have died as record cold strikes South (WashPo)

* Wildfire Smoke Could Be the Main Way Californians Experience Climate Change -- “In 2020, we saw roughly 60 days with wildfire smoke that was in the air that we breathed, up from 10 to 15 days just a decade ago.” (KQED)

* Biden and the Fed Leave 1970s Inflation Fears Behind -- Administration and Fed officials argue that workers not getting enough stimulus help is a larger concern than potential spikes in consumer prices. (NYT)

* NASA’s Mars rover, Perseverance, aims for dicey landing to search for ancient life (WashPo)

* U.S. airline passenger traffic fell 60.1% in 2020 (Reuters)

* If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building?-- Google, Facebook, and others promise more flexibility to work from home. But they’re charging ahead with plans for more offices. (Wired)

* Brain Cells Blinking in Rhythm May Hold Clues to Alzheimer’s (Scientific American)

* Dinosaur-Killing Impact Came From Edge Of Solar System, New Theory Suggests -- Harvard researchers say a comet from deep space — not an asteroid from the belt past Mars — was responsible for the mass extinction. Others are skeptical. (NPR)

* Despite a finding by the World Health Organization that the Covid-19 outbreak in China most likely first infected humans through an animal host, the United States is still not ruling out the possibility of a laboratory accident, as officials continue to sort through intelligence about the Chinese government’s initial handling of the outbreak, American and Western officials say. (NBC) 

* California is prioritizing people with disabilities aged 16 and older for Covid-19 inoculations. (California Today)

* Covid-Linked Syndrome in Children Is Growing and Cases Are More Severe (NYT)

* HealthCare.gov’s market for subsidized health plans reopened for a special three-month signup window as the Democratic-led Congress pushes a boost in financial help that could cut premiums by double digits. Access to health care is “especially critical in the midst of a deadly pandemic that has already taken the lives of more than 470,000 of our fellow Americans,” President Joe Biden said. [AP]

* National Republicans have gotten behind the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, pouring in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Supporters of the recall say they’ve gotten enough signatures to move forward. [Politico]

* Newsom polishes image as recall drive escalates (CalMatters)

* San Francisco has clung to a paper-based building permitting system, requiring in-person meetings even during the pandemic. Critics say it’s allowed corruption and cronyism to flourish unchecked in the Department of Building Inspection. [Mission Local]

* Some school districts are hoping that testing kids for the coronavirus before they arrive on campuses could allow them to return safely. [KQED] 

* WHO alerts six African countries after Ebola outbreaks (Reuters)

* 

Greta Thunberg turned 18 on Sunday, and she thanked her fans with a snarky Twitter message about how she was celebrating. "Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!" she said. "Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!!" (CNN)

* U.S. Mint Introduces New Seven-Cent Coin To Bolster Citizens’ Math Skills (The Onion)

***

I close my eyes then I drift away
Into the magic night, I softly say
A silent prayer like dreamers do
Then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you

In dreams I walk with you
In dreams I talk to you
In dreams you're mine all of the time
We're together in dreams, in dreams

But just before the dawn
I awake and find you gone
I can't help it
I can't help it
If I cry
I remember that you said goodbye

It's too bad that all these things
Can only happen in my dreams
Only in dreams
In beautiful dreams

Songwriter: Boudleaux Bryant; Translator: Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison on Austin City Limits: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeKZJNev9Ds>

-30-

Masking Trouble

One reason I sort through so many reputable news sources (~25) each and every day is in order to see how various aggregations can be triangulated to yield new insights.

That kind of magic happened today (below) when I juxtaposed stories from the New York Times, National Public Radio and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).

The Times reported that during this extended pandemic, there has been a second epidemic of depression among young people due to isolation. The article quotes one person who asks what is the point of enduring such despair? I have plenty of friends, young and old, who feel this way to the point they've discussed suicidal thoughts with me.

Next, NPR reported on the rising levels of addiction among people working from home, and the difficulty mental health professionals are facing trying to combat this trend. I too know plenty of people dealing with addiction issues that seem to be worsening due to this long period of enforced isolation.

Finally, NHK dug into what's going on with an earlier age group (0-1), finding that mask-wearing around babies may be an unwise practice for their development. It is during the first year that infants begin to recognize faces and detect other people's emotions -- the basis of empathy. Babies need to see the eyes, nose and mouth of anyone in their lives to learn how to interpret facial expressions.

Together, these three reports suggest the toll we are suffering collectively by keeping so much distance from one another.

Meanwhile, a trend that puzzles me is that some people continue wearing their masks during Zoom calls. Perhaps this is meant to protect others nearby, but it certainly defeats the purpose of a video conference call.

In fact, it is a direct challenge to the kind of clear communication such calls seek to facilitate. Although adults are much more skilled than babies at communicating with our eyes, I for one rely on the rest of a person's facial expression to achieve what I want to know when interacting with anyone -- friend or stranger alike.

I figure others may be like me, so I am prone to lowering my mask for people much more often than is strictly advisable from a CDC perspective. After all, I want people to be able to see me smile, which I do a lot.

When admonished by certain people for doing this, I sometimes politely readjust my facial covering, if by then my purpose has been accomplished. Other times I walk away. During my very limited in-person interactions with friends (exactly three people in the past year) we always started out masked but eventually discarded them as time went on.

Were we being irresponsible? Probably.

Do I care? Probably not. 

Why? Any success I may have had in my life/career did not come by being risk-averse. To the contrary.

Besides, in each case, our conversations ventured into far more intimate territory once our masks were down than they had been up to that point. And not only do I value that intimacy, I need it. As we parted, I hugged all three as well, also not recommended behavior. But by then our masks were back up, and our pent-up emotions had been released.

No one should misinterpret my remarks to infer I am advocating any behavior that could extend this awful pandemic. Public health officials warn that there are no fewer than seven mutant variants circulating in the U.S. currently, including the super-contagious U.K. variant.

So, no, I do not encourage anyone to lessen vigilance in mask wearing, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and proper ventilation. By all means, follow the recommendations of the CDC.

But when depression, including thoughts of suicide, and addiction to alcohol and drugs rear their ugly heads, there is a far worse danger lurking, IMHO, than risking exposure to Covid-19.

Of course, you could dismiss what I say because like any other poker player, private eye, or insurance investigator, I earned my living by reading faces when the masks were down. Turn that equation around and say it's you interviewing me. You'll not find out a lot from my eyes. That's because a long time ago, they learned how to lie. Besides they are too busy looking at you to show you anything but how you look to me.

The rest of my face, however, tells a different story.

***

Those pesky headlines:

* Trump’s Non-Vindication -- He may run again, but he won’t win another national election. (Editorial Board/ WSJ)

* First They Guarded Roger Stone. Then They Joined the Capitol Attack. -- We tracked how six men associated with the far-right Oath Keepers went from providing security for Roger Stone to participating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. (NYT)

* At least 57 state and local Republican officials attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that turned into a deadly insurrection, according to an updated HuffPost tally. Almost all of them are resisting calls to resign. A couple of officials even gave speeches, warming up the crowd for Trump. (HuffPost)

* Why Are Republicans Still This Loyal to a Mar-a-Lago Exile? -- If they don’t disown Trump, he will continue to own them. (NYT)

* Donations for a voter fraud probe shed light on how baseless claims led to hundreds of millions in gifts -- The Trump campaign and the Republican Party collected $255 million in two months, saying the money would support legal challenges to an election marred by fraud. Financier Fred Eshelman gave $2.5 million to True the Vote, a group seeking to press the case in court. Now he wants his money back. (WashPo)

* Trump’s acquittal widens divide in GOP (WashPo)

* Pro-Trump Candidates Launch Early Senate, Governor Bids -- Republican hopefuls are betting that former President Trump’s popularity with the GOP base can help propel them into office. (WSJ)

* Calls Grow for Commission to Investigate Capitol Riot -- Lawmakers are increasingly pushing for a 9/11-style panel that would examine failures and make recommendations. It could also be a final chance for Congress to hold Donald J. Trump to account. (NYT)

* Now begins McConnell’s project to shrink Trump’s GOP influence -- George F. Will (WashPo)

* Lara Trump for North Carolina Senate Seat? Trump’s Trial Is Renewing Talk -- Senator Richard M. Burr’s vote to convict the former president has intensified speculation that Ms. Trump might galvanize staunch Trump loyalists behind a possible bid for Mr. Burr’s seat in 2022. (NYT)

* The Loved Ones Lost To QAnon: Kara, a 46-year-old health care worker in the Midwest, said her mom’s descent into QAnon was gradual at first but accelerated once she retired. Now it’s out of control. “My mom’s the most giving, wonderful person. Or, she was,” Kara said. “This has taken over her life.” Since delving into QAnon, Kara’s mom has stopped taking care of herself. She hardly cooks or sees her grandkids anymore, and her relationship with her husband is falling apart. [HuffPost]

* Masks could affect children's development -- For adults, the need to wear a mask can be inconvenient. For children it could be more serious. Masks disguise key cues in our expressions, making it harder to read someone’s face, and there is growing evidence that this could be affecting child development. Child care workers who wear masks while at work say it is difficult to establish a relationship of trust with children because they have to conceal their mouths. Professor Myowa Masako specializes in the human brain and psychological development at Kyoto University Graduate School of Education and Faculty of Education. She says adults must be especially careful about interacting with infants from when they are born until they are about a year old. That’s the age at which babies are studying people’s faces and learning expressions. Babies need to see the eyes, nose and mouth to recognize a face. As the months pass, they learn to distinguish emotions such as joy or anger. This ability forms the foundation for understanding other peoples' feelings. Myowa says that only adults can communicate using just their eyes. She says it’s important to give babies opportunities to see peoples' facial expressions. She advises family members to show their faces to their babies at home even more than before. (NHK)

* ‘What’s the Point?’ Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On -- Experts paint a grim picture of the struggle with lockdown isolation — a “mental health pandemic” that should be treated as seriously as containing the coronavirus. (NYT)

* As Addiction Deaths Surge, Profit-Driven Rehab Industry Faces 'Severe Ethical Crisis' (NPR)

* Eroding trust, spreading fear: How pandemics have contributed to a rise in extremism (WashPo)

* Mike McDermott, the executive in charge of Pfizer’s global supply chain, said he’s hopeful the pharmaceutical giant will deliver 2 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year, enough to inoculate 1 billion people against the coronavirus.  [AP]

* Israeli Data Shows 94% Drop in Symptomatic Covid-19 Cases With Pfizer Vaccine (WSJ)

* A nine-month Associated Press investigation of state-sponsored disinformation conducted in collaboration with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, shows how a rumor that the U.S. created the virus that causes COVID-19 was weaponized by the Chinese government, spreading from the dark corners of the Internet to millions across the globe. The analysis was based on a review of millions of social media postings and articles on Twitter, Facebook, VK, Weibo, WeChat, YouTube, Telegram and other platforms. Chinese officials were reacting to a powerful narrative, nursed by QAnon groups, Fox News, former President Donald Trump and leading Republicans, that the virus was instead manufactured by China. (AP)

* The Taliban Close In on Afghan Cities, Pushing the Country to the Brink -- The Taliban have positioned themselves around several major population centers, including the capital of Kandahar Province, as the Biden administration weighs whether to withdraw or to stay. (NYT)

* India's arrest of activist tied to Greta Thunberg's movement sparks outrage

 - - 

Indian politicians and activists on Monday condemned the arrest of a 22-year-old climate campaigner accused of sedition for helping edit an online document that Sweden's Greta Thunberg had promoted in support of farmers protesting in the country. (Reuters)

* Military Imposes Full Grip on Myanmar in Overnight Crackdown -- Armored vehicles rolled in along with soldiers in camouflage in cities across the country as generals moved to crush the protest movement against the Feb. 1 military coup. (NYT)

* France fights hold of Islamist radicals with dragnets, laws (AP)

* China’s Crackdown on Muslims Extends to a Resort Island -- The Utsuls of Hainan island were once celebrated by the government for their links to the larger Muslim world. Not anymore. (NYT)

* Social media platform Parler back online on 'independent technology' (Reuters)

* President Joe Biden called on Congress to enact “common-sense gun law reforms” on the three-year anniversary of the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, saying “this administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call.” “We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer,” he said. (HuffPost)

* Jaguar cars to go all-electric by 2025 as JLR plans full range of e-models by 2030 (Reuters)

* Historic Arctic outbreak brings dangerous cold, snow and ice to central and southern U.S. (WashPo)

* James Ridgeway, Hard-Hitting Investigative Journalist, Dies at 84 (NYT/Twitter)

* There’s an invisible climate threat seeping from grocery store freezers. Biden wants to change that. (WashPo)

* Cruise Ship Waiting Out 1918 Influenza Pandemic Wondering If It's Okay To Dock At Port Now (The Onion)

***

City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man and she won't have to worry
She'll dress up all in lace go in style

Late at night a big old house gets lonely
I guess every form of refuge has its price
And it breaks her heart to think her love is only
Given to a man with hands as cold as ice

So she tells him she must go out for the evening
To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down
But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin'
She is headed for the cheatin' side of town

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes

On the other side of town a boy is waiting
With fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal
She drives on through the night anticipating
'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel

She rushes to his arms they fall together
She whispers it's only for a while
She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever
She goes away and leaves him with a smile

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes

She gets up and pours herself a strong one
And stares out at the stars up in the sky
Another night it's gonna be a long one
She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry

She wonders how it ever got this crazy
She thinks about a boy she knew in school
(Ooh...) Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?
(Ooh...) She's so far gone she feels just like a fool

My oh my you sure know how to arrange things
(Aaah...) You set it up so well so carefully
Ain't it funny (aaah...) how your new life didn't change things?
You're still the same old girl you used to be

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes
Honey you can't hide your lyin' eyes

Songwriters: Don Henley / Glenn Frey

-30-