CoVid-19: The Long Road to Recovery or Rush to Disaster?

by Nomad

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Demonstrators take part in an "American Patriot Rally," organized on April 30, 2020, by Michigan United for Liberty on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, demanding the reopening of businesses. - The group is upset with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's mandatory closure to curtail Covid-19. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

As the Corona Spring winds on, the questions on the minds of most Americans are "is this push to re-open the US after the outbreak too soon?" and "Will we be needlessly risking  lives solely for economic fears?"

CoVid-19 Pandemic: The Worst and the Best of Humanity on Display

by Nomad

Protesters, including Republican Senate candidate Melissa Acksion, left, stand outside the Statehouse Atrium where reporters listen during the State of Ohio's Coronavirus response update on Monday, April 13, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: Joshua A. Bickel)

Sanity Break: Seven Days Walking by Ludovico Einaudi

by Nomad

We all need some relief from the depressing news.

This week I decided to highlight the work of Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi. His album, entitled Seven Days Walking, features Einaudi on piano, Federico Mecozzi on violin and viola, and Redi Hasa on cello.

Released on 19 April 2019. the impressionistic composition was inspired by winter walks in the mountains near Einaudi's Italian home. In the winter of 2018, he walked the same route in the Alps and experienced it differently every time.

A series of meditations based on seven walks on seven different days. (That's something we have somehow taken for granted until the Corona era.)

I hope you find this music calming as we find our own paths through these troubled times.

Covid-19: When the US Became Ground Zero

by Nomad

A grim milestone came and went at the end of this devastating week. On Friday, the coronavirus killed more New Yorkers than the terrorists who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The September 11 attacks killed about 2,700 people in New York state. In contrast, the coronavirus has so far killed 2,935 state residents of all age groups.

The Covid-19 Crisis and the Unraveling of a President

by Nomad

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As the Covid-19 crisis deepens, President Trump held another press briefing on Sunday in the Rose Garden and it went pretty much as anybody could have predicted. 

Coronavirus Comes to Washington

by Nomad

Embed from Getty Images

US President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 22, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

CoVid-19: Closures, Lock-downs and Panic Buying Around the World

by Nomad

Around the world, governments have been forced to take drastic measures to slow the spread of the Corona-virus. The graph on the left shows a comparison between the CoVid-19 spread in Italy, the USA and the UK.

As AP reports:

Officials across the country curtailed many elements of American life to fight the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday, with health officials recommending that groups of 50 or more don’t get together and a government expert saying a 14-day national shutdown may be needed.
Governors and mayors closed restaurants, bars, and schools as the nation sank deeper into chaos. Travelers returning home from abroad were stuck in line for hours at major airports for screenings, crammed into just the kind of crowded spaces that public health officials have urged people to avoid.  

2020: The Year of the Virus

by Nomad

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the current risk assessment:

• For most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. This virus is not currently widespread in the United States.
• People in places where ongoing community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
• Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
• Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure.
• Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.

Video of Roger Stone's Deposition Interview Reveals His True Nature

by Nomad

Politico offers this analysis of the deposition interview given last month by former Trump operator and friend, Roger Stone. Stone, as you probably already know, was convicted last fall of lying to Congress and threatening a witness regarding his efforts for Trump's 2016 campaign.
This deposition, given days before Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison, was, in fact, related to six different civil lawsuits Stone is still facing,

As his demeanor demonstrates, Stone was under extreme stress and struggling to contain pent-up fury.

With no judge on hand, Stone was free to tear into his enemies as he did in an earlier era. He could be combative and hard-charging if he wanted. He could even spout vulgarities as he spared with his inquisitor.

Good News Break: Three Heroes Making a Difference

by Nomad

I decided to take a much-needed break from the dire news of the pandemic and the stomach-churning saga of the Trump presidency in order to throw a spotlight on three heroes. Hope you will take a moment to watch the videos and read their stories.

Where Kindness is Part of the Curriculum

by Nomad

Trump's Acquittal: The Ultimate Triumph of the Imperial Presidency

by Nomad

In 1973, in the throes of the Nixon scandal, author Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. published a book entitled "The Imperial Presidency." in that book, he warned that the office of president of the United States had drifted far from the one envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Less of a servant of the people and into a king without the actual title. He argued that a presidency becomes imperial when it relies on powers well outside those allowed by the Constitution of the United States.

When We Close our Eyes and Ears to the Corrupt

by Nomad

Surveillance, Suppression and Intimidation: Tools for the Super-Rich?

by Nomad

If you haven't found time to read Ronan Farrow's latest book, Catch and Kill, it is certainly worth your time. In fact, it reads more like a John LeCarre spy thriller than a journalist's investigation.
Farrow's book actually deals with the story behind his expose of the allegations against media mogul and accused sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein. He reveals each painful step- from unsubstantiated rumors to firm allegation. To his credit, Mr. Farrow was relentless in seeking out women who privately claimed to have been sexually assaulted.

Yet, Weinstein had powerful friends who were willing to shelter him. And he also lots of tools at his disposal to block journalists and silence accusers. After all, sordid things that Weinstein did was pretty much of an inside secret in Hollywood. According to reports, wealthy Weinstein could afford to pay off his alleged victims (with non-disclosure agreements attached). If that didn't work, there was always the power of threats. According to his alleged victims, he could and would apply tremendous amounts of pressure on uncooperative individuals.
And he did just that... over decades. 

President Trump, the Republican Party and the Parrington Question

by Nomad

Most of you have probably never heard of Vernon Parrington. I know I hadn't until I stumbled upon an interesting quote. That's pretty remarkable because, in our grandparent's time, historian Parrington occupied a special place, particularly among the progressive-minded.

The Parrington Question

This Midwestern educator was also the author of the three-volume Main Currents in American Thought (1927) which went on to win the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for History  As his biography reminds us, for two decades this historical examination and analysis was one of the most influential books for American historians.

Progressive history was a set of related assumptions and attitudes, which inspired the first great flowering of professional American scholarship in history...His progressive interpretation of American history was highly influential in the 1920s and 1930s and helped define modern liberalism in the United States. After receiving overwhelming praise and exerting enormous influence among intellectuals in the 1930s and 1940s, Parrington's ideas fell out of fashion before 1950.

Protests Erupt in Iran After Airliner Calamity

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History Has Shown Us the Dangers of a Weak Congress and Where It Leads

by Nomad

When the Democratic-led House of Representatives was attempting to investigate the allegations against President Trump in drawing up articles of impeachment, there was no mistaking contempt the president's and his allies had for Congress.

When Congress called key witnesses to testify, the president ordered them to ignore subpoenas. It was, Trump claimed, a witch hunt. Congress quite rightly pointed out it was simply fulfilling its legitimate, constitutional oversight role.
The House could have issued criminal and civil fines, including jail time. Instead, it allowed the president to block the inquiry with impunity. Wasn't this an unequivocal act of obstruction? No, said the administration, it was an assertion of executive privilege.

Goodbye 2019 - Hello 2020

by Nomad

A Holiday Message to My Wonderful Nomads

by Nomad

So how are you spending Christmas this year?
Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, I am helping to put together a New Years' "bash" at a local cafe. Looks like this party will be a lot of fun. 

WATCH LIVE: Final House Vote on Articles of Impeachment

by Nomad

Watch as history is made today.
The full House of Representatives will debate and vote on the articles of impeachment. If at least one of the articles passes, Trump will be the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. If the House decides to impeach, the Senate will hold a trial to consider if Trump should be removed from office.
No matter what the outcome in the Senate, one thing is undeniable: President Trump's lawlessness has caused an unprecedented constitutional crisis.  

Fears that President Trump's Racism is Undoing the Military's Anti-Extremist Policy

by Nomad

Social media erupted with outrage on Saturday after video footage seemed to show cadets from West Point and midshipmen from the Naval Academy flashing what some claim to be white supremacists hand gestures.
Was it a case of "much ado over nothing"- a harmless bit of horsing around, or yet another case of "everything Trump touches turns to crap"? President Trump had traveled to Philadelphia to attend the annual football game and reportedly received a standing ovation.

LIVE: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Inquiry Evidence Hearing

by Nomad

The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to hear evidence in the on-going impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Watch LIVE at 9am ET.

LIVE: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings - Day One

by Nomad

Today, the House Judiciary Committee will hold its first public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. With proceedings set to begin at 10 am ET, the hearing will feature several legal scholars who will testify about "the constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment."

According to experts, Trump could be impeached on a number of charges based on his actions, including violating campaign-finance laws, bribery, extortion, obstruction, and misappropriation of taxpayer funds. In an ongoing effort to de-legitimatize the process, the White House has announced that neither President Trump nor his lawyers will participate.

Is Netanyahu's Refusal to Step Down to Face Charges a Foreshadowing for the US?

by Nomad

What with the impeachment hearings and the non-stop insanity emanating out of Washington, you will be forgiven if you haven't been keeping up with the constitutional crisis unfolding in Israel.  Most of us would agree that we have enough on our plates, especially during Thanksgiving. 

The events in Israel might seem far away and trivial. However, they could well be a portent of what's to come in the US if Trump loses the 2020 election.  

Journalist Chemi Shalev, writing for Haaretz, observes that Israel is currently in a state of chaos with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding his own country hostage in his " unrelenting effort to avoid criminal prosecution"  after being charged with fraud and breach of trust. 

CNN Report: Non-Profit Group Brings Free Healthcare to Those Who Cannot Afford It

by Nomad

I am not sure whether this CNN story about the current state of healthcare in the US is depressing or inspiring. What do you think?

Second Week of Impeachment Hearings in Full Bloom

by Nomad

Last week, Democrats launched the public phase of the inquiry with testimony from three career public servants: William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Monday is undoubtedly going to be a day of preparation and behind the scenes action.

Why US Suicide Rates are on the Rise While Western European Rates are Declining

by Nomad

Hard Cold Facts about a Difficult Subject 

Despite this public reticence, you might be surprised to learn that suicide now ranks in the top ten leading causes of death in the US. 

Each year 44,965 Americans die by suicide. Roughly 16 out of every 100,000 Americans will take their own life.

To put that in perspective, there were a total of 17,250 reported murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases in the U.S. in 2016. In fact, suicide is 250 percent more common than murder.

"A Cheap Soulless Bully"

by Nomad

During the Kavanaugh hearing when Christine Blasey Ford reluctantly testified about her alleged sexual assault, Trump did not hesitate to mock Ford.
Charles Pierce shared his feeling in a poignant article in Esquire magazine. Here's an excerpt:

"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over.
I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City.
I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing "Amazing Grace" in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Nixon and Trump

by Nomad

Among Independents, Support for Trump Impeachment is Surging

by Nomad

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week, there's growing support among political independents for the impeachment for Donald Trump.  

To make matters worse for the president, overall support for impeachment has risen by three percentage points since just last week. Overall, 46% of Americans said they supported impeachment and 40% said they opposed it.

Support for impeachment was relatively steady among Republicans and Democrats over the past week but it surged among independents, a group that includes people who neither identify as Democrats nor Republicans and do not favor either party when they vote. Among independents, 45% said in the latest poll they supported impeachment and 32% said they opposed it, the strongest level of support recorded in more than a year.

For Republicans who have been shielding the president from oversight, the news could hardly be worse. The persuadable independent voter has been called the "difference maker" in the presidential election.
Even Trump campaign spokesman and Deputy Communications Director for the Republican National Committee, Rick Gorka has observed:

“It always comes down to who can convince the independent voter..That is how you win the election.”

Democracy's Darker Side and How It Has Been Exploited By Putin and the Far Right

by Nomad

"The Tyranny of the Minorities"

The other night, I was talking to a conservative friend about democracy. He has traveled the world and would be considered to be well-educated and successful. The subject turned to politics, something I loathe to discuss with locals given my delicate situation.
I usually prefer to listen in silence.

Former US Diplomat Weighs In on Trump's Controversial Syrian Decision

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The Depreciating Value of American Handshakes

Brett McGurk, Payne distinguished lecturer at Stanford, a foreign affairs analyst as well as former Presidential envoy, had a few things to say about Trump's decision to pull US troops out of Northern Syrian. In short, he was livid.

Before leaving the Trump administration in December, McGurk had served under Bush (as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan) and Obama ( as Special Advisor to the U.S. National Security Council and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq).

Sanity Sunday Musical Break - Dire Straits

by Nomad

Formed in London in 1977 by brothers Mark and David Knopfler, Dire Straits' debut album, Sultans of Swing, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. By the mid-80s, songs like "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life" made Dire Straits an MTV favorite. 

Despite this welcome exposure, it was apparent that music video directors found it difficult to visually interpret Dire Straits songs. For example, even by 80s standards, Romeo and Juliet is nearly unwatchable. That's a pity because it is, in my opinion, a masterpiece.

Agent of Chaos: Our Sinister Joker in the White House

by Nomad

What with all the outrageous things going on day after day, you might not have heard of the controversy regarding the upcoming film called "Joker."

Starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Todd Phillips, the film is many steps removed from the superhero genre that provides its source material.
Forget the capes and the spandex tights. Forget the glitzy special effects and the Marvel Comic cliches. This film is closer to "Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy” and "American Psycho." Grim and gritty and full of angst.

The Joker, one of the most iconic and perverse villains of the Batman comics, has been completely "reimagined" as a person who, as Variety critic puts it, "spends every moment trying to twist himself into a normal shape, but he knows the effort is doomed, so he turns it all into a “joke” that only he gets."

The Joseph Maguire Testimony: A Trump Official Under the Spotlight

by Nomad

This morning, Joseph Maguire will be testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, regarding his decision not to release the whistleblower's complaint about questionable- and possibly impeachable- activities by the president and close advisors.

Maguire is the current Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He retired from the United States Navy as a Vice Admiral in 2010 after 36 years of military service.

The committee is expected to ask Macquire why he refused to release to congressional intelligence committees the report of the independent inspector general, Michael Atkinson, who deemed it "credible and urgent."

Under mounting pressure from both parties, the Trump administration backed down on Wednesday and handed copies of the complaint to House and Senate intelligence committees.

Notes on Intolerance and Conformity from a Shining City on the Hill

by Nomad

A Turkish/Canadian friend of mine- we can call him Metin- told me that he was sitting on the grass in a seaside park recently. He was speaking English to a friend. It was another fine day in Izmir.
However, much to Metin's dismay, a woman he had never met before interrupted his chat and told him "You are in Turkey. Speak Turkish!"

It literally took his breath away, he later said. It was especially shocking that such a thing would happen in a comparatively liberal, laid-back city like Izmir.

Dr. Oliver Sacks on Gratitude

by Nomad

When physician, best-selling author, and professor of neurology Oliver Sacks understood that his battle with cancer could not be won, he expressed a desire to live out his remaining months "in the richest, deepest, most productive way" that he could.

His checklist was a simple but noble one. He explained that he wanted to "deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight." 

In his posthumously-published book, "Gratitude" Sacks reflected on his final days. In summing up, this extraordinary and compassionate man observed:

The Republican Position in 2020

by Nomad

Sanity Sunday - The Music of Al Stewart

 by Nomad

Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician Al Stewart will always hold a special place for me. He is best known for one song which topped the charts in the late 1970s, "Year of the Cat." 
Released in 1976 in the album of the same name, the song tells the story of a Western tourist who loses his soul in the bazaar.

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolor in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the Year of the Cat.

Except for that one song, his music never quite reached the wider audience in the US. That's a pity on two counts. Firstly, Stewart had an earlier career in the 1960s as a folk singer that deserved more attention.

Sanity Sunday - The Music of Los Tabaleros

by Nomad

Well, I can't really tell you too much about the featured band for this week's Sanity Sunday. The name of the group is Los Tabaleros, which, if Google Translate can be trusted, seems to mean "The cigar makers."

Originating from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the band released their first album, "Crimson" in 2009. According to their bio, in their early years, they dedicated themselves to interpret and understand the traditional folklore. Over time, they developed their own unique voice.
Even though I am not able to tell you much about the meaning of the songs, I was really captivated by their sense of harmony. Tell me what you think.

On This Day - August 28

by Nomad

The date of August 28 has special significance to all Americans, but particularly to African Americans.

1833 - First Steps to Freedom

With the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act, slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom and most of its colonies on this date in 1833. Historians point out, however, that the new law was not quite what it seemed.

What Happens When Young People Lose Their Faith in Democracy

by Nomad

The Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), José Ángel Gurría, has thought a lot about a disturbing global trend: the crisis of public faith in democracy. 
What are the causes? What are the effects and what are the long-term implications? And, perhaps most importantly, after the recent rise of right-wing populism, how can trust in liberal democracies be restored?

Can the US Ever Recover from the Trump Era?

by Nomad

There's no question that Trump has left his mark on America. Nobody could argue with that.
As we steel ourselves for horror show election of 2020, it is not too early to reflect on what Trump has already done to America.

The Symptom and the Cause

In terms of US foreign policy alone, this administration has been an utter disaster. Take foreign policy, as Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Eliot A. Cohen, observes:

[The] surface-level calm of the last two years should not distract from a building crisis of U.S. foreign policy, of which Trump is both a symptom and a cause. The president has outlined a deeply misguided foreign policy vision that is distrustful of U.S. allies, scornful of international institutions, and indifferent, if not downright hostile, to the liberal international order that the United States has sustained for nearly eight decades.

It goes deeper than upending the world order.

Diversion: The Observations of Daniel Koren

by Nomad

Time for a distraction from politics.

Daniel Koren is an Israeli musician, comedian and director, now living in Brooklyn. 

With his quirky point of view, 35-year-old Koren has not abandoned the wonder we once felt as children. His Youtube videos have received hundreds of thousands of views. 

I have chosen five videos from his online collection. There's the euphoric "Enjoying Stuff" - a guide to finding your snatch of happiness, and "Benches" - where Koren finds the greatest show on Earth. His video called "The Thing about Dogs" is heart-breaking and "Cactus"- a treatise about what emotional pain can do starts out ok but then completely falls apart because of a detail.
Hope you enjoy Daniel's ideas as much as I did. 

Sanity Sunday - Laid-Back Lounge Music

by Nomad

In the wake of yesterday's demoralizing and tragic news, I thought we needed a bit of a diversion. In this case, I selected lounge music, songs from another era. A time when people didn't have to worry about being shot while Saturday shopping or a night out at a local bar.   

Highlights from the Second Democratic Debate

by Nomad

Highlights from the First Half

Highlights from the Second Half

LIVE: Mueller Testimony Before Congress

by Nomad

This Livestream kicks off at 7:40 a.m. EDT with a breakdown of the major findings and moments from Mueller's report.

PBS coverage of Mueller's testimony begins at 8:30 a.m. in a House Judiciary Committee hearing, and continues at noon with a House Intelligence Committee hearing.

Update:  The PBS livestream doesn't appear to be active. I will be switching to ABC News instead.

America Circa 2019

by Nomad

Obsolete Ideals: The Truth Behind Putin's Eulogy for Western Liberalism

by Nomad

In Conflict with the Majority

Quite a few eyebrows were raised recently when President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the Financial Times, declared that Western liberalism and its values were "obsolete" and have been rejected by the majority of the people in Western nations.

Much like Trump during his campaign, Putin talked about migrants running amok who are allowed to "kill, plunder and rape with impunity." Every crime, he declared, must have its punishment.
(Unless, of course, you happen to be an oligarch with lots of bigly connections.)

Good News Round-up for July 2019

by Nomad

Thought you might like a break from the Trump News.
The theme of this collection of good news stories is not scientific developments or large scale efforts to right some man-made wrong.

Rather, these are stories on a smaller (but no less significant) calibration: personal acts of charity and courage that have made or are making a difference in the lives of strangers.