A COLLEGIATE DRINKING SONG SIXTY YEARS LATER!

 During my college years in the 1950's there was a popular drinking song called "The Pope."  

See an article about the history and lyrics in the Yale University Songbook:

https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2013/01/the-pope-he-leads-a-jolly-life

And an older manuscript in the Library of Congress.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ihas.100007307.0?st=gallery

This song humorously -- and, admittedly, irreverently -- addressed the advantages and disadvantages of the lives of various leaders.   

 “The Pope” 

The Pope he leads a jolly life, 
He’s free from every care and strife; 
He drinks the best of Rhenish wine, 
I would the Pope’s gay life were mine. 

He drinks the best of Rhenish wine, 
I would the Pope’s gay life were mine. 

But he don’t lead a jolly life, 
He has no maid or blooming wife, 
He has no son to raise his hope, 
Oh! I would not be the Pope. 

He has no son to raise his hope, 
Oh! I would not be the Pope. 

The Sultan better pleases me, 
His life is full of jolity, 
He’s wives as many as he will, 
I fain the Sultan’s throne would fill. 

He’s wives as many as he will, 
I fain the Sultan’s throne would fill. 

But still he is a wretched man, 
He must obey the Al-Koran, 
He dare not drink one drop of wine, 
I would not change his lot for mine. 

He dare not drink one drop of wine, 
I would not change his lot for mine. 

So when the maiden kisses me, 
I’ll think that I the Sultan be, 
And when my Rhenish wine I tope, 
Oh then I’ll think that I’m the Pope

 Not to be bested by our friends from Yale, during the late 1950's when I was at the University of Chicago and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, we joked about our president's golfing proclivities with these lines to the same tune:

"The present President of us, 

Over poverty he makes no fuss!

At golf he daily doth excel, 

And lets the country go to Hell!"

Soon after he was elected in 1960, President Eisenhower's immediate successor, President John F. Kennedy, launched the War on Poverty.  Could this ditty have been part of the impetus for this? 

Today as I watch our sitting president belittle the seriousness of COVID19 and head for the golf course with increasing frequency, I cannot help but change just one word in our 1950's parody of "The Pope:" 

The present President of us,

Over COVID deaths he makes no fuss!

At golf he daily doth excel,

and lets the country go to Hell!

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NEEDED: A COVID-19 KETUBAH!

Back in the day, Jewish wives treasured a document called a ketubah that was signed at their marriage by the bride and groom, the rabbi or other officiant and two or more witnesses to the wedding.  

The word ketubah derives from the Hebrew word for a writing, and this document served many functions.  

Married women, for example, carried their ketubah especially when they traveled with their husbands, so that it would be known by inns along the way that this was a married couple.  

Read more about this document at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketubah

(Press < to return to this page.) 

Since my university based health care provider posts vaccine information on MyChart, I can quickly download my COVID-19 vaccination record.  I printed a copy of this document and carry it with other documents (like my ID card, etc.) to show that I was vaccinated for COVID-19. 

But not all people use MyChart, or have any other convenient way to store and copy information about their COVID-19 vaccine status.    

Now that many establishments are opening up for people who are vaccinated, it becomes more necessary than ever to have a reliable way of demonstrating this.  

I would like to see the establishment of a standardized COVID-19 ketubah, a writing, for those vaccinated against COVID-19.  This would be a standardized document that could be carried as full sized certificate and/or as a wallet card showing that the person named therein had been vaccinated for COVID-19, when and where this was done, and which vaccine had been administered. 

This could save a lot of confusion!

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WHISPERING HOPE -- A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR A DARK HOUR

I did not write this "Song of Comfort for Difficult Times" (as it is sometimes known) but it helps me and  maybe it will help others coping with these difficult days!  jl

             Whispering Hope

Soft as the voice of an angel 

Breathing a lesson unheard

Hope with a gentle persuasion

Whispers a comforting word

Wait, till the darkness is over

Wait, till the tempest is done

Hope, for the sunshine tomorrow

After the darkness is gone

  Whispering hope 

  Oh how welcome Thy voice, 

  Making my heart,

  In its sorrow rejoice

If in the dusk of the twilight

Dimmed be the region afar

Will not the deepening darkness

Brighten the glittering star?

Then, when the night is upon us

Why should the heart sink away?

When the dark midnight is over

Watch for the breaking of day

  Whispering hope 

  Oh how welcome Thy voice,

  Making my heart,

  In its sorrow rejoice 

 

 Hear this sung by Gordon McRae and Joe Stafford at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Yj_0N1mHo

Read about the author and history of this song at:  https://www.waltonsun.com/news/20190111/story-behind-song-from-folk-tunes-to-jail-to-whispering-hope

While this song was not written as a hymn it has been adopted in hymnals.  Published in 1868, authorship has been ascribed to Septimus Winner (1827-1902), writing under the pseudonym of Alice Hawthorne.  Read more at: https://www.christianmusicandhymns.com/2019/09/whispering-hope-hymn-story-and-lyrics.html

GOOD NEWS FROM KETTLE AND FIRE

 I like Kettle and Fire broths -- they add a lot to any meal and a great pick-me-up at any time! 

But I was concerned about gluten and casein -- they have so many varieties and it is hard to find this info when ordering online.  

So I wrote the company  and here is the response I just received from support@bonebroths.com

"Aside from the allergens listed specifically, our Soups are allergen-free. All of our soups and broth are certified gluten-free. They are also free from tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, shellfish, and soy (unless specified on the ingredient label.)

We also have rigorous cleaning and safety protocols in place to ensure we go above and beyond what is required by law to further ensure our customers' safety. Ingredients are packed and stored separately to minimize cross-contamination."

Good News indeed!

Also posted at: 

http://www.joansbackbonedisaster.com/2021/09/good-news-from-kettle-and-fire.html

(Note: I realize this post is not about COVID19 but now that I am not going out much to do shopping -- because of virus exposure and my broken back, I wanted to feature foods I could keep at home.)

UPS NEEDS MORE TRUCKS!

Walking around the block today (9/23/2020) I saw a U-Haul truck with two men standing next to it wearing UPS uniforms. I asked them why they were in a U-Haul truck. They said this was because UPS had run out of trucks! I guess I’m not the only one getting everything delivered these days of COVID-19!

BIKUR CHOLIM IN THE TIME OF COVID19

Jewish tradition  (much of which, I admit, I honor in the breach), counts among its commandments (mitzvot) the tradition of bikur cholim [BIH-kur KHO-lim], or visitation of the sick, a commandment meant to be honored at all times and without number.   

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikur_cholim

Bikur cholim is an ancient tradition rooted in G-d's visit to Abraham (in the form of a wayfarer) following Abraham's circumcision.  (Genesis 18:1)

This commandment is observed in many ways.  Some congregations send small delegations to visit patients in hospitals, or bring freshly cooked meals to homebound people, or help in other ways. 

The idea is that people who are ill should not feel isolated, and should still feel that they are part of a community.

But during these days of COVID19, this observance may present complications and even dangers. Jewish law places life above all.   The principle of pikuach nefesh, the preservation of human life, overrides virtually any other religious rule.  

Various organization have addressed this, remembering that we are enjoined to live by the Commandments, not die by them. 

One example is the effort of one community to observe bikur cholim via telephone in a more formalized presentation to assure that all congregants receive a call. 

https://jewishboard.org/resources/bikur-cholim-telephone-visitor/

Hopefully the spirit of bikur cholim lives on in other ways, including telephone calls, e-mails and snail mail. My own experience of living during this pandemic is complicated by multiple vertebral fractures making even judicious trips of out of my apartment painful. 

http://www.joansbackbonedisaster.com/2021/01/forgotten-but-not-gone-social-cost-of.html

I cannot find words to express my thanks to friends and family who have sent friendly e-mails, or who have called just to chat, telling me what is going on in their worlds, and who are even willing to listen to my gripes!  

This experience has certainly made me much more aware of the blessings of bikur cholim and, hopefully, a more mindful person.

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The Message to COVID-19: QUITT

The word for today: QUITT!!! 

QU - Quarantine

I  --- Isolation

T --- Testing

T --- Tracing

Quarantine -- Isolation of those who are not already sick but who may have contracted COVID-19

Isolation -- Separating the sick from those not sick.

Testing -- For indicators of COVID-19 infection.

Tracing -- Recording contact of those infected and/or sick with COVID-19. 

A Mascot for COVID-19

WARNING: THIS PRESIDENT COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH!

https://www.politicususa.com/2020/07/14/four-former-cdc-heads-slam-trumps-policy-on-re-opening-schools-in-wapo-op-ed.html


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-education-idUSKCN24D0AK

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-07-08/trump-pushes-states-to-open-schools-as-virus-patients-get-younger


https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/506249-trump-says-white-house-will-pressure-governors-to-open-schools

EVERYONE'S DOING IT! EVEN THE ART INSTITUTE LIONS!

Masked with Chicago's Flag,
One of our Famed Art Institute Lions 
Stands Watch over Michigan Avenue

THE LANCET SPEAKS OUT FOR THE CDC

Now that our Administration reportedly appears to be sidelining the CDC (U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention) https://www.cdc.gov, our friends across the Pond have tried to come to the rescue. 

A strongly worded Editorial in the venerable British medical journal Lancet is well worth reading.  

Here is the final paragraph:

The Trump administration’s further erosion of the CDC will harm global cooperation in science and public health, as it is trying to do by defunding WHO. A strong CDC is needed to respond to public health threats, both domestic and international, and to help prevent the next inevitable pandemic. Americans must put a president in the White House come January, 2021, who will understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics.  The Lancet

Here's a link to the entire editorial in the issue dated May 16, 2020: 
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(20)31140-5.pdf

And check out the sidebar articles here too!

This editorial is just one page and says it all!
Share your views with your  Representatives in Congress (House and Senate).

Also see The Lancet online for many more relevant articles on COVID-19.  https://www.thelancet.com/

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TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK?

Here are somewhat differing views from respected sources which appear to focus on the extent to which masks protect the wearer.  (Note: these views may be most applicable to simple cloth or fiber masks, not the more expensive and protective N95 respirators.)   

CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) at University of Minnesota has doubts, saying advisories on masks may not be based on sound data:

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data


Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (my public health alma mater) suggests it depends on what kind of mask:

https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-education-and-research-center-for-occupational-safety-and-health/can-a-mask-protect-me-putting-homemade-masks-in-the-hierarchy-of-controls

However these doubts do not appear to question the efficacy of wearing a mask to protect others from virus-bearing droplets the wearer might emit.  

So this blog will continue to urge wearing a mask in order to protect others.  

My own view at this time is based upon the Precautionary Principle: Since wearing a mask is not onerous or dangerous, and since it could be helpful in slowing or stopping COVID-19 virus transmission, why not?   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle


Whether or not a mask protects you from what others may emit, a covering over your nose and mouth can block droplets of fluid you may emit as you cough, sneeze talk or even breathe! 

These droplets may hold COVID-19 virus which you may be carrying even though you may not have any symptoms, thus infecting others.  

Given this information, and since wearing a mask is not dangerous or even burdensome for me, and since it could protect others around me, and could possibly even give me some degree of protection,  I'll continue to wear a mask whenever I leave my apartment, while still maintaining social distancing and other hygienic measures (washing hands, etc.)

###     

TEE UP, MR. PRESIDENT!

The golf links lie so near the mill 
That almost every day
The laboring children can look out
And see the men at play!*

CRISIS?  WHAT CRISIS?
COVID-19? WHO CARES!

FORGET COVID-19
THIS IS THE REAL CRISIS!

*The Golf Links by contemporary peace, suffrage and labor activist Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn (1876-1959). 
Here is an interesting student paper about this poem: 
http://cwcs.ysu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Golf-Links.pdf

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A SPECIAL RESPONSE TO NEW YORK'S MASK CONTEST

Some readers of this blog may be familiar with the Space Alien Gazette (which I also edit) at  www.SpaceAlienGazette.com.

The Space Alien wanted to enter New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's "Wear a Mask" ad contest, but missed the deadline.    

Here are the finalists in that contest and their creative ads: 
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/wear-mask

The message to all: Wear a Mask

As a courtesy, however, and because we  think readers of this blog would enjoy it, we are printing the Space Alien's entry here. 

Here is that entry.  The Space Alien recommends reciting it as a rap:

You don't have to ask,
I'll still Wear a Mask! 
At home or in space,
I'll cover my face!
Our friends will admire us,
And not catch this virus!
It's fashionable too,
And shows I love you!

And here is the Space Alien in a brand new "country and western" mask!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Friday, May 22, 2020 Governor Cuomo announced that there had been over 600 submissions to this contest to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) and that over half a million people had voted. 

A similar post is at: 
http://spacealiengazette.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-space-alien-enters-mask-contest.html

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HAS THE CDC CHANGED COURSE ON SURFACES?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appears to have retracted some of its COVID-19 guidances, and now downplays the need to disinfect surfaces.  

Your Editor would like to know more about the scientific basis for this decision and will try to find out.  Until she does, and given the tendency of the current administration to place political expediency above public health, she will keep her Clorox-based spray handy!

Here are two articles on this revision: 

https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/499142-cdc-updated-guidelines-state-coronavirus-does


https://www.foxnews.com/health/cdc-now-says-coronavirus-does-not-spread-easily-via-contaminated-surfaces

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few more references: 

CDC's advisory How COVID-19 Spreads,
 updated April 13, 2020:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html

And related, from the Food & Drug Administration dated May 21 2020:
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions  

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