Rejoicing that our two oldest grands (one in VT and one in ME) got their first Pfizer shots midday (about 15 min apart! LOL!).
Then THUD, learning that Youngest and his spouse aren't sure they want their 3 to get the vaccine incase there are long term effects from it that so far aren't known.
Hard to figure; but short of reporting them to your local hunter-vaccinator squad, there's nothing much you can do about it. (Pardon my poor attempt at humor--maybe that qualifies as dark humor.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.
The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
The new guidance is likely to open the door to confusion, since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not. Walensky said those who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors.
There is no way I can know who is not wearing a mask because they are fully vaccinated and who is not wearing a mask despite not being fully vaccinated. I expect that I will be wearing a mask in public for quite some time yet.
I concur 100%, Alan! I think this is just nuts. It's obviously just to appease those who want and need the economy to look good. I'm kind of disgusted after hearing the head of the CDC on NPR today actually say, "Now that everyone who wants the vaccine can get it..." Apparently "everyone" doesn't include children...!! Grrrrrrrr!!
This is via my friend Danielle, who is a rabbi and a chaplain at Middlebury College. She coauthored it with the Muslim chaplain there. I am comforted by their effort...
To the Jewish Community,
Last night on campus Muslim students, Jewish students and friends joined together for Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan. Although our hearts were heavy acknowledging the violence of the past days in Palestine and Israel, we broke bread together and ate together. We know that these terrible events can make it harder for Muslims and Jews to come together at times like these, but we believe that it is even more important for us to keep meeting each other as human beings and as Jews and Muslims at this time, recognizing that these are not monolithic identities that hold just one viewpoint or belief. We must resist making assumptions about each other, and resist judging each other by the most extreme sentiments of our groups. A gathering like the one we had yesterday helps us know one another better, and helps us to pursue peace, no matter how far that peace may seem.
It is in that spirit, that we, a Muslim chaplain and Jewish chaplain, undertake something politically tricky--offering a joint statement against the violence. It would be easy to send separate messages--one to the MSA condemning Israeli airstrikes against Gaza and the threat of expelling Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, the other to Hillel condemning Hamas airstrikes against Israel. Instead, we offer this statement, acknowledging that we may be coming from different perspectives, and committing to keep talking and working together on this subject nonetheless. As Chaplain Saifa spoke last night: “Our religious scriptures have never called on us to figure this all out, but rather understand that the human condition is messy and complicated.”
We mourn for the lives lost in the most recent events in this conflict, and for all the lives that have been lost in it up to now. We pray for healing for those who have been physically injured, and for those enduring the psychological toll of anticipating the strike of a bomb. We call upon the leaders of Israel and Gaza to enact a cease fire immediately, and for them to take all necessary steps to de-escalate tensions and violence on the ground. As chaplains, we especially recognize the need for people of all religions to have safe access to their holy sites.
We pray together for peace, during this holy time of Ramadan and Eid, during these last days of the omer, anticipating Shavuot. From the west, Muslims and Jews face the same direction when we pray. May our prayers of peace join together, strengthening each other as they rise.
We are here to listen and support you, so please do not hesitate to reach out.
Chaplain Saifa Hussain and Rabbi Danielle Stillman Middlebury College
The Israeli government has worked hard for a long time to disable the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, so they have no one to negotiate with--not that they could negotiate without a stable government of their own. It has been suggested that the only effective controllers on the streets are teenagers on TikTok. I remember Bernard Lewis making the argument that modern Israel, being founded by Ashkenazim, started with a Judeo-Christian culture with a cooperative ethos, but since the rise in numbers and political power of the Sepahadim, it now has a Judeo-Moslem culture. The result, he reasoned, is that you now have two sides, both of whom are desirous of victory rather than peace. The idea seems credible.
It absolutely amazes me that some hummingbirds migrate at least part way across the Gulf of Mexico!
ReplyDeleteI've got a frost warning for tonight. Poor littles must be cold as heck!
ReplyDeleteWe had a "patchy frost" warning for last night, but never got any frost.
DeleteThey just huddle up together for a night.
VT May 12th: 23,724-23,651 = 73
ReplyDeleteActive Cases:1685
Deaths:252(x2)
Recovered:21,787 (91.8%)
Hospital:10(-2) ICU:2(0)
Tests:387,106(+708)
Positivity Rate back down to 1%
DeleteDeath Rate holding at 1.1%
Rejoicing that our two oldest grands (one in VT and one in ME) got their first Pfizer shots midday (about 15 min apart! LOL!).
ReplyDeleteThen THUD, learning that Youngest and his spouse aren't sure they want their 3 to get the vaccine incase there are long term effects from it that so far aren't known.
Sigh.
Hard to figure; but short of reporting them to your local hunter-vaccinator squad, there's nothing much you can do about it. (Pardon my poor attempt at humor--maybe that qualifies as dark humor.)
DeleteCDC: Fully vaccinated people can largely ditch masks indoors [Click]
ReplyDeleteSelected excerpts:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.
The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
The new guidance is likely to open the door to confusion, since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not. Walensky said those who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors.
There is no way I can know who is not wearing a mask because they are fully vaccinated and who is not wearing a mask despite not being fully vaccinated. I expect that I will be wearing a mask in public for quite some time yet.
DeleteI concur 100%, Alan! I think this is just nuts. It's obviously just to appease those who want and need the economy to look good. I'm kind of disgusted after hearing the head of the CDC on NPR today actually say, "Now that everyone who wants the vaccine can get it..." Apparently "everyone" doesn't include children...!! Grrrrrrrr!!
DeleteOh, my—it looks like Israel’s chickens may be coming home to roost:
ReplyDeleteMob violence a bigger threat to Israel than Gaza, says Netanyahu [Click]
The violence that began at Jerusalem’s ancient holy sites is driven by a distinctly modern zeal [Click]
This is via my friend Danielle, who is a rabbi and a chaplain at Middlebury College. She coauthored it with the Muslim chaplain there. I am comforted by their effort...
DeleteTo the Jewish Community,
Last night on campus Muslim students, Jewish students and friends joined together for Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan. Although our hearts were heavy acknowledging the violence of the past days in Palestine and Israel, we broke bread together and ate together. We know that these terrible events can make it harder for Muslims and Jews to come together at times like these, but we believe that it is even more important for us to keep meeting each other as human beings and as Jews and Muslims at this time, recognizing that these are not monolithic identities that hold just one viewpoint or belief. We must resist making assumptions about each other, and resist judging each other by the most extreme sentiments of our groups. A gathering like the one we had yesterday helps us know one another better, and helps us to pursue peace, no matter how far that peace may seem.
It is in that spirit, that we, a Muslim chaplain and Jewish chaplain, undertake something politically tricky--offering a joint statement against the violence. It would be easy to send separate messages--one to the MSA condemning Israeli airstrikes against Gaza and the threat of expelling Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, the other to Hillel condemning Hamas airstrikes against Israel. Instead, we offer this statement, acknowledging that we may be coming from different perspectives, and committing to keep talking and working together on this subject nonetheless. As Chaplain Saifa spoke last night: “Our religious scriptures have never called on us to figure this all out, but rather understand that the human condition is messy and complicated.”
We mourn for the lives lost in the most recent events in this conflict, and for all the lives that have been lost in it up to now. We pray for healing for those who have been physically injured, and for those enduring the psychological toll of anticipating the strike of a bomb. We call upon the leaders of Israel and Gaza to enact a cease fire immediately, and for them to take all necessary steps to de-escalate tensions and violence on the ground. As chaplains, we especially recognize the need for people of all religions to have safe access to their holy sites.
We pray together for peace, during this holy time of Ramadan and Eid, during these last days of the omer, anticipating Shavuot. From the west, Muslims and Jews face the same direction when we pray. May our prayers of peace join together, strengthening each other as they rise.
We are here to listen and support you, so please do not hesitate to reach out.
Chaplain Saifa Hussain and Rabbi Danielle Stillman
Middlebury College
That's quite touching and hopeful. Pity no one in a position of power will see it.
DeleteThe Israeli government has worked hard for a long time to disable the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, so they have no one to negotiate with--not that they could negotiate without a stable government of their own. It has been suggested that the only effective controllers on the streets are teenagers on TikTok. I remember Bernard Lewis making the argument that modern Israel, being founded by Ashkenazim, started with a Judeo-Christian culture with a cooperative ethos, but since the rise in numbers and political power of the Sepahadim, it now has a Judeo-Moslem culture. The result, he reasoned, is that you now have two sides, both of whom are desirous of victory rather than peace. The idea seems credible.
DeleteRichard Wolffe: What is the point of the Republican party? To stroke the ego of Trump [Click] A good analysis of the hollow shell of a former political party.
ReplyDelete