30 Days Hath September

 Having reached the last day of the month and hence the last day of the third quarter of the business year, it occurred to me that the way we divide the business year isn't quite right. 

The first quarter, January-March, has 90 days (except in leap years, when it's 91); the second, April-June, has 91; the third, July-September, has 92; the fourth, October-December, has 92 as well. Now, those slight differences of one or two days may not matter, but why not simply divide 365 days by 4, giving a quarter of 91.25--or 91 each, with the extra four quarter days added to the last quarter to give extra time for calculating the year's numbers?

Monologue on Line

 Following up on my post of the speech from Hamlet last week, here's another theater piece I did for an on-line gathering. I actually did this one live for the occasion, but I recorded a practice session, so that's what you'll see here.

This is from Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a dramatization of the famed "Scopes Monkey Trial". In this scene, defense attorney Henry Drummond (based on Clarence Darrow), explains the relationship between progress and faith to the jury.

 

Marching to a Different Drummer

 Last night I did something I haven't done in about 15 years--I went to a high school marching band competition. Ridley was holding its "home comp" and I thought it would be interesting to see what's happening in the area after so long away.

Mostly what's happening is that participation is declining--not in number of schools (there were about 20 competing), but in numbers of students in each band. Even schools that once filled the field with marching players are now struggling to have 100 or so. One school had only about a dozen.

Spectators I talked to chalked it up to the pandemic--the loss of a marching band season at all last year and lingering concerns about social distancing, etc. I think it might also simply be because fewer kids are interested in this kind of instruments--they are mostly attracted to guitar and keyboards, and when drums are the focus, rock drum kits, not marching snares.

I hope it comes back...marching band was a big part and a big influence on both my sons.

We Get Letters

 If you're a comic-book fan, I'm recommending a web page to you. It's put together by Todd Klein, one of the top letterers in the business...and it covers his own work, the history of lettering in comics, and a lot of his personal thoughts on the comic books of his youth.

Todd Klein

I especially enjoy his examination and history of the cover logos of many comic-book series over the past 90 years or so.

 

Falling?

 Today is the autumnal equinox, the beginning of fall. Fall has long been my favorite time of year: the temperatures are easy to take (although today is a bit warm and humid), but it's generally not as rainy as spring. In another month or so, we will return to standard time, so that we are living in sync with nature, instead of an hour ahead of her.

I'm good with fall until about the beginning of December, when the cold sets in. I'm not someone who cannot deal with ice and snow, although my wife has problems with them, so I have to be sure to keep things clear around the property. And I much prefer dressing in layers, so I wear as much or as little as I feel comfortable in. The problem with summer (especially in a climate like the one around Philadelphia) is that there's a limit to how little you can wear--and definitely at my age.

So...let's all fall into fall....

Practical Medicine

 Based on what I see and hear from many of my friends around my age, I seem to be very lucky with my health and my healthcare.

Yes, I had prostate cancer and that required surgery. But I had no trouble scheduling with a urologist and my Medicare has paid the majority of the bills, without a quibble. (I haven't done all the math yet, but I think the whole thing didn't cost me more than about $2000 out of pocket and that includes a two-night hospital stay, anesthesia, etc.) 

I never have a long wait for an appointment with my primary physician or any of the specialists I sometimes need to see (in addition to the urologist, a cardiologist and G-I doctor for a colonoscopy every three to five years). My appointments for things like X-rays and MRIs all seem to be handled swiftly and efficiently as well.

And my doctors--even though some are not affiliated with the same system as my primary--all communicate with each other. I never have to be the one to carry info back and forth; they report to each other as a regular part of my care.

What's your experience with healthcare these days?

Useless Protest

 As most of you know, today there's a rally (again) in Washington DC, this one aimed at "Justice for January 6"...meaning the protestors want all those arrested or charged in the events of that date in the Capitol released and charges dismissed, on the grounds that they broke no laws since they were operating on "orders" from the Commander-in-Chief.

First of all, the President's role as C-in-C only applies to members of the military. He cannot give "orders" to ordinary citizens except through signed executive orders or, more usually, properly enacted legislation.

Second, even with the military, orders that require violation of the law--such as assaulting police officers, breaking-and-entering, interfering with Congress in the fulfillment of its duties--are not legal orders.

And third, what in hell makes these people think that a few hundred (or even a few thousand) people showing up in DC is going to make the Justice Department, the DC district attorney, or any other legal entity change its mind about what happened on January 6? These people have a strange overestimation of their own importance and power in the scheme of things--perhaps brought on by their deranged leader's insistence that they are merely the vanguard of the majority of Americans who agree with them.

This protest is useless, without avail, and is only likely to result in more arrests.

Shakespeare on Line

I did this video for a proposed series of Shakespeare soliloguies to be posted on line by a local community theater during rhe lockdown. Only a couple were ever posted, not including mine. So, here it is, Polonius's farewell advice to Laertes, from act I, scene 3 of Hamlet. Thsi speech is often done for comic effect, playig off Polonius's tendency to be a bit of a windbag, but I chose to play it straight.

 

Paint Ball?

 The exterior painting that I've been waiting to have begin for a month, constantly postponed by bad weather, should finally begin today!

Hurray!

The 9/11 Deluge

 Continuing my comments on 9/11 overkill from Friday.

On Friday, my local paper--the Delaware County Times--devoted its front page and lead news story to a preview of local commemorations of the 20th anniversary. Also include was an eight-page insert on the subject.

Yesterday, the front-page was again about the local events and the lead stories were all about the anniversary, including statements and remembrances by local politicians and civic leaders. The editorial was also dedicated to the anniversary.

Today--you guessed it--a front-page story and the entire local news "hole" (some five pages) recounted the same commemorations that were previewed the past two days. And the local columnist used the anniversary to excoriate President Biden...not that she ever needs a pretext for doing that.

Three whole days--an entire weekend--when the only thing the editors thought worthy of front-page coverage was this anniversary, despite ongoing local and state disputes about pandemic regulations, an election "audit," school funding and more...all of which will have far greater consequences than ceremonies honoring events of two decades past.

When is enough enough?

My 411 on 9/11

 Tomorrow is the twentieth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001...and, to tell the truth, I have been dreading this weekend, as I have just about every year for the last ten at least.

It seems to have become a day for the United States to sink into a morass consisting of false sorrow, false piety, and false patriotism. False sorrow because we spend about 48 hours mourning the loss of the victims of 20 years past and then promptly forget about them at midnight on the 12th. False piety because we go to our places of worship and pray for them, allegedly without regard to their beliefs, ancestry, or origins--and then, upon leaving the church, synagogue, or mosque, promptly begin spouting our ingrained prejudices. False patriotism because we will wave the flag in their honor, then disrespect everything it stands for by supporting political causes that defy the Constitution.

I was nine years old on the twentieth anniversary of Pearl Harbor, old enough that I can remember that there was some mention of it on the evening news, and articles in the newspaper about the commemorations and perhaps even interviews with servicemen (by then in their 40s) who were there. But we didn't devote an entire day of broadcasting to it, nor were there special inserts in the newspapers devoted to it. Why hasn't 9/11 become that kind of day?

Yes, far more people were killed than at Pearl Harbor; yes, they were mostly civilians. But were the aftermath and consequences of 9/11 more significant than those of December 7, 1941? I would argue no...except by our own making, as we instituted a regimen of fear and distrust, marked by the ridiculous "security theater" at our airports, the armed guards at our train stations and stadiums, and the concrete barriers surrounding our national monuments and buildings.

We allowed the terrorists to terrorize us; we gave in to the very agenda they planned...to make us afraid and change the way we live because of that fear. Why do we celebrate that surrender every year?

Waiting on the Weather

 For the past month, we have been trying to get our exterior trim repainted...but every time the painter schedules a day to get started, it rains. Last week, he told me to expect him today and tomorrow--and, naturally, we have rain in the forecast. But this time, he says he will at least try to get the prep work (stripping and sanding, I presume) done before the rain comes in this evening. Tomorrow, though, looks to be a washout.

Crossing fingers.

Laboring Under a Delusion?

 Labor Day--culturally, the end of summer... and what a summer it has been!

Four months ago, on Memorial Day, we thought we were on the verge of putting the pandemic behind us--the vaccines had been approved, vaccination rates were on the rise, hospitalizations were in decline. And then we hit the wall of vaccine hesitators, deniers, and flat-out liars. And now, we're back to seeing numbers like the ones we saw last March and, what's worse, the same people who put us in this position are the ones who refuse the mitigation steps that will improve the situation--egged on by politicians and media mavens who see all this as a step to power.

As if the health crisis were not enough, we have had repeated natural disasters--fires, storms, and floods, including in areas ill-prepared for them because such events rarely if ever occur in those locations. I have lived in the Northeast my entire life, and I have never before found myself under a tornado warning--let alone three in the same night. Yet, many of the same people and politicians who try to convince us that the pandemic isn't really that bad are arguing that there is no climate change going on.

There was a time when even the most right-wing conservatives accepted what science was telling them...where have those people gone?

Values Aligned

 There seem to be only two topics on the news today--the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and the aftermath of Texas' new abortion law.

For the first, it seems to me all we can do immediately is clean up, provide assistance to those who need it, and prepare for the next storm--because there will be a next storm. In the long term, we can fight for better laws to deal with climate change...because this kind of weather is increasingly tied to the changes in our atmosphere caused by human-engendered global warming.

For the second, the immediate response should be to assist those Texan women who desire abortions to get out of the state so they can exercise their constitutional choice. Long term, we should, first, strive to make sure our own states do not pass similar legislation and, second, support federal and state candidates who will defend Roe v. Wade.

Generally, the politicians who will support the fight for environmental protection are the same ones who will support the fight for reproductive choice--and the politicians on the opposite sides of those issues are generally the same ones, as well.

Because "conservative" in the modern era has come to be defined as what best supports the powerful.

Maybe We Are in Kansas, Toto

 Last night, between 5 and 7 PM, as the remnants of Ida dumped multiple inches of rain in our area, the Weather Service issued no less than four tornado warnings...and confirmed sightings in two of them.

Fortunately, even the closest one was two or three miles from us and moved rapidly (estimated at 50 MPH) away to the northeast. This was the third time this summer we've had tornado warnings or actual sightings within about a ten-mile radius of our neighborhood. As for other storm reports, we had a little water seep into our basement (but we always do in anything other than a light shower), but no major flooding in our immediate area. There are a couple of places nearby (under a railroad bridge, for instance) that I know not to go anywhere near in even a moderate thunderstorm.

Anyone still think climate change is a hoax?

The Battle of New Orleans

 The Crescent City, home to Mardi Gras and jazz, faces a double-barrelled threat now--the destruction caused by Hurricane Ida and the continuing surge in COVID cases. It is not being aided--nor is the rest of Louisiana--by the recalcitrance of the state's Republican-dominated legislature, which fights Gov. John Bel Edwards (a Democrat) on every measure he puts in place to combat the pandemic. Though they have not rescinded his mask mandate, they readily support those of their constituents who suggest nonsense such as "masks don't work" and proposals to prevent hospital over-crowding by promoting "healthier living".

Of course, now, with the power grid destroyed in New Orleans, those hospitals still operating are doing so on generators...and they can only continue as long as fuel for the generators holds out. Given the conditions of the roads, there's no new fuel being delivered, either.

While there's little any politician could do to prevent the devestation of a Cat 4 hurricane, there's much they could have done in the past year to have put the state's hospitals in a better position to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster...and you would think anyone living Louisiana would realize the likelihood of such a disaster occurring.

What Does He Mean by "Science"?

 The following paragraph is from a letter written by a teacher to my local paper, The Delaware County Times. arguing against mask mandates in schools:

While Delco got some publicity and took some shots for its portrayal in HBO’s television series Mare of Eastown, one thing many Delco residents do have is common sense. It doesn’t take a lot of it to see that, in this case, the needs of our children should supersede the recommendations of “science”. The extremely minor health risks don’t outweigh the risks of what another abnormal year could do to our children, our families and our communities. I would need to write another letter to detail the damage done in Delco’s poorer districts, where students who needed the constant of school the most were deprived of it for more than an entire school year.

It appalls me to see a teacher put scare quotes around the word "science" while arguing against a policy recommended by the CDC, the AMA, the teachers' unions, and many other responsible and expert organizations.  What greater needs do our children have than to be kept safe from a highly contagious disease?

Follow-Ups

 On Monday, I spoke here of the former military and foreign affairs advisers who are saying that President Biden's decision to withdraw from the two-decade conflict in Aghanistan was ill-conceived at best and disastrous at worst. I described it as "asking the guy who set the fire to criticize the firefighters who are failing to put it out."

Well, it just continues in the aftermath of yesterday's tragic attack--not by the Taliban, let me remind you--at the Kabul airport. Leading the charge was H.R. McMaster,  President Trump's former National Security Advisor and a former commander in virtually all of our "anti-terrorist" campaigns in the Middle East and central Asia. He actually argued that, even with the withdrawal, the US should have maintained control of Bagram Air Force Base, in perpetuity. This strikes me as setting up the central Asia version of Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba: an island of US forces surrounded by...and under siege by...the enemy, where the only way out is by air, and the enemy have the clear capability to take down any plane taking off or landing.

That any military "expert" could support such a plan strikes me as ludicrous.

Then, on Wednesday, I explained why I have given up on any thoughts of being on a school board, because of the rancor being expressed at local meetings over COVID regulations. As an example of that rancor, I offer the following report on a school board meeting earlier this week:

Mask protests in Garnet Valley resulted in police being called to the August School Board meeting on Tuesday evening.

A group of 30-40 parents protesting the district’s mask plans for the fall appeared in person at the meeting which was held both in-person and on the meeting app Zoom.

One resident, who identified herself as Leah Hoopes of Glen Mills, took the microphone in the boardroom and read her comments to the residents in the audience.

Hoopes said what she called “scientistism” is being used when it fits the board’s narrative and she questioned the changing recommendations about masking during the pandemic. She said families had done what they were asked to do over the past 18 months but the continued masking requirements are in her opinion not about safety, just liability and compliance.

“This has become psychological warfare on developing children,” said Hoopes. “Fact. masks don’t work. My son’s civil liberties, my parental discretion, are not suspended because of a virus.”

Delaware County Daily Times, Thursday, August 26

 

A Job I No Longer Want

 There was a time, about 15 years ago, when I seriously considered running to be a member of the local school board. I had been a frequent and vocal attendee at board meetings, especially during the two-year-long battle to build a new high school, and I thought I had something to offer to a group that seemed relatively calm and reasoned, even in the face of sometimes irrational opposition.

Though I continued to think about it after my kids graduated, the events of the past 18 months have changed my mind. Our board has, thankfully, faced little of the violent confrontations over COVID regulations, critical race theory, or any of the other controversies that have come before other school boards in the area, but I fear it is only a matter of time before the crazies descend on us. An example is the Black Lives Matter gatherings in our town last summer--we were inundated by outsiders during those events, people who came from neighboring communities to use our peaceful demonstrations as a way to spark unrest.

Although only residents of our school district can speak at a board meeting, it is not unlikely that outsiders could populate the audience or form a protest outside the meeting instead. I'm waiting for the school year to start with trepidation.

Afghan Regrets

 I really wish all the news organizations would stop calling on the same military and intelligence advisors who got us into Afghanistan in the first place and kept us there for two decades to comment on the current situation. Since the vast majority of them think President Biden should not have withdrawn at all, they are naturally going to call the consequences all his fault and accept no responsibility themselves.

It is, quite frankly, like asking the guy who set the fire to criticize the firefighters who are failing to put it out.