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Question About ‘China First’ Shipment

A little less than two months ago, the U.S. State Department made a curious announcement that suggests President Trump’s “America First” administration put “China First” at a critical moment during the burgeoning Wuhan pandemic. I asked the State Department about the controversy this week — and the vague and nonresponsive responses I received on background from a Foggy Bottom spokesperson raise more questions than they answer. The Feb. 7, 2020 press statement attributed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is headlined: “The United States Announces Assistance to Combat the ...

Coronavirus Shows That Mankind Needs God

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The immortal words of Charles Dickens have never rung truer than now, during the age of COVID-19 and the global pandemic. Horror and hope are intermingled daily, reminding all of us about the limits of our power, and the trust and faith that we must put in the Almighty. This global plague has taken the world by storm, forcing us to physically separate from one another in a fashion that would have been unfathomable just a few months ago. Our lives as we knew them, the daily grind, have been replaced with a new normal defined ...

Facts, Fears Behind COVID-19 Shutdown

President Donald Trump is extending the nation’s shutdown at least until the end of April. He’s largely basing his decision on predictions from the University of Washington that even if the nation sticks to the shutdown, 83,967 Americans will die of coronavirus by early August, including 15,788 in New York state. Deaths will likely soar over the next two weeks, with the daily toll peaking April 15, and then dropping off sharply by June. The graph of the coming death toll looks like a steep mountain peak we are just about to ascend. And that’s with the shutdown continuing. You ...

The Importance Of Grieving

Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions. There are several stages to grief that individuals pass through after a loss. SHOCK AND DENIAL You will probably react to learning of the loss with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Shock provides emotional ...

Confessions From The Bathroom

Confession No. 1,039 Topic: coronavirus Dearest Porcelain Goddess, I bow before you, or rather, sit upon you with earnest gratitude for the physical separation you afford me from my children. We are a couple of weeks into our shelter-in-place mandate, but the “in place” aspect seems to elude my kids. They are never sitting still in one place — unless by “in place,” the mayor meant my face, in which case, yes, the children do this often, as they crawl all over me, making a fort out of my body and a lookout tower, their favorite place to perch, out of my head. If only they ...

Passion For The Gridiron, Enjoying The Game

Most people know I have a passion for baseball, but I’m a fan of many other sports too. I was excited for the upcoming Olympic Games. I love watching basketball — college more than the NBA. I love watching hockey, golf, and I’m a huge fan of football as well. My favorite teams are well-known to many. I’m a fan of the Cleveland Indians in the MLB, Notre Dame and Ohio State in college football, the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL, and the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. I loved coaching both baseball/softball, on youth, travel, and school modified and high school levels, and football in ...