Day #271...aka V-Day (Vaccine Day)

Well, it's been a newsworthy day in NY and the US.

New York vs. the Corona Virus

Today, New York was the first state in the US to approve and vaccinate. The vaccines arrived last week, and they vetted and approved them before the FDA did. (New York learned it's lesson from February - don't wait on the Federal Government.)

So on the news - the Governor showed the first person to be vaccinated. Then, the Mayor showed people being vaccinated in New York City at NYU Langone, which is my primary provider and gynecologist. Langone's medical research division... apparently was involved in the Pfizer trials.

They asked the people questions, such as : have you had the flu shot, how recently, was it within 24 hours? Do you have any allergies to medications?
Have you had COVID? Do you have it? When were you last tested? When did you have it? Do you have AIDS? Etc..

Then gave the shot in the muscle or bicep of the upper arm. It's a muscle shot not an intravenous shot. And within twenty days, you get a second one.

This is being touted as the fastest mobilization of a vaccine in history.

In other news, NY's reached a 5.6% infection rate, and 8% in the Finger Lakes. NYC is still hovering at 4%, with Long Island at 5%. NYC has been hovering between 3-5% for the past three months now.
( Read more... )

The US vs. the Corona Virus

While it is V-Day and we have a vaccine, which everyone states is effective, the US is losing its battle against the virus. We now have a little over 300,000 deaths. I'm thinking at this rate, we'll hit 500,000 by February.

Cases? We have a little over 16 million. We're leading the world in cases and deaths. The closest countries are India, Russia, Brazil, and the UK in cases and deaths.

The Never-Ending US Election

I've no idea what the rest of the world must of think of this - except that after this year, the US is going to have problems playing electoral police elsewhere, just saying.

The 538 electoral delegates met and filed their votes. They televised New York's casting of votes on FB and NY1.

So that's done. Now all that is left is the official counting in Congress. ( Read more... )

It rained most of the day today - but cleared around four, so this picture works. I took a brief walk to the pharmacy and back - to get heartburn meds. I had severe heartburn last night and needed something.

I think my body is telling me to stop eating chocolate, pizza, potatoe chips and vodka.

Getting old sucks, just saying.

Wrapped another gift my mother sent me - it's shoes - which I requested. ( Read more... )

Oh - we have a huge winter storm coming. But alas, the snow will most likely be gone by next Monday. OTOH - if I were to leave for Hilton Head this year, I'd be leaving this week - Thursday or Friday, and the huge storm is arriving on Wed and bleeding into Thursday. I'd have gotten my flight cancelled or delayed.

Anyhow...good night and good luck, as they say..

Day #36 of the 50 Book Challenge..

Well, the challenge here is to come up with a book that fits the prompt and doesn't offend anyone.

But since I already picked A Color Purple for another prompt, stupid me, I'm just going to risk it.

Name a Book with a Color in its Title

Preferably one that I've sort of read.

I own quite a few that I have not read.

And there's a few that I've read, but can't remember. See? Here's the thing about challenging me about books I post here - I can't remember the plot let alone the theme, characters and story - well enough to debate most of them. Your guess is as good as mine. It's amazing how many books I've read that I've totally forgotten.

Truly is.

Or books I think I've read, but perhaps it was merely a dream?

So, I'm going with one that I can remember, because I saw the movie.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I also wrote a meta on it and the character of Spike.

Watch on YouTube

I tend to remember books that I've also seen the films better. Although I don't think I ever really read this book - except for the last two chapters, which were the only things that veered from the film. Also the last two chapters veered from the American version.

Kubrick and the American publishers intended an allegorical political satire. Burgess intended a coming of age political satire, and despised allegory.

I loved the complexity of the character, and kind of ignored the political theme and satire. I am not interested in theme that much, and agree with Burgess about allegory. I don't like being preached to, and tend to make up my own mind. The one way to turn me off - is to tell me what I should think. I'll most likely tell you to fuck off. Stubborness runs in my family.

So, the books I remember or the stories I remember - usually are character centric, and hit some button or other that intrigues me. Alex, the lead character, goes through a kind of metamorphosis, via a government agency.
The view is once the government implants are removed - he'll go back to being his nasty self, but Burgess' saw it as being more complicated than that. That yes, he might for a bit, but he'd grow out of it, and evolve. That people aren't stagnant, and they tend to be more than one thing. Capable of horrible and wonderful things at the same time, they aren't one extreme or the other.

Burgess was interested in the complexity or why Alex changed. While Kubrick and his American publishers were more interested in the societal and political theme. Allegory is when the theme takes precedence, and the story serves only the theme. The rest exists purely for it. Such as Animal Farm or 1984 - where the theme is more important than the characters.

I don't really like books or stories that are pushing one theme or one perspective, I prefer, like I said to make up my own mind. I don't like being preached to.