Sandbagging Culture

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Sandbags are being used to try and protect statues and cultural landmarks in cities all around Ukraine from Russian bombs.

Civilians in Odessa have been packing sandbags since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 using them as barriers to protect monuments and landmarks in the proudly historic city. Reports from earlier this month described people bursting into song while building barricades across the city, crooning Bobby McFerrin‘s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” along with the national anthem and other patriotic songs.

Residents are particularly proud of their city. Odessa, with its historic buildings and wide boulevards, was a favorite holiday destination for people across the Soviet Union. It is also where a 1905 uprising, supported by mutineer Russian sailors, was violently crushed by Tsarists forces – scenes which director Sergei Eisenstein famously set on Odessa’s giant stairway in his 1925 film Battleship Potemkin.

Odessa has so far escaped shelling but its one million people are nervously waiting to see if their historic city will be next to suffer the heavy Russian bombardment after Kyiv and Mariupol to the north and east. Some welders made steel spikes called “hedgehogs” along with razor wire to stop military vehicles.

Ukraine had begged NATO for a no fly zone but the response has been a consistent, Fuck no, Russia has nukes, we don’t want to risk upsetting Putin.

Ukraine has lost its ability to vaccinate it’s population against COVID due to the invasion. 35% of the population had been vaccinated with 2 doses prior to the start of the war. Only 2% of the population had received a booster dose. At least 9 health care facilities have been bombed. Those that remain open are overwhelmed with trauma patients. With supply shortages, any patients with COVID are unlikely to get proper treatment. Living conditions in bomb shelters and refugee camps are a breading ground for the spread of the virus. It is also very possible that countries who are taking in refugees will see a spike in cases. Infectious disease and war amount to a perfect storm for death and destruction.

David and Goliath

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The biblical story of David and Goliath denotes an underdog situation, in which a smaller,  opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary. That is certainly the case with Ukraine as they battle the nuclear giant of Russia. I was looking at Soviet era war posters and wanted to do a painting inspired by their losses.

Ukraine is now reporting victories in their counter offensive against the invading Russians around the capitol city of Kiev. Vitali Klitschko, mayor of the capital city, said on March 23, 2022 that Ukrainian forces had taken back most of Irpin, a northwestern suburb of Kiev. Klitschko also said a battle was ongoing for the village of Liutizh, 20 miles to the north, and confirmed the retaking of Makariv, west of Kyiv, on March 22, 2022.

Ukraine claims to have killed 6 Russian Generals, they destroyed a Russian naval ship, numbers of Russian dead range from 7.000 to 15,000 according to a NATO official. A Ukrainian man whose house was destroyed also lost his daughter in the blast. He said, “I blame Putin, If I had him in my hands, I’d butcher him like a goat,”

The southern port city of Mariupol however has has become the most heavily bombed and damaged city in Ukraine’s war with Russia, having suffered the brunt of sustained Russian attacks. Capturing this city would create a land bridge from Russia to Crimea. If Mariupol is capture then Russia would control 80% of Ukraine’s coastline cutting off trade by sea. The city is under siege. Over 90% of the city is leveled. They want to starve and bomb the city into submission. Ukraine has vowed to defend the city down to the last soldier. 200,000 civilians are stuck in the cross fire. Mass graves are being dug on the roadsides. As NATO and America tip toe, World War III has begun.

What Virus?

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A pandemic becomes endemic largely when politicians no longer see any political gain from arguing about it and when the media gets tired of covering the carnage. Americans have become comfortable with about 1000 deaths a day.

Russia has 358,000 reported deaths due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That is likely a vast underestimate of the true number since Russia wants to project strength as it goes to war.  When discussing Russian deaths due to the war, a Russin military commentator said, “It’s almost a state secret,” the commentator asked not to be quoted by name. “We don’t know exactly [how many people have died] … at the given moment, it’s better to discuss other questions.” On March 21, 2022, The Russian defense ministry data showed 9,861 Russian soldiers had been killed in action. That is about 333 Russian deaths per day. On March 22, 2022 there were 472 death due to COVID-19 reported in Russia.

In Ukraine the reported deaths due to COVID-19 have literally dropped to zero since the invasion by Russia since there is no working health care system to track the numbers. The only deaths being reported are those who are being shot and blown apart by Russian bombs. Prior to the invasion, Ukraine reported 112,000 deaths due to COVID-19.

BA.2 is ripping through Europe and now makes up about 30%  of the cases in America. It is 30% more infectious than Omicron. That makes BA.2 as infectious as the measles. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.

Prior infection from Omicron has built up the immunity for those who were not vaccinated. It has inoculated many of the stupid and stubborn. About 75% of the American population has been previously infected or has been fully vaccinated. These people are about 85% protected against severe disease and hospitalization. The other 25% of Americans are highly vulnerable to the next wave coming in the following weeks. Anyone over 65 is is more vulnerable to hospitalization and possible death. Basically everyone will be exposed to BA.2 and 25% of Americans are vulnerable simply because they refused to get vaccinated. People will die needlessly based on a misguided choice. In Ukraine no one has a choice. The bombs are indiscriminate and can kill anyone at any time. Americans do not understand that level of uncertainty and many choose to ignore it.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church

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Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church 890 Flatbush Avenue at Church Street, Brooklyn, New York, is a historic Dutch Reformed church – now a member of the Reformed Church in America. The church complex consists of the church, cemetery, parsonage and church house.

The land on which the complex sits has been in continuous use for religious purposes longer than any other in New York City. The congregation was founded in 1654 and the original church was built under the direction of Jan Gerritse Strijker at the order of Peter Stuyvesant.

The stone Federal style church building designed by Thomas Fardon was constructed in 1793-98 and is the third church building on the site. The stained glass windows are by Tiffany studios and commemorate the descendants of many early settlers of Flatbush. The building was constructed of Manhattan schist, and the architecture includes Romanesque features such as arched windows and doors. The church’s bell was imported from Holland, and paid for by John Vanderbilt.

The bodies of American soldiers who died in the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War are reportedly buried underneath the church structure. The cemetery is the last resting place for most of the founding families of Flatbush. The earliest legible grave marker dates to 1754.

The complex was initially designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, with the boundary expanded in 1979. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Dogs Gonna Bark

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I had an online Karen telling me the other day that I need to be painting more cute puppies, so the idea for this painting popped into my head. Florida Statute 828.30 states… All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture for use in those species.

But what if dogs didn’t want to get vaccinated? Wouldn’t they bark and complain about their right to choose? Wouldn’t we suddenly have a nation full of rabid dogs foaming at the mouth and violently attacking anyone who stepped near?

I do believe America has become that rabid infected and insane nation. The pro-death generation has been born and is thriving.

One intrepid lone cyclist held up a trucker anti vax protest by simply biking slowly and not letting trucks pass. Truck air horns blasted as they crawled slowly forward. One event organizer in a car accelerated up using a side lane to get close to the cyclist. He barked out his car window, ““Hey, what are you doing? You have a bunch of trucks behind you!” The unidentified cyclist responded: “What’s that? I didn’t hear you. What? I didn’t hear you, what did you say? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you — it’s too loud.” The driver barked back: “Oh, it’s too loud, okay.”

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Saint Ann’s

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Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church (295 St Ann’s Ave, Bronx, NY ) also known as Saint Ann’s Church of Morrisania, is a historic Episcopal church in Mott Haven, the South Bronx, New York City.

Founder, Gouverneur Morris Jr. (1813-1888) had St. Ann’s Church built in memory of his mother, Ann Cary Randolph Morris, who died in 1837. His father, Gouverneur Morris Sr. is known as “the Penman of the Constitution”, because he put the United States Constitution into words. He also also designed the street grid for Manhattan and was one of the founders of Kings College (now known as Columbia).

The church is named in honor of St. Ann, the grandmother of Jesus, because the founder’s mother was Ann Cary Randolph Morris of Virginia, a direct descendant of Pocahontas.

It was built in 1840 and donated by him as a family monument, the Morrisania Memorial. It is a field stone building in the Gothic Revival style with a vernacular Greek Revival style tower. The complex includes the stone parish house added in 1916, late-19th century Sunday School and gymnasium building, and a graveyard that includes the Morris family crypt.

It is the oldest continuously used church in the Bronx. When the church was founded, the entire South Bronx was called “Morrisania”; however the neighborhood where the church is located was sold to J.L. Mott, who renamed it “Mott Haven”.

The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1967.

Bureaucrat at Work

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Putin is a bureaucrat. He was in the KGB agent but as a paper pusher in Dresden Germany. When the Berlin wall fell, and the Soviet Union collapsed, so to did his world view.

When he retreated back into Russia, he rose through the ranks as a very efficient bureaucrat.   Russia’s first president, Boris Yelsen, who was trying to bring democracy to the country, took Putin under his wing. Putin lied and claimed he had the same ambitions.

In 1999 Yelsen made Putin acting prime minister but by the end of his life realized he had made a mistake. Putin violently invaded invaded Chechnya. Television which supplied news to Russians became state run. Putin then was elected president.

In a small town of Beslov, terrorists took a school full of children hostage. If Putin negotiated he might loose his macho image. Putin’s tanks and troops surrounded the school. The army shelled the school. An explosion detonated in the school and there was chaos. Troops had rockets grenade launchers and flame throwers. Many children were burned alive. Corpses of children were stacked like fire wood. Over 320 people died, half of them children, but Putin’s strong man image remained.

Today over 103 children have died from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and that number is likely much higher. Frustrated by the military’s inept advance, he has taken to killing women and children. There are reports of troops cheering when a child is killed. They specifically target civilians trying to flee. 378,000 children in need of protection and assistance on Ukraine’s front line, according to the U.N.

Ukrainian President Zelensky‘s wife Olena said Putin’s troops were ‘consciously and cynically’ killing children. She highlighted the case of Alisa Hlans, 7, who was one of six people to die when her kindergarten in Okhtyrka was hit by a cluster bomb on the second day of the Russian invasion. Her grandfather had tried to shield her. He died in front of her and she was rushed to the hospital where she later died. Olena Zelenska has asked NATO to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine to ‘save our children, because tomorrow it will save yours’.

A father discovered his wife and children were dead when he saw a photo on Twitter of their lifeless bodies lying dead in the street after a mortar attack. Their suitcases were packed lying beside them since they were attempting to flee. He was in an eastern Ukraine city helping his ailing mother.

The report today is that Moscow’s forces bombed an art school in Mariupol where more than 400 people had taken shelter. There was no immediate word on casualties. Civilians from the devastated southern city were being forcibly transported to Russia.

Killing babies is Putin’s ongoing plan.

Ignorance is the Biggest Crime

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I was listening to an interview with a Ukrainian health care worker and this phrase struck me the hardest, “Ignorance is the Greatest Crime.” It should be obvious to anyone that the pandemic is not over, yet many go about life as normal. Hospitalizations are dropping, but nations especially in Asia are experiencing renewed spikes in cases.

In Ukraine the Russians will never stop killing women and children until all allied nations enter the fight. World War III has already begun. It took the United States two and a half years before they decided to enter World War I.  It took two years before Pearl Harbor launched America into  WWII. Isolationists in Washington will drag their heals and exhaust all options before fully entering the conflict.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working hard to send 36 metric tons of medial supplies to Ukraine. They will need to raise $45 million for Ukraine and $12.5 million to support neighboring countries providing refugee care. Hospitals and healthcare workers are being attacked in Ukraine. Supply lines are under threat of bombardment.

The ignorant sit idly by as the water begins to slowly boil. By the time they realize the danger, it will be too late.

Stealth

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Multiple countries in Europe are showing an increase in infections, fueling concerns about the possibility of another global surge. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy were among those that saw an upswing in cases this past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The European surge also comes alongside conflict in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, leading to rising concerns about a public health crisis in the region sparked by densely crowded shelters and forced travel across borders. The WHO said earlier this month that the conflict may cause a surge in infections, straining scarce resources and contributing to more suffering and death.

BA.2, known as the “stealth” omicron variant, is making up a growing number of cases in some countries, and some studies show that it may be up to 30% more transmissible than the original omicron variant. China just locked down 52.5 million people to try and stop the spread of BA.2 stealth omicron. On March 15, China issued city-wide lockdowns in place in Shenzhen, affecting 12.5 million people, Dongguan (10.5 million), and Langfang (5.5 million), and locked down the whole province of Jilin, affecting 24 million. That’s 52.5 million people.

Cases of BA.2 made up an estimated 11.6% percent of cases in the United States as of March 5, 2022 according to CDC data, up from 6.6% February 26, 2022. In the United States hospitalizations are on the decline but this country has always lead the world in the number of cases and deaths. Only 44.3% of the U.S. population has received a booster dose so this country is ripe for another surge.

Omicron which was supposed to be a “milder” variant has killed more people than the Delta variant. World wide the number of deaths from COVID-19 is over 6 million. A new study found that the actual number may be 3 times higher, up to 18 million dead.

Brechner Series at the Orange County Regional History Center

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The Orange County Regional History Center hosed N.Y. Nathiri who spoke about The Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston as a Cultural Preservationist. In addition to exploring Hurston’s literary accomplishments, Nathiri delved into Hurston’s important work as an anthropologist and activist; Nathiri also highlighted the community-driven effort to promote Hurston’s legacy in Central Florida.

Nathiri read one short story by Hurston about the empowerment of woman. In it, men and women had been created equal by God but man wanted the upper hand. So the man went to God and asked him for more strength than the woman which God granted. The man used his new strength to dominate the woman.

So the woman went to God and asked for more strength but God had already granted that to the man. He could not grant her more strength then the man. That made her spitting mad. So she went to the devil. He told her to get 3 keys from God.

One key was for the bedroom, one key was to the cradle and one key was to the kitchen. She locked them all up and waited for the man to come home. The man had no peace in bed and nothing to eat, and he couldn’t have children unless he used his power to suit the woman. Of course you are far better off to read this story in Hurston’s own words. She uses a delicious dialect that comes from her background as a cultural preservationist and astute story teller.

Nathiri spoke quite a bit bout the history of Eatonville Florida which is the oldest town incorporated by African Americans just north of Orlando. It hosts the Zora Neale Hurston festival each year and has become an internationally recognized community. It was shocking to learn that in the 1980s, Orange County had considered the school in Eatonville as a possible site for a bus depot. They put this line item on the docket for a vote late in the evening since most working folks might not show up ant the item could pass. Residents in Eatonville showed up on mass for that meeting and they saved the school.