QAnon Zoom

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On social media during lockdown I was amazed to discover how many “Friends” who I thought were smart, sentient, reasoning individuals were actually QAnon conspiracy theorists. The art work I have been creating would ignite their remaining brain waves, turning them in to vicious trolls.

My Facebook accounts have been hacked and shut down so I haven’t been following the insanity online as much this past month. The promise of a vaccine leaves me feeling like I might soon wake from a year long coma. People seem to have too much time on their hands and with no creative outlet they turn into mindless zombies who prefer conspiracy theories to science.

Q is a fictional mysterious figure whose cryptic, evidence-free posts  are accepted by many as gospel. They promote the idea that there is a satanic cabal of pedophiles that runs rampant in government and Hollywood. The former president, was supposed to expose and defeat that cabal. Instead he lost the election and has been reduced to crashing wedding parties at Mar-a-Lago to spread his lies.

After the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the social media platforms that had long allowed the falsehoods to spread like wildfire — namely Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — got more aggressive in cracking down on accounts promoting QAnon. Hollywood. QAnon has continued to survive in the darker corners of the Internet. In these fringes white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups continue to flourish.

QAnon podcasts are available through Apple and Google. There is big money to be made from the mindless. Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently defended QAnon adherents. QAnon has even gained a foothold in the halls of Congress, where two Republican members have openly supported some of the movement’s baseless ideas. The zombies are roaming the halls of the capitol long after the insurrection.

Impending Doom

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New CDC Chief Rochelle P. Walensky warned on March 29, 2021 of her ‘Impending Doom‘ as Covid-19 Cases Rise. The following is a summery of her statement…

“Yesterday, we in America surpassed 30 million cases of COVID-19. CDC’s recent data shows that the 7 day average of new cases is slightly less than 60,000 new cases a day. This is a 10% increase compared to the prior 7 day period. Hospitalizations have also increased. Admissions rose from 4600 to 4800 a day compared to the prior seven day period. And deaths, that typically lag behind cases and hospitalizations, have started to rise, increasing 3% to about 1000 deaths a day.”

“When I fist started at CDC about two months ago, I made a promise to you. I would tell you the truth even if it is not the news you wanted to hear. Now is one of those times when I have to share the truth, and I have to hope and trust that you will listen.”

“I am going to pause here, I am going to loose the script and I am going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom. We have so much to look forward to. So much promise and potential of where we are. And so much reason for hope. But right now I am scared. I know what it is like as a physician to stand in that patient room, gowned, gloved, masked, shielded and to know you will be the last person to touch someone’s loved one, because their loved ones could not be there. I know what it is like when you are the health care provider and you are worried that you do not have the resources to take care of the patient in front of you. I know that feeling of nausea when you read the crisis standards of care, and you wonder if there are going to be enough ventilators to go around, and who is going to make that choice. I know what it is like to pull up to your hospital every day and see the extra morgue sitting outside.”

“So I am speaking today not only as your CDC Director, but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, to ask you to hold on just a little while longer. I so badly want to be done, I know you all want to so badly be done, we are almost there but not quite yet. And so I am asking you to just hold on a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can, so that all of those people that we all love, will still be here when this pandemic ends.”

Original Sin

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The Original Sin of the United States response to the COVID-19 Pandemic was the inability to get enough tests to isolate and contain the outbreak. The US missed a critical window to ramp up testing and implement precautionary procedures to get on top of the virus.

January 2020: The World Health Organization opted to use an approach developed by Germany to test for COVID-19. The United States instead decided to develop its own testing approach. The German testing method was made public on January 13, 2020 and the American testing method was made public on January 28 2020. The American tests were defective and gave inaccurate readings. Because of this, The United States had a very slow start in widespread testing. The CDC gave restrictive guidelines on who could be eligible for COVID-19 testing. The initial criteria were people who had recently traveled to certain countries, or people with respiratory illness serious enough to require hospitalization, or people who have been in contact with a person confirmed to have coronavirus.

On February 19, 2020 the first U.S. patient with COVID-19 of unknown origin (a possible indication of community transmission) was hospitalized. The patient’s test was delayed for four days because he had not qualified for a test under the initial federal testing criteria. By February 27, 2020 fewer than 4,000 tests had been conducted in the U.S. Although academic laboratories and hospitals had developed their own tests, they were not allowed to use them until February 29, 2020 when the FDA issued approvals for them and private companies.

On February 25, 2020 a group of researchers from the Seattle Flu Study defied federal and state officials to conduct their own tests, using samples already collected from flu study subjects who had not given permission for COVID-19 testing. They quickly found a teenager infected with COVID-19 of unknown origin, indicating that an outbreak had already been occurring in Washington State for the past six weeks. State regulators stopped these researchers’ testing on March 2, 2020.

On March 5, 2020 Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the coronavirus response team, acknowledged that “we don’t have enough tests” to meet the predicted future demand. By March 11, 2020 the U.S had tested fewer than 10,000 people. On March 12, 2020 Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged “a failing” of the U.S. system and that the demand for SARS-CoV-2 tests was not being met.

The first COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and South Korea were identified at around the same time. Critics say the U.S. government has botched the approval and distribution of test kits, losing crucial time during the early weeks of the outbreak, with the result that the true number of cases in the United States was impossible to estimate with any reasonable accuracy. South Korea’s aggressive testing, contact tracing and isolation of those infected succeeded where the US response failed. They flattened the curve.

By March 22, 2020 drive-through testing had started in more than thirty states, although the Associated Press reported that “the system has been marked by inconsistencies, delays, and shortages,” leading to many people waiting hours or days even though they showed symptoms and were recommended by a doctor to get a test.

On April 6, 2020 Federal health inspectors released a report stating that hospitals were experiencing shortages of test supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other resources due to extended patient stays while awaiting test results.

By early May, 2020 the U.S. was testing around 240,000 to 260,000 people per day, but this was still an inadequate level to contain the outbreak.

By June 24, 2020 thirteen of the forty-one federally funded community-based testing sites originally established in March were set to lose federal funding. They remained under state and local control. Trump administration testing czar Admiral Giroir described the original community-based testing program as “antiquated”. In June 2020 Trump said several times that the U.S. would have fewer cases of coronavirus if it did less testing—”If we didn’t do testing, we would have no cases”—and he told a June rally that he had ordered a slowdown in testing. In July 2020 he continued to suggest that “if we did half the testing we would have half the cases”.

In August 2020 the CDC quietly lowered its recommendation for who should be tested, saying that people who have been exposed to the virus but are not showing symptoms “do not necessarily need a test”. The previous recommendation had been that people exposed to the virus should be “quickly identified and tested” even if they are not showing symptoms, because asymptomatic people can still spread the virus.

In December, 2020 the FDA authorized the use of a rapid testing kit developed by Brisbane, Australia-based Ellume Health. The test is available for purchase without a prescription for about $30 and can give results in about 20 minutes. The FDA approved the test for people with and without COVID symptoms.

Effective January 26, 2021 the CDC will require all air passengers two years of age and over entering the United States (including U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents) to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken within three calendar days of departure​, or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days.

March 5, 2021 the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Cue Health Inc. for its over-the-counter at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19. As of March 9, 2021, there are 340 tests and sample collection devices are authorized by the FDA under EUAs.

Joe Biden met his goal of 100000 vaccine shots in arms early (58 days) and reset his goal for 200000 shots in arms in his first 100 days. He called for Americans to do their part to end the pandemic by wearing masks and keeping up social distancing as the vaccine rollout ramps up. “We’re in a war with this virus,” he said. Had testing been rolled out with the same level of resolve, hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved.

 

“Slow the Testing Down Please”

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The United States has lagged in testing for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Mick Mulvaney who was a former skeptic of the threat of COVID-19 had his son tested for the virus and he said, “I know it isn’t popular to talk about in some Republican circles, but, we still have a testing problem in this country. My son was recently tested and we had to wait 5-7 days for results. My daughter wanted to get tested before visiting her grandparents and she was told, she didn’t qualify. That is simply inexcusable at this point in the pandemic.”

Every problem experienced since the start of the pandemic relates to an inadequate response to testing. The CDC in the beginning sent out flawed tests which simply  did not work. Private labs were hampered by bureaucratic regulations. It took over a month for another test to be made and approved for use but by that the the virus had spread exponentially across the county. Only 472 people in total were tested in the U.S. during the same time frame that South Korea, with one-sixth the population of the U.S., had completed 55,000 tests.

Far worse, the former president specifically wanted to slow testing down since he felt the numbers didn’t look good for his re-election chances. John Oliver said, “Had testing caught the cases in this country early, we could have managed the virus through contract tracing and targeted quarantine, but that did not happen. So the virus spread widely, forcing us to use the blunt instrument of making everyone stay at home. A lack of testing goes to the very heart of how we got into this situation, and the truth is, broad testing is our only safe way out of it.” He continued, “At a minimum, the U.S. needs to be testing 500,000 people a day, but a good target would be 35 million a day. Currently, only 200,000 people are being tested on a daily basis.

Today case numbers continue to creep upward at about the levels of last summers horrific surge. America is like the frog in a pan slowly being boiled. The numbers have fallen since January so most people are lulled into a sense that the worse is over. They think life can return to normal. However we are still being boiled alive. Hundreds of thousand have died preventable deaths.

Casa Feliz

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I took my Urban Sketching students from Crealde School of Art to Casa Feliz in Winter Park to demonstrate using perspective to sketch a building on location. This sketch was done to show which visual clues to look for when trying to decide where a vanishing point would be on the sketch.

Casa Feliz was designed by James Gamble Rogers. The building was constructed in 1933 and has become known as Winter Park’s parlor. Prior to the pandemic, the music series hosted weekend concerts in the ground floor living room behind the blue bay windows in my sketch.

My intrepid students kept their masks on as they sketched, but driving down Park Avenue in Winter Park, very few residents wore masks.

On November 15, 2020 the United States had surpassed 10.8 million cases  and 245,000 deaths, as states continued to break daily records. Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine told CNN coronavirus “fatigue” was a serious problem. Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital, said he was “terrified” about the imminent holiday season. “We’re going to see an unprecedented surge of cases following Thanksgiving this year, and if people don’t learn from Thanksgiving, we’re going to see it after Christmas as well,” Phillips said.

COVID Infects Law & Order

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Production of Law & Order Organized Crime was put on hold after a positive COVID-19 test. The test was in zone A, which includes the cast and those in direct contact with them. Most productions have special designations for each category of cast and crew members, so that they’re all in certain staff “bubbles” according to their job and who they have to interact with on a regular basis.

Following industry protocols, state and county safety guidelines and the NBCU Production Playbook, those in close contact were asked to self-isolate and contact tracing was  initiated.

The show had previously paused production back in February after a positive test. Temporary production shutdowns have become the norm while filming during the pandemic.

Many productions have been postponed due to COVID-19. Broadway inn NYC has projected that they might open in September 2021, six month from now. The release date for Disney’s Black Widow was pushed back from May to July 9, 2021. The film will also be released on Disney + which will be a major blow to movie theaters this coming summer. The upcoming Pixar movie Luca is skipping the U.S. theatrical release entirely and will exclusively be available to stream on Disney+, beginning June 18, 2021.

Crealde Urban Sketchers

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Just before Christmas I sketched my Urban Sketching students hard at work at Crealde School of Art. I decided to hold all classes outside because of the pandemic. I was always double masked and often wore a face shield. My students were great about staying masked at all times.

More than 2 million people had traveled before the Christmas Holidays and that resulted in a huge spike in cases in January. By January 8, 2021 over 300,000 people were infected in a single day. Over 4,000 Americans were dying each day.

The Spring session of Crealde Urban Sketching is beginning about April 11, 2021 through May 30, 2021. My focus has always been to get students out of the studio and sketching life around them. The pandemic has brought a about a greater appreciation of the joys of sketching outside.

In this 6 week class, we focus on sketching clothed models and and the classroom environment. We focus on how to incorporate storytelling into your sketches when drawing on location. The assignments challenge you to use your sketchbook the way a photojournalist uses a camera. The sketches are completed using pencil, pen, and watercolor within two hours.

Supplies needed:

#2 HB pencil with an eraser, 05 and 08 micron pens, Stillman and Birn 9 x 12 inch spiral bound sketchbook (Alpha or Epsion series), Travel sized watercolor pallet (mine is a Windsor Newton with 14 color pans), Pentel water brush (water goes in the handle), Black Prismacolor pencil, and a compact artist stool.

 

Pre-Pandemic: Planet Smoothie

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I used to take my Elite Animation Academy, Urban Sketching students to Planet Smoothie after teaching them a lesson inn one point perspective. Who knew that one month after this sketch was done the world would be locked down in a pandemic thanks to COVID-19?

On February 15, 2020, COVID-19 had infected more than 67,000 people globally, the vast majority in mainland China. The death toll was over 1,520, including four people outside mainland China. A Chinese tourist who tested positive for the virus died in France, health officials confirmed which was the first recorded death from COVID-19 in Europe. On this day there were 15 reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States.

Meanwhile my student and I were slipping smoothies and sketching totally unaware of the freight train on the horizon.

With vaccines now available I am finally holding out hope that one day I will once again be able to relax indoors and sketch life as normal. However today case numbers spiked up, and in general have leveled off at around 60 to 70 thousand cases a day. With the new B.1.1.7 variant of the virus taking over in Florida it is very possible that the horrors of December and January case numbers might return.

I am teaching my Elite students virtually now and I love the process. I get to sketch along with them which allows them to see my every thought as I develop a sketch. When I taught a classroom full of students they didn’t get that same level of one on one attention. My latest students have been doing some amazing work. Rather than distract or slow me down, the pandemic has accelerated my creative output. I used to sketch everyday events but events of the last year have required sketching the unseen all around us. Elite Animation Virtual Spring 2021 courses are beginning March 29, 2021.

COVID-19 Tinnitus

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Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor died by suicide last week at age 65 after what his family described as a “battle with post-Covid related symptoms, including severe tinnitus.” Tinnitus can present in a myriad of ways, from clicking and pulsing sounds, to low- and high-pitched ringing, according to the Mayo Clinic.

It’s not known yet how common tinnitus is as a symptom of COVID-19, but earlier case studies have shown a link between the virus and the ailment.

In one case study, published in the British journal BMJ, a 45-year-old man with no history of auditory issues presented tinnitus and sudden hearing loss while being treated for COVID-19. The man was treated with steroids, which resulted in partial return of his hearing. According to the study, “There are only a few reported cases of hearing loss following COVID-19.”

In another incident, reported in the journal PMC, a 35-year-old patient in Qatar reported experiencing hearing loss and tinnitus while suffering from COVID-19 — symptoms which remained after the infection abated. The study called for further research into the link between COVID-19 and tinnitus, and the ailment generally — research which Kent Taylor himself was helping to fund before his death.

“In true Kent fashion, he always found a silver lining to help others,” his family said in the aforementioned statement. “Most recently, he committed to fund a clinical study to help members of the military who also suffer with tinnitus.”

There is no cure for tinnitus, though there are multiple treatment options.

Miami Beach State of Emergency

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Miami Beach declared a state of emergency due to Spring Break. The South Beach Entertainment District has had wall-to-wall people (most without masks) over blocks and blocks. More than 1000 people have been arrested so far due to fight breaking out on Ocean Drive. About 80 guns have been seized. But the true danger comes from so many people gathering without masks or any social distancing.

The B.1.1.7 variant of the COVID-19 virus is spreading in Florida and it is more contagious than the original virus an much more lethal. After instating an 8pm curfew, police officers in bulletproof vests released pepper spray balls to break up the part.

Miami’s tourism arm just spent $5 million on its biggest national advertising campaign in 20 years, seeking a rebound after billions of dollars were lost to the pandemic. Flights to Miami are as cheap as $65. What resulted got was chaos and a surefire superspreader.

March 20, 2021, the Miami Beach City Commission declared the 8 p.m. curfew would be in effect through April 13,2021.
“The goal here is to really contain the overwhelming crowd of visitors, and the potential for violence disruption and damage to and damage to property, whether intentional or not,” city manager Raul Aguila said. The attempted crackdown comes as Florida has thrown open its doors to tourists after a year of coronavirus lock downs and restrictions around the country. Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis has bragged that the state is an “oasis of freedom” during the pandemic.
The Clevelander South Beach, one of Miami Beach’s most iconic hotels, announced March 19, 2021 it would temporarily halt its food and beverage operations because of safety concerns for its employees and patrons. Staff is being paid through the lock down. “Recently, we have grown increasingly concerned with the safety of our dedicated employees and valued customers and the ability of the City to maintain a safe environment in the surrounding area,” the hotel said in a message on its website and on social media. “Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the food and beverage operations” until at least March 24, 2021.