Pre-Pandemic: Istanbul Apartment

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United States foreign service employees at the US Embassy get to stay in a really nice apartment complex in the heart of Istanbul Turkey. I did a drawing of the complex from a model in the lobby. The arching windows had an amazing view of the surrounding neighborhoods for miles. Right next door was a huge mall and several mom and pop restaurants which were packed at lunch time.

On June 11, 2020 Turkey announced opening the majority of its international air, land, and sea borders. The land border with Iran remains closed. The border with Syria remains closed. To date, tourist travelers do not need any specific health documentation to enter/exit Turkey unless they are arriving for medical treatment.

On August 5, 2020 Reuters reported that doctors in Turkey’s COVID-19 hots pots say hospitals are filling up with more cases than are reflected in the official nationwide count, which re surged above 1,000 this week.

The government, which lifted a partial lock down in June 2020 to restart the economy, sounded its own warning when the health minister described the 1,083 new COVID-19 cases as a “severe” rise after a four-day holiday weekend.

In response, authorities rolled out new inspections and enforcement measures, including fines for not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing. New cases had hovered just below 1,000 for more than three weeks, according to official figures.

All individuals in Turkey must wear cloth face coverings where people are collectively located, including supermarkets, marketplaces, hair salons, shopping malls, and workplaces as well as in all forms of transportation (including private vehicles) with at least two persons inside.

Pre-Pandemic: Boating off Kaş

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Boating off Kaş off the southern coast of Turkey. Kaş was founded by the Lycians. In the Hellenistic period and under the Roman Empire it served as the port of the neighboring city of Phellus. In 1923, because of the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey after the Greco-Turkish War, the majority of the population, which was of Greek origin, was forced to leave the town for Greece. This exchange was based upon religious identity, and involved nearly all the indigenous Orthodox Christian citizens of Turkey. The most often given figure for Ottoman Greeks killed from 1914 to 1923 ranges from 300,000-900,000. Abandoned Greek houses can still be seen. In the early 1990s tourism started booming in Kaş.

Residents of Kaş have social isolated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020. Hotels have not accepted guests since the beginning of the outbreak, hopefully postponing bookings until after the disease has subsided. Only health professionals, funeral staff, food suppliers and facilities workers are allowed to enter the town. The resort village remains empty of tourists.

The Turkish lira dropped to a historic low of 7.3677 against the dollar before recovering slightly. The lira is down about 19% versus the U.S. currency since the beginning of the year. Turkey had been hoping for an influx of foreign currency through exports and tourism revenues, but the COVID-19 pandemic has sharply undermined the tourism industry and disrupted global commerce.

Turkey is seeking to re-open its tourism industry, a key contributor to economic growth, for domestic tourists in June, 2020. Foreign visitors are then due to be invited back from some countries in a stepped approach that will include testing and social distancing at hotels and on beaches. Kaş, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, is currently free of the COVID-19, but locals are afraid that visitors from virus hit cities could soon bring the disease to the area as Turkey gets set to re-open its tourism sector.

Pre-Pandemic: Square Outside Spice Bazaar

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Sketching in a public market makes me feel like I have a faint hint of what day to day life might be like ere I to live when I am traveling. This is a pre-pandemic sketch done inn a square outside the spice bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey. A mosque can be seen in the background of the sketch with it’s ornate architecture. I was more focused on the people however. They once gathered close to gossip and catch up in crowded groups. Today they would all be wearing masks of face a $129 fine.

On August 6, 2020 the CDC advised that the, “COVID-19 risk in Turkey is high. Travelers should avoid all nonessential international travel to Turkey. Some examples of essential travel may include traveling for humanitarian aid work, medical reasons, or family emergencies. Older adults, people of any age with certain underlying medical conditions, and others at increased risk for severe illness should consider postponing all travel, including essential travel, to Turkey.” The virus has decimated the Turkish economy.

COVID-19 research in Turkey is being stifled by the Ministry of Health which insisted on a mandatory application for permission for research on COVID-19. This unprecedented decision was against the Constitution and laws regulating research activities in Turkey. Most submitted projects have been approved by the Ministry of Health, but some projects, including a large, multi center observational study by the Turkish Thoracic Society, have been rejected without any clear explanation. Much like in America, politics Trump public health.

 

Pre-Pandemic: The Escape

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The Escape near Göcek, Turkey was a luxury villa rental. The ground floor room had a patio over looking the pool and hot tub. The escape is situated in the mountain village of Belenpinar just a 5 minute drive down to the Göcek marina.

The owners first explored the area in 1995 when they escaped and hired a motorcycle, touring the Turquoise Coast as well as the inner villages of the region. They found the village, bought a field, and added their dream villa. They now share their vision with sophisticated world travelers.

The villa was custom built as a designer  summer house in the Roman style, where East meets West and the Mediterranean meets the Aegean. It is now available exclusively for group rental. Because it was previously run as a hotel and is also the winter home of the owners, there are a few rooms which are locked off, the office, bar, personal bedrooms. Groups of up to 14 people must stay for a minimum of 5 days.

Göcek is believed to be right around where Icarus fell when he flew too close to the sun in the famous Greek myth.

Pre-Pandemic: Spice Market Istanbul Turkey

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The Spice Market in Istanbul, Turkey is certainly an exciting subject to sketch. When I sketched, it was ahrd to find a spot to stay out of the way of the pressing crowds of shoppers. It is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. It was built in 1455, two years after the Ottomans seized Istanbul – then known as Constantinople – from the Byzantines. It’s Turkish name,  Kapalıçarşı means covered market.

The building itself is part of the complex of the New Mosque. The revenues obtained from the rented shops inside the bazaar building were used for the up keeping of the mosque . Spice Bazaar has a total of 85 shops selling spices, Turkish delight and other sweets, jewellery, souvenirs, and dried fruits and nuts. In recent years shops of other types are gradually replacing the sellers of spices.

The market is usually visited by 150,000 people every day – and by 42 million people last year – while traders shout out deals in dozens of languages to lure tourists into their stores.

After Turkey announced its first confirmed case in mid-March, 2020 health scans were carried out on all the market’s traders. Seven were confirmed to have COVID-19. They could have been infected by the many tourists in the packed confines of the market.

The Spice Market was closed on March 23, 2020 as part of measures to stem the spread of the COVID-19, which has killed over 4,300 people in Turkey. The market employs more than 30,000 people.

On May 28, 2020 municipal workers in full protective gear on disinfected the Spice Bazaar against COVID-19 ahead of its reopening. The team used a specific disinfectant that has no harm to people’s and animals’ health, the Fatih Municipality said at a statement. The bazaar opened its doors on June 1, 2020 as part of normalization from COVID-19 restrictions in the country. The market had been closed for two months, the longest closure in its 550 year history.

Shoppers have their temperatures checked for fevers upon entry, and the number of people allowed in at one time will be restricted. Traders are worried that the bazaar is unlikely to see many tourists for some time. Namık, a trader said, “We are at a low ebb. How will we pay the rent?” He added. “My shop remains open, but there are no customers. There’s no business.”

 

Recovery

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Recovery is an interactive theatrical presentation of Phoenix Tear Productions. Zoom is the online platform where we got to meet the performers. Attendees were informed that they are new recruits in a firm called Posthumous whose job is to help the recently deceased find their way into an afterlife which is crafted by the company. Beatrice with her bright pink hair and round glasses was our guide, introducing us to the task at hand. Over the course of the evening it became clear that she was rather new to the job as well.

As I sketched, I was not sure if I was sketching audience members or one of the cast. The couple who had recently died were disoriented having lost many of their memories from their past life. They were referred to as “Blank Slates” and the audience could ask them questions and speak to them. We were split up into two online meeting groups and I was assigned to the group who got tot talk to the boyfriend. A partial memory played back with Melanie Leon defending her friend. If an audience member asked questions Melanie would think the question came from the boyfriend and she responded appropriately. This was a primary way to learn what had happened in the boyfriend’s life leading up to his death. Mel as the Memory  had known him since they were seven years old and she threatened consequences if his heart were broken.

The other group got to speak to the girlfriend, who apparently was a talented singer. I wish I had seen some of that performance. Slowly the truth unraveled with each question asked. Our primary goal however was to convince the boyfriend to be prepared for an eternal afterlife sponsored  by Posthumous. We kind of dropped the ball. I blame myself since I didn’t ask any questions since I was focused on sketching as fast as I could. Maybe I could have convinced the boyfriend that he deserved eternal happiness even if he didn’t find it before his death in this life.

This was a fun interactive experience and the talk back after the show was as fun as the performance. Audiences are limited to only 20 people so that each person can experience unique interactions with the performers. The show has multiple endings and different tracks to follow. Show tickets have been selling out and the run has been extended to September 6, 2020.

 

Fanning the Flames of Hate

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Democratic Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave a speech before the final night of the Republican National Convention. She said, “My message is simple, reject these voices, this president who has been fanning the flames Of hate.” On August 24, 2020 at the  Republican National Convention, the suburban Bonnie and Clyde, who threatened protestors marching past their Saint Louis mansion, were given a platform to sew seeds of fear in fellow Americans. The very fact that they were raised up by the reality TV president means that others will follow their lead and take to the streets brandishing their weapons. Vigilantes are being encouraged.

The couple is facing weapons charges for the June 28, 2020 incident. They each face a single felony count of unlawful use of a weapon. Charging documents say that pointing an AR-15 rifle at protesters and wielding a semiautomatic handgun, placing protesters in fear of injury. Saint Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner said, “It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest. Protesters said they were not on the home owner’s property. A group of neighborhood residents later condemned Bonnie and Clyde’s actions.

On August 23, 2020 a policeman shoot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man 4 times in the back. Seven shots were fired. Jacob is paralyzed from the waist down. He was shot as he opened the driver’s door to his SUV. His 3 sons were in the back seat. The police shooting was followed by Kenosha protests which included marches, property damage, and arson.

The day after Bonnie and Clyde spoke at the Republican National Convention, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17 year old self-described militia member from Illinois, borrowed friend’s a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and killed two Kenosha protestors named Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26.  Gaige Grosskreutz, 26 was injured. In my mind, Rittenhouse felt justified taking a long gun to the streets because Bonnie and Clyde had been praised at the Republican National Convention.

The shootings are documented on multiple cell phone videos. The exact order of the evenings horror are still being pieced together. Trump continues to bring chaos to the streets of America while encouraging armed vigilantes. His followers are legitimately a threat to this country and each other. Tucker Carlson of Fox News seemed to justify Rittenhouse’s vigilante shootings, “Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?” Carlson said during his show on Wednesday night August 26, 2020. “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?” “Fire Tucker Carlson Now” was trending on Twitter following his comments.

More than 9000 Florida Children Infected

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The Daily News reported that more than 9000 Florida school aged children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks since schools opened. The Florida Department of Health reported 48,730 confirmed COVID-19 cases among children 17 years old or younger in new data released Tuesday. That’s 8,995 more cases than at the previous update, which ended on Aug. 9, 15 days earlier. More than 17,000 of those cases are in children ages 14 to 17, or high-school aged. About 13,000 patients are ages 5-10. More than 600 children have been hospitalized. Since Aug. 9, 2020 another child has also died, bringing the total to eight. The Florida union representing thousands of janitors, bus drivers and other front line workers at Florida schools suggests that schools reconsider opening in the fall.

Rebekah Jones who created The Covid Monitor which tracks cases in schools, reported that, Florida Governor DeSantis’ Department of Health claims that the number of COVID-19 cases in Florida schools is confidential. As she said,  “They publish the age, gender, county, symptom onset data, case date, travel info, and more.. but a count of cases by school- which they published then DELETED!!- is “confidential???” NO. OUR SCHOOLS. OUR KIDS. OUR DATA. DEMAND BETTER FROM YOUR GOV!!”

The Florida Education Association sued Governor Ron DeSantis who insisted that all children must return to school in person regardless of the risks associated with the pandemic. On Tuesday  August 25, 2020 Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the Florida Education Association and granted a temporary injunction against the state’s order that required brick-and-mortar schools to reopen. The mandate, Dodson wrote in his ruling, “arbitrarily disregards safety.” The state school board has filed an appeal.

On August 21, 2020 CNN reported that the White House officially declared teachers Essential Workers  as part of their efforts to encourage schools around the country to reopen for in-person learning. The guidance for essential workers states that they can continue to work even after exposure to a confirmed case of Covid-19, provided they remain asymptomatic.

On Monday, August 24, 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed the language on its website about who should get a COVID-19 test, a move that has baffled public health officials. “If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one,” the guidelines now read, in contrast to the previous recommendation, which called for testing ALL close case contacts.

CNN broke the news that the decision to change the wording was made not by the CDC, but by top government officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and could even reach the White House, where President Donald Trump has made clear he believes the United States is doing too much testing for the COVID-19. The change, made without any rationale or explanation, further erodes the scientific community’s confidence in the CDC. For months, the story has been that more—not less—testing could only help control the world’s worst outbreak of the virus. Politics have infected the pandemic. It is what it is.

Weaponizing QAnon

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QAnon is a right wing  conspiracy theory that claims that dozens of Satan-worshiping politicians and A-list celebrities work in tandem with governments around the globe to engage in child sex abuse. The group also peddles in conspiracies about COVID-19 and mass shootings. None of the fan fiction is grounded in reality. Followers also believe there is a “deep state” effort to annihilate Trump. Lawmakers drafted a bipartisan resolution in the US House to condemn the organization.

The FBI determined the online cabal to be a potential source of domestic terrorism, the first time the agency had so rated a fringe conspiracy theory. In the age of the pandemic this has become an online form of a cult. A memo issued on May 30, 2019 by the FBI said, “These conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts.” West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center reported, “Though less organized than jihadi or far-right extremists, QAnon represents a novel challenge to public security,” it said, “QAnon also represents a militant and anti-establishment ideology rooted in an apocalyptic desire to destroy the existing, corrupt world to usher in a promised golden age,”

Trump had amplified QAnon messaging at least 216 times by retweeting or mentioned 129 Q Anon-affiliated Twitter accounts, sometimes multiple times a day. When asked directly, Trump praised its followers for supporting him and shrugging off its outlandish conspiracies. Trump responded, “I have heard that it’s gaining in popularity,” He followed with, “I don’t know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much. Which I appreciate.”

The campaign of Democratic nominee Joe Biden responded to Trump’s comments, accusing the President of “giving voice to violence.” QAnon has been connected to several incidents of violence or threatened violence.

In April 2020, an Illinois woman was arrested in New York City for driving onto a pier with a car full of knives in an apparent attempt to reach a Navy hospital ship housing COVID-19 patients. In a live stream of her travels, the woman threatened to kill Joe Biden over claims of sex trafficking. In June 2020, a Massachusetts man led police on a chase through Massachusetts and New Hampshire with his five children in the car. In a live-stream Facebook video of the event, the man discussed QAnon conspiracies. An Arizona man harassed and publicly broadcasting private or identifying information about locals he suspected of participating in the child sex trafficking ring at the heart of the conspiracy theory; and a Nevada man at the Hoover Dam whose truck was found to contain rifles and other ammunition, who was later discovered to have sent letters to President Trump containing references to the movement.

There have also been violent incidents related to a Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which claimed a pizza shop was running a child sex trafficking ring run by Hillary Clinton and other Democratic officials. One armed man entered a Washington pizzeria in 2016 to investigate the baseless theory; another man motivated by the conspiracy theory started a fire at the same pizza joint in 2019.

Mary Ann Mendoza an activist who was scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night August 25, 2020 was abruptly yanked off the program after it was reported that she had shared an anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy theory on social media hours ahead of her scheduled appearance.

Facebook on Wednesday August 26, 2020 banned about 900 pages and groups and 1,500 ads tied to the pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon, part of a sweeping action that also restricted the reach of over 10,000 Instagram pages and almost 2,000 Facebook groups pushing the baseless conspiracy theory that has spawned real-world violence. The trouble is that policing on social media is difficult because the informaton can be shared in other less obvious pages and groups.

YouTube’s recommended videos algorithm, which offers content similar to what you’re currently watching, has also been identified as a radicalizing force for many who harbor extremist views, easily allowing users to go down a rabbit hole of misinformation by “slowly introducing you to ideas that are outside the norm.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the Daily Dot, “I mean, the allowance of misinformation and disinformation to be widespread and frankly the Republican encouragement of that, has now kind of created this ecosystem that they no longer feel they have control of.” She listed other deep-standing issues as “the fundamental lack of trust in institutions, lack of trust in money and power that creates this very fertile ground for conspiracy theories to grow.” She added: “I think that we see how the president is weaponizing it. It’s very clear that he has identified this as an asset to him.” Simply put, the conspiracy theory helps Donald Trump’s goal of sewing division and his attacks on truth.

Sturgis Surge

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Sturgis, South Dakota was the site of a huge 10 day Biker rally. Over 460,000 bikes from all over the country roared into that town at the rally that ended August 16, 2020. Few bikers wore masks. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, has defied calls to cancel large gatherings and opposes requirements to wear masks. She welcomed the event.

COVID-19 spread in bars, tattoo parlors and at the crowded concerts. Now that the bikers are gone thee city of Sturgis is conducting tests for it’s 7,000 residents. Cell phone data from Camber Systems confirmed that bikers attended the event from 61% of all the counties in the nation. They returned home to share their experiences and the virus with friends and family.

Stephen Groves of AP reported that State health departments have reported 103 cases from people in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Washington. Health officials in South Dakota have said they don’t know how many people were exposed and have issued public warnings of possible COVID-19 exposure at five businesses popular with bikers. Tracing every infection from the rally is virtually impossible. Every state has its own way of dealing with the virus, so contact tracing across state lines is a nightmare.

A tattoo artist from Asylum Tattoo Sturgis located inside One-Eyed Jack’s Saloon, tested positive for COVID-19. On five different shifts the tattoo artist could have spread the virus to clients in the shop. Health officials reported that the COVID-19 infection rate in South Dakota has been increasing. Kris Ehresmann, the Minnesota Department of Health’s infectious disease division director said, “We’re expecting that we’re going to see many more cases associated with Sturgis. Thousands of people attended that event, and so it’s very likely that we will see more transmission.” ABC News reported.