A Halloween Carol Workshop

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I was honored to sketch at the world premiere of A Halloween Carol musical written and composed by local playwright Tracey Jane. I had sketched at a prior rehearsal so I knew several songs from this unique spooky musical but this would be the first time I could experience the whole tale. I arrive at the artist’s call time at the stage door. I helped the musical director (Billy Williams)  move a few folding chairs into the theater and then considered what my best angle might be to sketch the circular stage.

Tracey suggested I sketch from a wooden balcony that had been set up and that was indeed the best vantage point. At first all the actors sat on the circular stage but then the musical director asked for all the actors who were not wearing a mic to stand in front of the stage. This was how they rehearsed until the house opened. However for the final performance they all returned to the stage. This made for a challenging sketch opportunity.

The show as a delightful retelling of Charles Dickens Christmas Story. This story however took place in the present in a high school. Carol Cratchit (Alessia Preda) was visited by her BFF Marley Jacobs who had left for Idaho. As a song put it, she didn’t die, you know; she moved to I-DA-HO!” The show is about facing ones fears and indeed Carol is visited by 3 ghosts, the Ghost of Halloween Past, The Ghost of Halloween Present, and in a tense verb twist, The Ghost of Halloween Past Perfect.

Past Perfect (Carson Holly) gave a particularly memorable performance that left the audience stunned for a moment. Another amazing performance was by Alessia Preda as she sang “Electricity” about her crush Evan Neezer (Jacob Steele). Barnaby (Stephen Lewis) had everyone including Alessia in stitches as he performed as a happy hamster who loved life but unexpectedly passed away. In the talk back after the show, Tracey explained that her family got a hamster during the pandemic but hamsters only live 2 years, so he did not live to see the possible end of the pandemic. He lay on his back with his feet in the air and the cast sang “Barnaby’s Eulogy”. His foot twitched ever so slightly from the effort. Tracy gave him wings and a halo and he hilariously walked his way up the blood soaked staircase, disappearing into the greenroom.

I don’t think I will unveil the ghoulish plot twist that is at the core of this macabre tale. This workshop which showcased the 26 or so songs, is just the beginning of this show’s evolution. The rich orchestrations by Christopher Robinason were pared down for this workshop to just piano and percussion. The music will truly shine when performed by a full orchestra. The soundtrack will be available for sale and the hope is to raise enough through patrons and sales to fully stage the production in 2023.

 

Pulse Victims Services: Christine Mouton

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016. It contains sensitive and difficult to read content.

Christine Mouton is the director of UCF Victims Services and the regional coordinator of the Florida Crisis Response Team for the 9th and 10th Circuit. After the Pulse tragedy UCF Victims Services and Florida Crisis Response Team provided aid to victim’s families and survivors.

Christine got a phone call about a shooting at Pulse.  She immediately called her on call advocate, and she directed her to go to the Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC). The advocate actually lives close to the medical center. She then proceeded to call her other staff. She managed to get three advocates down there. Then she called her community partners. She called an advocate from the sheriff’s office, she got contact information for the Victim’s Service Center which is a non-profit. They were able to provide some extra support.

An advocate helped identify the nine families who were destined to get the initial death notifications at ORMC. The doctor had to provide the death notification since he had witnessed the death, so a room was set up. Once families went in the room and came out traumatized it became very clear you did not want to go into that room. The advocate was put in charge of convincing families to go into the room. In those kind of moments people respond in terribly different ways. You can not predict how someone is going to respond. Some people just shut down, some are angry and aggressive, and you have to accept that. They have to come to accept the thing they never wanted to hear. Once the family heard the news, the advocates job then, is to provide families with the right options to empower them to make the best choices moving forward.

iVirus

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CNN reported that workers at an Apple iPhone manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, China fled after the facility was locked down due to a COVID-19 outbreak. On October 2, 2022, authorities imposed a seven-day lockdown of the area that houses the Foxconn plant, an order that could hit the iPhone assembler’s production and shipments. 350,000 people work at the plant that some call iPhone City.

Analysts said the chaos at Zhengzhou could jeopardize Apple and Foxconn’s output in the coming weeks. Ivan Lam, senior research analyst at Counterpoint, estimated that between 10% and 30% of iPhone 14 production could be affected in the near term if the situation did not stabilize. The Zhengzhou campus is the world’s biggest iPhone factory and typically accounts for as much as 85% of iPhone assembly capacity, according to Lam’s estimates.

The city, of more than 12 million, imposed sweeping lockdown measures earlier last month after identifying dozens of Covid-19 cases. Workers are panicking over the spread of the virus at the factory and lack of access to official information. Workers are packed side by side much like meat packing workers. It is not clear how many cases of Covid have been identified at the factory. Many scaled fences to escape the iPhone facility by foot.

Apple has started to boost production in other countries, including India, to reduce its dependence on China.

Shanghai Disneyland COVID Lockdown

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On October 31, 2022 all guests at Shanghai Disneyland were locked down due to a single case of COVID-19. Reuters quoted city authorities as saying the resort shut its gates after authorities became aware of a 31-year-old woman who had visited the park in recent days testing positive for the coronavirus. Some rides kept running as guests were trapped in the happiest place on earth. No one could leave until they showed a negative COVID test. The city health bureau announced that all guests in the park tested negative and all guests could leave by 8:30pm.

There were 10 reported cases in Shanghai on October 29, 2022.  Shanghai then decided they must screen 400,000 people. President Xi Jinping‘s government has remained committed to a “Zero COVID” policy while the rest of the world had dropped most COVID safety precautions.

The city government appealed to anyone who had visited the Shanghai Disney Resort since October 27, 2022 to undergo three days of nucleic acid testing and avoid gathering in groups.

The snap closure of Shanghai Disney came just two days after the park began operating at a reduced capacity to comply with Covid measures.

 

Pandora’s Box

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How did the novel coronavirus first made the leap to humans? A senate report hints that the Wuhan lab may have been having trouble in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of COVID-19. Vanity Fair, in partnership with ProPublica, spent five months investigating underlying evidence. Communist official documents have been hiding in plain sight indicating that something might be amiss at the lab. U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP), concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic was “more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident.”

Dispatches archived on the website of the Wuhan Institute of Virology offer some hints about what may have happened. On November 12, 2019, a dispatch by party branch members at the BSL-4 laboratory appeared to reference a biosecurity breach.

“once you have opened the stored test tubes, it is just as if having opened Pandora’s Box. These viruses come without a shadow and leave without a trace. Although [we have] various preventive and protective measures, it is nevertheless necessary for lab personnel to operate very cautiously to avoid operational errors that give rise to dangers. Every time this has happened, the members of the Zhengdian Lab [BSL4] Party Branch have always run to the front line, and they have taken real action to mobilize and motivate other research personnel.”

One of the Wuhan research labs is just 8 miles from the wet market where the virus gained the attention of the world. The Wuhan labs became operational in 2018. Scientists had to report to the Communist party to demonstrate their loyalty and extol the idea that their research is forwarding the goals of the Communist party. The lab had three ongoing problems, no equipment and technology standards, no design and construction teams, and no experience operating or maintaining such an advanced lab.”

The Senate report does not conclude that they know for sure the source of the pandemic outbreak. Lack of transparency from China makes that impossible. In the weeks following the outbreak China did everything in it’s power to deny the virus was circulating and obfuscate the fact that it was airborne and could travel from person to person. The COVID virus may have been circulating as early as November 17, 2019.

On January 1, 2020, Wuhan officials closed the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and carted away all the animals that were for sale. Stalls were sanitized and an epidemiology team spent days collecting environmental samples. So where was the possible animal host? On February 25, 2022, a team of researchers from China’s CDC published a preprint revealing that of the 457 swabs taken from 18 species of animals in the market, none contained any evidence of the virus. Rather, the virus was found in 73 swabs taken from around the market’s environment, all linked to human infections. Since there is no animal host “smoking gun” human to human transmission is more likely. The case for the lab leak theory remains circumstantial. I remain hopeful that with all the information in this digital age that someday, the truth will come out.

COVID Cuts Brain Synapses

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The Hindu reported that lost connections between nerve cells in the brain may help explain symptoms of long COVID. For some who are infected by COVID-19 symptoms can persist for months and even years after the initial infection. Even people with mild symptoms during the initial infection can get long COVID symptoms.

Some experience “Brain Fog” which affects memory, concentration, sleep and speech. There is also concern that those infected can develop brain disorders, such as dementia years after getting infected.

Stem cell research is helping researchers discover how long COVID may be developing. By infecting these cells called organoids, researchers found that an excessive number of synapses (the connections between brain cells) were eliminated – more than you would expect to see in a normal brain. Synapses are important because they allow neurons to communicate with each other. The elimination of these connections could explain why some experience  cognitive symptoms as part of long COVID.

This excessive pruning process is similar to other neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, as well as neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. One limitation of the study is that the cells tested are more similar to a fetal brain rather than an adult brain. It can not be postulated therefor that these effects are the same in an adult brain.

COVID is an RNA virus.  Similar lost connections  have been seen in mice infected with other RNA viruses that can also cause residual cognitive symptoms, such as the West Nile virus.

Research needs to be done to see if any drugs can inhibit the changes caused in the brain after infection with COVID-19.

Halloween Mask

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COVID is airborne and you can be much further than 6 feet from an infected person to get infected yourself. Despite this, children are sent to poorly ventilated schools to spread the virus and bring it home to parents and grand parents. The idea that children can not be infected was a lie perpetuated to keep the economy rolling. If children are not in school, parents can not be as active in the workplace. Kids get sick, Kids spread the virus.  Kids have lasting side effects.

Halloween lines up with the rise of a tripledemic of Flu, COVID and RSV. Pediatric wards are filling up. Nearly half of a Virginia High school is out due to a “Mystery” flu like illness. Now these germ factories and their unvaccinated parents will be walking door to door to spread disease.  These new variants are spreading at outdoor events like Octoberfest.

Kids will wear costumes as they go door to door, but how many will have qua#analogartistdigitalworld #covid_19 #illustrator #illustrativejournalist #sketch_daily #sketchbook #illustration #art #orlando #florida #centralflorida #floridaart #forsale #StayHome #StopTheSpread #SaveLiveslity KN-95 masks? How many parents will wear masks?  Halloween is the second most expensive holiday in America after Christmas, and the cost of candy has risen by 30% this year, so everyone wants the resulting sales and profits. Profit over public health is the American way.

While the risk of transmission during trick-or-treating is greatly diminished because it is an outdoor activity, it is still possible to get sick if you are not careful. Here are some ways you could contract COVID-19 while trick-or-treating:

  • Not wearing a mask.
  • Traveling with a large group of trick-or-treaters who are not vaccinated.
  • Going indoors to receive candy.
  • Accepting candy from an individual who is contagious.
  • Reaching into a community candy dish to collect your candy.
  • Eating candy without washing your hands or using hand sanitizer.
  • Rubbing your eyes while trick-or-treating.
  • Touching your mouth or nose before washing your hands.
  • Attending an indoor Halloween event.

Trick

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Scary new variants, or scariants abound as we approach the Halloween season. As the weather cools, we are entering another pandemic winter. BA.5 is beginning to be overtaken my a wide variety of new variants. BA.4.6, makes up about 12 percent of COVID cases in the U.S, and BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, make up more than 11 percent of cases, as of October 2022, according to the CDC’s variant tracker. And those are steadily taking over. in Singapore, a sub-variant called XBB has been driving a surge in cases, and may be the most immune-evasive variant yet

Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, called this rising wave of variants “troublesome.” monoclonal antibody treatments are becoming ineffective against the new variants. Dr. Jha the White House’s Covid response coordinator, is advising people to get their omicron-specific Covid booster by Halloween, He said, ‘You don’t want to be that person who gives it to your grandma’. “Why Halloween? Because three weeks after Halloween is Thanksgiving, and there’s a lot of travel, and you’re seeing family, and you’re seeing friends — and a few weeks later, it’s the holidays,” said Jha.

Over the past two-plus years, we’ve learned new ways to enjoy pandemic holidays, and “outside is always safer” has been the mantra for these holiday gatherings. Luckily, that’s easy to do on Halloween, because trick-or-treating generally involves plenty of outdoor time.

CDC advice includes the following:

  • Stay home if you’re sick. Skip the Halloween party if you aren’t feeling well.
  • Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Take precautions in crowded or indoor events as informed by your county’s COVID-19 Community Level, like wearing a high-quality mask (and Halloween masks don’t count). Consider making the mask part of the costume—like a doctor, nurse, ninja, or cowboy.
  • If you’re hosting celebrations, review options for improving ventilation in your home. This can help you reduce virus particles in your home and keep COVID-19 from spreading.
  • Keep your hands clean. If you’re out trick-or-treating, bring hand sanitizer. If you’re giving out candy, wash your hands frequently.

 

Variant Race

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There are over 300 variants of Omicron now circulating. Many are more able to escape immunity offered by vaccination and former infection. They are also more effective than than BA.5 at binding to the ACE 2 receptors. In this mad race to infect, the variants to watch out for are BQ.1.1, BQ.1, BQ.1.3, BA.2.3.20, BA.2.75.2 and BA.7.

BQ.1 has taken the lead in Europe, particularly in France, Germany and Great Britain. It is very likely that the wave comming this fall and winter will be driven by many variants rather than one predominant variant like past waves.

As of October 16. 2022, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, account for about 11% of the viruses sampled in the U.S., per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BA.4.6 and BF.7 are also gaining traction in the U.S., accounting for about 12.2% and 5.3% of sampled viruses respectively, per the data. XBB, another mutated version of Omicron, may be best suited to evade immunity, including a breakthrough BA.5 infection, The Washington Post reported.

COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said earlier this month that the White House is monitoring “the rise of several subvariants.” NIAID director Anthony Fauci also warned last week about the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants, which he called “pretty troublesome” due to their rate of increase. Meanwhile the CDC director Rochelle Walensky has tested positive for a COVID-19 infection.

The director’s case comes amid concerns among Biden administration officials and public health experts alike about a tough Covid-19 winter ahead, with hospitalizations already on the rise in Europe. This despite the fact that Biden thought it wise to announce that he thought the pandemic was “over”. In the US, hospitalizations have leveled out,, and I suspect will begin to rise soon. About 300 to 400 people continue to die every day from the virus. This is the insane new normal. Just a quick news flash, COVID is an airborne virus and simply wearing a mask in crowded settings can greatly reduce your chance of infection. Walensky has abandoned advising mask wearing and look how that turned out.

Beluga Loose

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To encourage my Elite Animation Academy student to loosen up I abandoned the painting I was working on and instead did a quick 10 minute study where my primary goal was to make a mess and try and have fun. Color masses were thrown down with abandon and line was only thrown down at the bitter end.

Since I had no intention of pushing the painting to a final, I could just relax and encourage the student while I played. After seeing this mess, my student began a piece by just playing with brushes. A wave pattern brush was discovered and I was asked if using it was cheating. Nothing is cheating if it works, was my reply.

I stopped painting and watched my student work. I was pleased to see a wide variety of brushes being experimented with. Things progresses quickly until it came time to draw the people in the scene. Things ground to a halt. I did a quick demo to show gesture, the curve of a person’s back, rhythm and flow. It is a bit like explaining how to play jazz on a trumpet to someone who has never toughed the instrument.

Regardless we pushed forward with the goal of getting the sketch completed well enough so that we could put it aside and start another. Progress come from completing thousands of sketches rather than obsessing about any one piece. Accepting that there might be flaws and imperfections allows for far more acceptance, so long as it is not the worst thing ever created.  A sketch by definition is never complete.