Spring Plant

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I had a request while back to do a simple spring scene. People want to believe the pandemic is over and return to life as normal. So what is this “new normal?” Deaths are trending down and we seem to have become comfortable with about 3oo deaths a day due to COVID-19.

However due to BA.2, cases are trending upwards once again. Since many test at home or do not test at all, it is impossible to fully assess this new approaching wave. America is fast approaching one million dead since the start of the pandemic. Globally the number of dead may be triple the numbers officially reported.

A bipartisan group of scientists and health and policy experts calling themselves the COVID roadmap group are releasing a blueprint Monday of how we could move into what they call “the next normal.” The world won’t return to a pre-COVID normal. Could the future see better testing and treatment for this airborne virus?

COVID is here to stay. The opportunity to contain the virus has long since been fumbled. We need to figure out how to live much more safely way with it. We need to do much better with testing. For example, one of the things we want to really achieve is what is called test and treat. So if you find you have symptoms of COVID, you should be able to get tested within hours. Then on the spot, you receive one of the prescriptions for very effective drugs. The problem is that the whole U.S health system is broken and getting instant treatment is only available for the rich and well insured. The costs involved will keep the uninsured form seeking treatment and the virus will continue to spread.

If COVID becomes endemic, and everyone lets their guard down, then there’s a risk that many more Americans will experience long COVID creating huge and lasting health impacts. This is the yet unrecognized terrible tale of COVID. As an artist I can not afford to live life with blinders. When I look I see.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Trinity Church Wall Street

Posted on by Thor

Trinity Church Wall Street is an active Episcopal Parish that has been an integral part of New York City’s history for more than 300 years. In 1696, a small group of Anglicans (members of the Church of England) petitioned the Royal Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York, then a mercantile colony, for a charter granting the church legal status. Fletcher granted the charter in 1697 and the first Trinity Church was erected at the head of Wall Street facing the Hudson River.

To ensure the church’s success, Governor Fletcher granted Trinity a six-year lease on a tract of land north of Trinity known as the King’s Farm. In 1705, Queen Anne made this land grant permanent by giving 215 acres, which Trinity has used over the years to support the mission and ministry of Trinity and Anglican Church. My 10th great grandmother Anneke Jans, was the original owner of the land granted to Trinity.

The first Trinity Church building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776 during the Revolutionary War. After the war Trinity, and all Anglican churches in the former colonies, legally separated from the Church of England and became the Episcopal Church.

in 1790, the second Trinity Church was completed. This church faced Wall Street and was both longer and wider than the first. The new steeple soared to a height of 200 feet. President George Washington and members of his government were regular worshipers in the new Trinity building during the brief period New York City was the capital of the United States.

In 1838, the support beams of the second Trinity Church buckled. An architect named Richard Upjohn was hired to repair the building, but recommended demolishing the structure and constructing a new church. Upjohn, a fan of Anglo-Catholic liturgical style and English Gothic architecture, designed a church that looked like a 14th-century English parish church. The new Trinity Church was  consecrated on Ascension Day 1846. It is considered one of the finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United States. With a 281-foot high steeple, Trinity was the tallest building in New York City until 1890.Today it is dwarfed on all sides by office buildings.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Voorlezer’s House

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Voorlezer is a Dutch word that can be translated as “fore-reader” or as “one who reads (to others)”. A Voorlezer or Voorleser was the title given to a highly responsible citizen in New Netherland and later Dutch settlements in North America, who had semi-official duties in local law, education and religion. The title was predominantly used from the mid-17th century to the late 18th century in the small colonial villages. A Voorlezer could be an assistant to a pastor or, in the absence of a pastor, hold religious services and read scriptures, or run a school.

The Voorlezer’s House on Arthur Kill Rd, Center Street, Staten Island, N.Y., is a historic clapboard frame house in Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island, New York. It is widely believed to be the oldest known schoolhouse in America, although the sole inhabitant to hold the title of voorlezer, Hendrick Kroesen, only lived on the property from 1696 until 1701.

The present structure became a private residence for more than a century and is now owned and operated by the Staten Island Historical Society. It is likely to have been constructed in the mid-eighteenth century, probably in the 1760s by Jacob Rezeau, whose family came into possession of the property in 1705.

In 1697, the Dutch Reformed Congregation acquired a parcel of approximately 271 square feet of the then 80 acre parcel of land from James Hance Dye and James Fitchett, on which to build the house. While never officially consecrated as a place of worship, a now-lost structure near the Voorlezer’s House (possibly the original schoolhouse) was used as a meeting place for members of the Dutch Reformed Congregation.

The first floor contains a small room used as living quarters and a large room for church services. The second floor has a small bedchamber, and a large room that is believed to be the one used for the school. The extra set of floor beams indicate that the room was designed to accommodate a large number of persons. The floors in the house are of white pine boards, 14–16 inches wide.

Though well-maintained for many years, by 1936 the building had fallen into disrepair and was threatened with demolition. It was acquired by the museum in 1939 and then restored to how it was believed to have appeared around the turn of the eighteenth century. It was first opened to the public on April 14, 1942, and then again, after its second restoration, on June 27, 1985. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to National Register of Historic Places when that registry was created in 1966.

Shadow Warfare

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Forbes reported that 32 Russian helicopters have been shot down so far by Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion of it’s peaceful neighbor. NPR put that number at 125,  the BBC at 80, and Newsweek 77.

 I have been following Ukrainian Officer Starsky on Youtube. His footage of a KA52 Russian helicopter reminded me of a burnt out skeleton of a demonic beast. The KA 52 is touted by Russia as a helicopter that can not be destroyed. Ukrainians conscripts shot down the helicopter in Hostomel.

Non-state militias are set to play a larger and less supervised role as the conflict set to explode in the Donbas of Ukraine. The Wagner Group on the Russian side is a 6,000-strong mercenary force, which is usually based in Africa and is believed to be funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close links to Vladimir Putin.

About 1,000 Wagner Group fighters have been drafted in as part of the invasion. It was reported at the end of March that members of the group had been tasked with finding and assassinating the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. They failed. Though continuing to cause massive destruction among the civilian population, the Russian forces continue to fail on every front.

Up to 20,000 volunteers, from all over the world, have joined up to fight Russian invaders. The goal of these foreign fighters is to save people and save civilians. The bulk of thee foreign fighters come from the United States, United Kingdom and Georgia, which has also been invaded by Russia. Members of this legion were the first to confront Russians at the airport in Hostomel, in the Kyiv region. The top thing needed in Ukraine is a no fly zone to stop the constant airstrikes and ballistic missiles that are constantly battering civilian populations. Since they can not gain victory on the battle fields, the Russians indiscriminately kill civilians.

Assassins

Posted on by Thor

Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House in downtown Orlando will host a production of  Assassins, which is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr.

Staged by the Florida Theatrical Association, and directed by Kenny Howard, the production makes amazing use of this historic venue which will soon faces it’s own assassination by developers who want it demolished for a condo sky rise, since what Orlando needs is more high rent shoe boxes.

Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical musical that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.

When Pam and I arrived, I knew I wanted to sketch the production as if viewed from Lincoln’s Presidential booth at the Ford Theater. Unfortunately the Saloon’s first level balcony was to be used by actors who appeared with blood red spot lights illuminating them from below during the show. There was another balcony above that but the sight lines made it impossible to see the stage. We finally climbed to the highest levels, having to walk through the actors green room to get there. From this vantage point, the technicians and stage director took center stage, while the performers worked on the distant stage. On the balcony above the stage a band performed. Unfortunately the acoustics were not stellar from where we sat, but we both knew the play and could follow along. I should note that even from our nose bleed level I could tell the performer for  John Wilkes boot has some major singing chops.

I tend to feel a bit uncomfortable with performers holding guns. Of course actor Alec Baldwin thought his gun held blanks when he shot his cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins dead. A lawyer for Alec Baldwin said on April 21. 2022 that an investigation by New Mexico has cleared his client of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” Halyna’s life was found to be worth only $137,000, which is how much New Mexico fined the Rust production.  Orlando is is also where a gunman entered the Pulse Nightclub and murdered 49 people and injuring 53 others. From as far away as we were, I could not make out if the weapons were historically accurate. The gun’s sound effects were at least played down, being unrealistic slaps.

Assassins will run April 22, 2022  to May 1, 2022 at the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street. Tickets are available now through Eventbrite. Tickets range from $22 to $100 for VIP seating.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: The Mariner’s Temple

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The Mariner’s Temple Baptist Church located at 3 Henry Street, in the Two Bridges section of Manhattan, New York City, began as a mission for European seamen who docked at the nearby East River.

Built in 1795, the first church on the Henry and Oliver Street site was called the Oliver Street Meeting House. It was built due to to the generosity of landholder and philanthropist Henry Rutgers. Henry was the descendant of Dutch immigrants who settled in New York City in 1636 and he prospered as a brewer. Rutgers graduated from Kings College in 1766, was a colonel during the American Revolution, and later became politically active. He gave lands and funds to his own Dutch Reformed Church, to Presbyterian and Baptist churches, and to schools for children of the poor.

In 1843, the Oliver Street Meeting House burned down in a fire that left it in ashes. It was rebuilt over the next two years. The present Greek Revival building was inaugurated in 1845. Accounts differ on the lead architect behind the new church; 1844 church minutes indicate a little-known architect named Issac Lucas was behind the design, while the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission attributes the design to the experienced and respected architect Minard Lafever, adding that Lucas was project superintendent.

The community that surrounded the church went through changes. By 1850, the densely populated Five Points neighborhood was notorious for crime, poverty, and disease. The church maintained a mission-driven presence in the community, focusing heavily on reaching out to troubled youths, reforming alcoholics, and trying to deter impoverished residents from a life of crime.

In 1859, a swanky, modern competitor called the Madison Avenue Baptist Church was built on Madison Avenue and 35th Street, it was described by the New York Sun as a “large and expensive church.” It cost $122,000 to build, or about $3.7 million today, and thus landed the church’s congregation in deep financial debt. Madison Avenue Baptist Church turned to the Oliver Street church for help, and its congregants agreed to give it. They contributed almost $80,000 towards their debt and agreed to merge with Madison Avenue Church. Mariners’ Temple purchased the Oliver Street building. The Sun reported that Oliver Street requested the deed to the other church’s property, to which Madison Avenue brought “a suit of ejectment against the Oliver street church folks.” A bitter court battle ensued. Judge Theodore Sedgwick eventually ended the church duel and ruled in favor of the Oliver Street Baptist Church. His decision prompted the full congregation’s return to their old home, now Mariners’ Temple on Oliver Street

Mariners’ stands on the oldest site for continuous Baptist worship in Manhattan.  It was designated a New York City Landmark on February 1, 1966. It was added to the U. S. Register of Historic places on April 16, 1980.

Stealth Omicron Special Operation

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COVID-19 is re-grouping in the North East for a renewed campaign of it’s “Special Operation.” The so-called Stealth Omicron (BA.2) variant is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

American however have let their guard down and turned their back on the enemy allowing for a full unchecked frontal attack.

A Trump appointed Federal Judge in Florida blocked the CDC’s masking guidelines on airlines. The CDC itself re-evaluated it’s guidance for the maps that shows where outbreaks are occurring. On top of that people are no longer using COVID testing sites instead relying on less accurate at home tests. Americans will simply not see this next wave coming. America has again decided to remain blind in fighting an enemy that can not be seen.

The Biden White House requested 22.5 Billion dollars to fight COVID-19 but that was cut down to 10 Billion allowing for no intentional aid. As long as the virus is anywhere in the world, it is everywhere in the world. This is a simple idea that legislators do not seem to understand. Of course all this aid will come too   late as the BA.2 variant begins it’s exponential growth in America in the coming weeks.

Green Washing the Pandemic

Posted on by Thor

The CDC changed the metrics it uses to judge risk assessment for COVID-19. I have posted a map daily on this site created by COVID Act Now and follow each states progress as it ticks up from yellow, which is a low risk, up to orange, and then red, which is very high risk.

In January of this year every state was a deep blood red. Slowly cases dropped and states switched back to orange then yellow, but none ever returned to the lowest state which is green. Overnight the map switched from a collection of yellow states and states that had ticked up to higher levels of risk in the North East to a map of overall green with a few counties marked yellow. The visual assessment is that overnight the pandemic ended.

COVID Act Now is the site I have followed for this daily risk assessment. They launched the site when there was no standardized government COVID risk framework, no broadly accessible testing or vaccines, and before there were incredibly transmissible variants like Stealth Omicron.

The CDC updated their COVID framework to capture what they call “COVID-19 Community Levels.” These changes reflect the decreased risk of severe illness and death due to vaccines. COVID Act Now worked towards integrating these CDC metrics into their map. Their former “U.S. COVID Risk Level” was replaced with a “COVID Community Level” that aligns with the CDC’s Community Levels. It takes into account the same three metrics that are part of the CDC’s framework, and grades them on a three-color scale to classify COVID Community Level as low, medium, or high for every state, county, and metro in the U.S. The end result was a sudden vast swath of green washing over the map overnight. It seems like the CDC by changing the metrics is green washing the pandemic.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Saint Paul’s Church Yard

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Built in 1766, Saint Paul’s Church  is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan, and one of the nation’s finest examples of Late Georgian church architecture.

The main entrance to the church faced west toward the large churchyard and the Hudson River beyond what is now One World Trade Center.

Notable individuals buried in the church yard include, General Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War hero ho is buried beneath the east porch of St. Paul’s.

John Bailey, who forged the George Washington battle sword in Fishkill, NY, while the Continental Army was encamped there. The sword is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution.

John Holt, a patriotic printer and editor of The New York Gazette, New York’s first newspaper founded by William Bradford, and The New York Journal.

George Frederick Cooke, a renowned British character actor. He played Richard III at the Park Lane Theatre to an audience of 2,000 on November 21, 1810.

George Eacker, a New York lawyer, who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton’s son Philip in a duel. Alexander Hamilton is buried at Trinity Church in NYC.

In 1960, the chapel was named a National Historic Landmark; it was also made a New York City Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Trinity Churchyard Memorial

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The Trinity Churchyard at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway, includes tombstones and memorials dating back as far as 1681.  One of the largest monuments in the churchyard is the Soldiers’ Monument in honor of Revolutionary War soldiers held in captivity in the old Sugar House in New York City and thought to be buried at Trinity. The inscription said, “In memory of the officers and soldiers of the revolution ho died in British captivity in the city of New York, many of whom are buried in the North Part of Trinity Church yard  opposite Pine Street.

The claim those prisoners are buried in Trinity Churchyard is disputed by Charles I. Bushnell, who argued in 1863 that Trinity Church would not have accepted them because it supported Great Britain. The controversy was related to a proposal to build a public street through the churchyard.

Although his actual burial site is unknown, a bronze plaque commemorates Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He is the only signer buried in Manhattan.

The restored epitaph for the founder of New York’s first newspaper, William Bradford, is one of the most interesting in the churchyard: “Being quite worn out with Old age and labor he left this mortal State in the lively Hopes of a better Immortality. Reader reflect how soon you’ll quit the Stage…”

One of the churchyard’s most popular sites is Alexander Hamilton‘s tomb. In addition to being the namesake and main character of the Broadway hit Hamilton, he was the first Secretary of the Treasury, founded The Bank of New York and the U.S. Mint, and was the youngest framer of the Constitution. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton lies next to Alexander’s grave. Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law, Angelica Schuyler Church, is buried in the Livingston Family Vault. Her maternal grandmother was born a Livingston.