Pre-Pandemic: Stanley Coll Haddock, Artist

Posted on by Thor

Stanley Coll Haddock, was asked to draw rain when he was a child in school in Puerto Rico. Most kids drew the drops falling vertical, his rain was diagonal. She fell in love with him. She encouraged his art work and that motivated him in school. He constantly drew in school. All his note books were filled with drawings.

Stanley went to the University of Plastic Arts in San Juan Puerto Rico. After University he got married right away and painting was put on hold. He worked in commercial art for about 17 years. He became an illustrator. He worked with airbrush. He painted on the side any time he had spare time. He was discovering what he wanted to do in his own art.

After he left the commercial art job he worked at a newspaper in Puerto Rico. That helped him transition towards the art naive. The art for the newspaper was produced at a more personal level.

Stanley went to dinner with his brother after dinner they walked by an art gallery, which had a piece of art he had created. He was shocked to see it there. This gallery had a lot of naive art. The gallery owner encouraged him to continue with his naive art.

Naive artist have little knowledge of contrast, light, shadows, they instead draw from the interior and produce what they see. He became creating art naive full time in his early 40s in 1997. The art came from his soul, his own self. It was what he trusted the most. Naive can be the most natural form of expression. There are no limits in form, color or perspective. In Puerto Rico there was a certain pressure to express yourself in a certain way.

The artist moved to Florida to be close to an ailing family member. Everyone knew him as an art naive painter in Puerto Rico. The move to Florida also made his artwork change. He was copying his own self. He needed to change.  Expression comes from change. He is satirical he expresses culture in a funny way and it is not far from reality. People relate to the situations. The work comes organically. Artists should be free to express themselves.  Art can be subject to the change in mood every day. He transforms every day. There are no rules when creating naive art. He is free to express himself as he chooses.

His work often reflects the Urban Street scene. There are little details in day to day events which inspire him. There is no limit. People have hair rollers, beer cans or walk around barefoot. It reflects the day to day.

Two days after this interview, WHO declared COVID-19 a world wide pandemic and my own work underwent a drastic change.

Holy COVID-19

Posted on by Thor

Unemployed Jesus is getting a two day gig at the Holy Land. The theme park has been closed since March of 2020 because of the pandemic. In order to maintain it’s tax except status the theme park must offer free admission once a year. So to save on taxes the park wants to fling open its golden gates for a super spreader extravaganza.

Masks are encouraged inside the park and social distancing is an option as well as limited admissions. However the large crowds that will arrive will not be social distancing as they press forward in long lines to try and get in. It will be a disaster which I have seen play out before.

On April 18, 2020 the park fired 120 employees when it ended its theatrical shows, so local actors other than Jesus are not likely to get work for the two days of chaos. Crowds can crush together into tight rooms to see dioramas and a model of Jerusalem and of course see the holy shark which is thankfully outside.

A spokesperson for Holy Land said there are no plans to keep the park open after the two free admissions days “due to ongoing pandemic and economic concerns.” Therefor it seems odd that they are fine with creating a health hazard for the sake of saving on their taxes.

Pre-Pandemic: Baldwin Dog Park

Posted on by Thor

Pam and I used to take our dogs to the dog park almost every weekend. We haven’t gone to the dog park for a year now. I pass Baldwin Park every Sunday when I drive to Crealde School of Art to teach. I have seldom seen a mask as I drive by and I have made it a game to count the number of mask less mouth breather I see. The number usually exceeds 20 and I don’t count people facing away from me.

Now that Pam an I have our first shot of vaccine e are thinking forward to place we might go again when fully vaccinated. The dog park will certainly e one of those treks out into the world again. Our pups get to walk around the block fairly often and we go on weekend to much less crowded parks for careful distanced walks.

Pam is making plans to see family again. She used to visit her parents every holiday but hasn’t seen them in a year. We are also considering having house guests who have been fully vaccinated. Simple pleasure may once again be coming. I am even considering getting out to sketch outdoor theater so my sketchbook will once again fill with discoveries as I explore the world again.

COVID-19 on Everest

Posted on by Thor

So you have survived a year long pandemic and want to find a way to prove you are truly alive. Some people feel the need to climb Mount Everest to fill that need. The mountain climbing season was abandoned last year due to the pandemic but the mountain was opened up for climbers again in 2021.

The Mount Everest base camp is basically a garbage heap from the abandoned refuge from 3  years of climbers waste. You might think that climbing to the top of the highest mountain inn the world might socially distance you from the COVID-19 virus, but you would be wrong.

A member of an expedition at the 17,600 foot high Base Camp tested positive for COVID-19. The infected patient was originally thought to be suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon arrival, the person tested positive for COVID-19. The rest of their expedition team then began quarantining at Base Camp. It is easy to mistake the virus for symptoms commonly caused by extreme altitude. Doctors at the base amp are not able to test for COVID-19.

The Nepal government has issued 338 permits to climb Everest which is a quite crowded climbing season. Masks re worn only sporadically at the base camp. Climbers are supposed to supply a negative COVID test but this is voluntary. Some climbers claim to have been vaccinated but again paperwork is voluntary. Nepal shares an open border with India which now has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in the world.

Vaccinate!

Posted on by Thor

Americans may be finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. More than a quarter of the county has been fully vaccinated, and more than 264 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered as of April 20 2021.

The demand for vaccine shots has begun to slow down in some parts of America. With plenty of vaccine supply on hand and eligibility open to all residents 16 and older, officials are struggled to fill appointments. A sizable portion of the population has what experts call “vaccine hesitancy.” As South Florida hits 40% immunization, the vaccinations are slowing down.

Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, estimate somewhere between 70-85% of the country needs to be immune to the virus — either through inoculation or previous infection — to suppress its spread. But the US is nowhere near those levels yet and the slowing demand — especially now that eligibility has opened up — means getting there might be a taller task than some local officials expected. Cowards and Magats aint doin’ their part.

In Orange County, Mayor Jerry Demings said that vaccine supply is up, yet thousands of vaccine appointments are open. “Our goal is to still get up to that 79% of our population (vaccinated) and I believe we can get there,” Demings said. As of April 19, 2021, 30% of Orange County’s population is fully vaccinated. Orange County Florida health officials no longer have access to a critical statewide database that gives local decision-makers information including on COVID-19 vaccine distribution rates. The state revoked Orange County’s access to the Florida Department of Health database after the county turned over three heat maps as part of a public records request. The maps show vaccine distribution rates by zip code and do not disclose any exempt or personal information. WFTV was the first to report the state pulling access to the database. The maps show lower-income neighborhoods including Pine Hills have had fewer vaccines distributed than historically higher-income communities such as Winter Park. It is important to know which zip codes have low vaccination rates because those areas likely need better vaccine messaging due to hesitancy.

On April 19, 2021, President Joe Biden said in a Twitter video,  “Folks, I have good news, everybody is eligible as of today to get the vaccine. We have enough of it, you need to be protected, and you need in turn to protect your neighbors and your family.”

“So please get the vaccine,” the president said.

Robo Servers

Posted on by Thor

Some Orlando restaurants who are desperate for workers have offered $400 signing bonuses. There are plenty of people who need the work but are not willing to enter a workspace full of mask less open mouth chewers in the age of COVID-19.

Robot Servers are being employed by some restaurants to maintain social distancing and stand out from their competitors. A Chinese restaurant uses robot greeters and servers that chat with guests, take orders and run food from the kitchen.

U & Me Revolving Hot Pot in Orlando, Florida down by Disney opened in May 2020. The restaurant employs a conveyor belt and autonomous robots to assist in serving diners. A “pilot” robot helps guide customers to their assigned table where a conveyor belt allows individually plated dishes, each in a protective cover, to roll past the table. Some items are delivered to the table via a multi-shelved delivery robot. The robots at U & Me are from Shanghai-based Kennon Robotics.

In the UK, a restaurant called Robotazia features up cycled robots made from vacuum cleaners, cement mixers and other detritus in a sci-fi themed space. Also up and running is a fleet of grocery delivery robots. The 100 lb autonomous self-driving robots can carry deliveries within a four mile range at a “pedestrian speed.” Available in the UK for several years now, are rolling out across the US as well, in Virginia, DC, California and Arizona.

Little Shop of Vaccines

Posted on by Thor

Covid-19 cases are surging around the world, fueled by highly contagious variants of the coronavirus that continue to spread quickly. Covid-19 deaths have surpassed 3 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

India on April 18, 2021 reported 261,500 new cases of Covid-19, the fourth consecutive day of more than 200,000 infections and the highest since the start of the pandemic, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health. They also reported 1,501 new deaths, the highest in almost 10 months.

In Florida COVID-19 cases have  surged since spring break and deaths from new variants are rising. As of April 15, 2021, there were 5,177 cases that involved variants of concern in the state — six times higher than what was there in mid-March, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The Sentinel obtained the figures through a lawsuit it filed against the Florida Department of Health.

Cases across the United States continue to climb despite the epic vaccine roll out by the new administration. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier this month that hospitals are seeing more younger un-vaccinated adults  are being admitted with Covid-19 as more contagious variants spread. In Michigan, where Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are rapidly increasing, case rates are at an all-time high for those age 19 and younger, according to state data published April 6, 2021.

States have begun to lift health safety measures to quickly allowing the virus to spread. Controlling the spread of the virus is as simple as following health measures like mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing. However politicians insist on making these safety measures a political flashpoint, claiming they are an infringement on civil liberties. Experts spanning law, public health and privacy policy say it’s a false choice.

 

Breakthrough Cases

Posted on by Thor

The CDC has reported 5800 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 out of the nearly 77 million people who have been fully vaccinated. 65 percent of the cases were in women, and just over 40 percent were in people ages 60 and up. About 29% of those experiencing breakthrough infections experienced no symptoms, however, seven percent of people were hospitalized, and 74 people died.

It is unclear why asymptomatic individuals were tested for Covid-19 after being fully vaccinated. It could be that some employers, such as health care systems, require regular testing.

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive their second dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is currently paused in the U.S. as federal health officials investigate cases of rare blood clots linked to the shots.) In clinical trials, the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines were found to be around 95 percent effective against Covid-19, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 72 percent effective against moderate-to-severe illness in its U.S. trial.

“I would encourage people to continue, once they’re vaccinated, to use all the prevention measures that we’ve been talking about when they’re outside their home, including masking and distancing and whatnot. And all of that should be active in the workplace,” the CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said during a briefing for the press on April 12, 2021. These breakthrough cases are another reason that people should continue to wear masks, social distance and wash hands since research is not yet in on weather they could pass the disease on to others.

Vaccination remains critical to ending the pandemic. “It does not reduce the risk to nil, but it does reduce the risk to something that we can handle.”

India Became the Second Worse COVID Outbreak

Posted on by Thor

On April 14, 2021 India had over 200,000 new cases of COVID-19. After the USA, India has become the country with the world’s second-highest coronavirus infections, overtaking Brazil, as doctors report shortage of hospital beds and ventilators.

Despite this outbreak, authorities have allowed the Hindu religious cerebration of Kumbh Mela to proceed, drawing over 600,000 mostly mask less people to gather on the shore of the Ganges river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly wants to secure the Hindu vote despite the health risk of allowing such a superspreader event to proceed.

The Haridwar district reported over 2,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since April 10, 2021. Twnety of those were seers or religious leaders. The head of the Maha Nirvani Akhara, Swami Kapil Dev, who had come to attend Kumbh Mela  died from COVID-19 on April 13, 2021.

A majority of the people who bathed in the Ganges  were seen openly violating COVID norms like wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing. The festival is 12 days long, going through April 30, 2021. This allows plenty of time for it to become a super spreading event of epic proportions.

A senior health official told the Times of India, “Leave aside testing, the seers are not even ready to wear masks, some of us pleaded with folded hands, but they didn’t listen.” Hindu devotees  believe that Maa (Mother) will save them from the pandemic.

Various states in India have reported vaccine shortages, with vaccination centers in Maharashtra and Odisha reportedly shut for lack of doses. The Prime Minister Modi has asked the governors of Indian states to promote unproven therapies and ‘treatments’ offered by alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda “The Science of Life.” and homeopathy. The Indian Medical Association characterizes the practice of modern medicine by Ayurvedic practitioners as quackery. Homeotherapy claims that disease is caused by miasms or, “bad air”.

As COVID-19 rips through India, the Uttarakhand government did not just fail to take action limiting numbers at the Hindu festival—it actively encouraged people to come and told them not to worry about Covid-19 restrictions. On March 20, 2021 , Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said, “I invite all devotees across the world to come to Haridwar and take a holy dip in the Ganga during Mahakumbh. Nobody will be stopped in the name of Covid-19 as we are sure the faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus.” A minister aid, “This is not negligence. It’s a serious criminal act.”

1,038 people died from COVID-19 in India on April 14, 2021.

Theme Park Architects

Posted on by Thor

Jerry Izsak grew up in Canada. Both of his grand parents immigrated from Hungry in 1902. He went to school in Toronto.

Jerry was 25 years old when he moved to America. He moved to Tampa. He later moved to California and saw an ad for Disney who was hiring. He met his wife Marta at a party of one of his Disney architect friends.

Disney then moved Jerry to Florida which is where he worked on designing and building Walt Disney World. He helped design Main Street. Marta was working on Adventure Land.

As an architect, they helped with the theme park design. Work wasn’t that hectic. It was a fun time. You couldn’t have a mustache. Eventually they changed that policy. Disney was a fun time in both of their careers. In Florida Jerry worked for Disney for 20 years. His entire Disney career was 30 years part in California, France, England.

Marta was also an architect. In Florida she also got a job at Disney so they had cubicles right near each other. She learned Auto Cad. Though she liked hand drafting she saw the advantaged of Auto Cad for quick changes.

They purchased a property  north of Disney and build a custom house which they designed and built themselves. The house took two years to build and everything was paid for in cash. When they got a paycheck, they went to home Depot and bought some 2 by 4s and got to work. They were in a pop up camper while the house was being built. They then brought an adjourning property and they build a second home which they now live in.

On the day this interview as conducted, The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. I remember wanting to only bump elbows with Jerry and Marta. Jerry bumped elbows but Marta insisted on shaking hands. Out of politeness and habit I shook her hand. I was already carrying hand sanitizer for just such an occurrence. I’m thankful we all spoke on the open air back porch of their home. It was a beautiful day with birds chirping and the start of a new normal for us all.