I’ve been taking a break from education news for, well, obvious reasons. So lately in CPF Insider, instead I’ve been trying to highlight some of the great things that people are doing in the face of this pandemic. We have to focus on those things because every day it seems like the news can’t get any worse, except then it does.

The president lies without ceasing and threatens states that don’t show the proper obeisance to him. Many states still have made no good plans for what happens when the pandemic comes to them. An infant right here in Illinois died today of COVID-19–a so far unprecedented occurrence.

I know that we will need to talk about and lobby for good public education policy again–perhaps soon. But not today. Today we’re anxious, in mourning, and hardly know what day it is. It helps adjust my priorities–which can be too driven by my own neurosis and phobia–that there are folks right here in my neighborhood that have far greater needs than my own, and I’ve been sharing about those needs in the newsletter as well.

And I’m sharing this newsletter here so that you can decide whether and how you want to help too. For those Chicago Public Fools subscribers that have already received this edition of CPF Insider, apologies for the repetition. I think the causes I’m highlighting in this newsletter are important enough to share a little more broadly.

Thanks ever so much for reading, for caring about our schools, and for doing all you can for your neighbors at this time. Click on the link below to read this edition of CPF Insider, and follow me on twitter @JulieVassilatos.

https://cpfinsider.substack.com/p/bright-lights-bleak-country

Sometimes a disaster or an enemy unites people often divided and at odds with one another over ideology, politics and social standing.

The threat can be from an adversary that desires to enslave or as we’ve seen a mysterious biological infectious disease that ravages a county, a continent, a world.  In either case, survival from such a conflagration requires team work, unity and individuals that sacrifice on behalf of their community.

The nurses and doctors are on the front lines of this war.  In order to protect them from becoming one of the fallen, the public, be they young or old have taken it upon themselves to ingeniously sew masks or medical garb with materials one wouldn’t expect used for a PPE (personal protective equipment).

And since ventilators have been in short supply, essential for afflicted patients, it was refreshing to see a doctor figure out how to convert a scuba mask and turn it into one of those lifesaving machines.  This kind of thinking out of the box was necessary due in part to America’s lack of vision compared to South Korea which was ready a day after their first confirmed case with tests administered at the rate of 10K per day and more than enough ventilators to handle the apex of the curve.  Part of the reason why SK was able to do that is that they took seriously a World Health Organization report issued globally in October 2019 that a possible epidemic might occur in the first quarter of 2020.

Retired nurses and doctors who know the threat of this virus better than most, have bravely allowed themselves to be recruited to return to the fight on behalf of their fellow citizens. Money is not their incentive since most medical professionals have made significant money during their careers and afforded them the opportunity to have outstanding pensions or 401K savings.

Celebrated athletes and entertainers have also stepped up to the plate making contributions in the hundreds of thousands or even millions to help those affected by the need  to shutdown America to suppress a virus that can be transmitted by even the asymptomatic.  COVID-19 not only threatens America’s health but also its economy.  Millions find themselves unable to work in an effort to suppress and flatten the curve of the ascendancy of the pandemic which South Korea has successfully contained …so there is hope for us all.

The good news is that people like Drew and Brittany Brees, who have been blessed are addressing the hunger that those without employment face.

What we need are those who inspire, those who unite, those who respect science and those who find a way to provide that which we or our fellow Americans require during this time of crisis.  Kudos to the nurses, the doctors, and the medical care givers but let’s not forget all those who contribute in their own way…they all can GO DO GOOD and help us win the battle against COVID-19.

SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 12

I intend to keep this up. I am tired today, but not sick.

12 is a good number; a dozen, a number divisible by itself, 6,4,3,2 and 1.

I realize my attitude is changing. A week or two ago when I saw the isolated customer with a mask, I thought they were maybe overdoing it. I was of course wrong. Even though the average surgical style mask is of limited value, it might help, and there are many people with some respiratory illness or immune compromise, on chemotherapy for malignancy; likely millions in the US, not to speak of the really elderly. So, now, when I see someone wearing a mask, more than just a week ago, I am jealous. Maybe we should all wear them but they are not available for most of us. There was a note on the breakroom door from the headquarters, that they are negotiating with the government to get masks for us, the employees. My thought was, “good luck with that.”

Excuse me, I was just giving my dog a little treat. If one lives alone with an animal, dog, cat, bird, boa constrictor, whatever, there is a tendency to give some of what one is eating to the pet. Well I do anyway, might be just me. My dog is spoiled. Imagine if you have a boa constrictor, it’s name is Bobo. You just bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and are having a few slices of it for dinner. Bobo slides over onto the table, sticking his tongue out at you the way they do. So, you look at Bobo, Bobo looks at you, and you decide to let him have the rest of the whole chicken.

Well, work was slower again and folks seem to be getting the hang of keeping their space before the cash register, giving each other room as they walk by each other, saying excuse me and thanks for your help and “be safe; stay healthy”. In my situation at least there is a lot of this kindness and acts of caring between people. Does make me feel like there are good things about all this big situation, with no knowledge of how it all will turn out. But we never know how it will all turn out. Like, Life in general. Uh,oh, I am getting religious spiritual again. Sorry. But in the long run; the long, long run, what we do about our souls and where we go on our journey and how we treat others, is truly the bottom line. Right? No? I do not want to start sounding like a televangelist. No offense to them. They are also trying to do what they believe in. I am just being myself, David.

Well, I have an idea for a short, small story, related to pandemics, thought about it while wandering aimlessly around the store. Also, I HAVE TO DO MY CENSUS! I promise myself I will do it tomorrow night after work. No more procrastinating. It is important and I do not want them coming after me.

So, be safe, stay well, believe in the higher powers. We can do this.

David, March 28, 2020

The world in general is still working out how to carry ob while hunkering down during this COVID-19 crisis. There are very few events, but as we can see below, they have been adapted for beer releases for carry-out or growler fills, or even carry-out dinners with growler fills. Many of these events may pop up last minute, and I will try to keep them updated here.

I am also trying to keep up with the current status of local breweries and beer bars, on the four articles pinned to the top of my home page. I am starting to see a few places planning to close down that had been offering delivery last week. Let’s do what we can to keep our friends in business.

Monday, March 30

Tuesday, March 31

Wednesday, April 1

Thursday, April 2

Here’s something I was pretty sure I’d not be doing again.

Blogging.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

At the request of some of my loyal readers, I am here to bring calm and hope in this time of terror, confident that it will be read, because you have literally nothing better to do.

So, what shall I write about?

COVID-19: origins, spread, safety tips?

NO!! My God, have you not gotten enough of this shit from every single media outlet available?

Instead, today I will talk about how to survive being sequestered with your family without getting cabin fever, leading to you becoming like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”.

(If you have not seen it, do so. You are literally the only one who hasn’t.)

Now, what authorizes me to speak on this topic?

Well, I am sequestered with my wife, daughter and 3 and 5 year old granddaughters.

Possibly for months.

I am seriously debating volunteering to help out the medical teams in the hope of getting sequestered. Maybe in a cave somewhere.

NO, JUST KIDDING!! I couldn’t be happier.

Besides, I’m a radiation oncologist. You’d be better off with a boy scout with a first aid merit badge.

OK, so let’s address the issues that currently plague us (Ha Ha!):

DISEASE:

Now, this may come as a shock to many of you, but mankind has faced many plagues over the ages. The most famous one is the infamous “Black Plague” in 1348-1351.

About one fourth of the European population died. Yet, in the end the continent (and humankind) survived.

Corona virus is bad, but it’s just not that bad (yet, as far as we know), however, it is the novelty of this disease and speed of spread that is giving everyone fits.

In the end, this will burn itself out.

More importantly, the hope is that humankind will learn something about the nature of our world, where we can no longer think of any disease outbreak as “localized”.

For better or worse, we are a global community. One member gets sick, we all can get sick.

We can never again assume that we are “immune” to the world’s “ills”. (Wow, two puns in a row!)

So what are we dealing with as a result of this disease?

Isolation

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this “shelter at home” is something we have never had to deal with before.

Never have we had to literally shut down our society to this degree.

Never have we been so confined to quarters. (With the obvious exception of when you were sent to your room for saying, “Shut up!” to your mother. You know who you are.)

What we have ironically learned is that with all of our media devices that incessantly “keep us connected”, we really are not connected without the presence of other people.

Even work, which we bitch about night and day, is suddenly missed.

The fact is, we need each other.

To Much “Together Time”

The diametric opposite of isolation is forced captivity. While we all love our family (and in all seriousness, I do) we suddenly realize how much we miss our “Me” time.

The disruption of our little daily routines (store, gym, etc.) is more disturbing than most of us would have thought, especially when it goes on and on, seemingly without end.

Many of us are like rats in an overcrowded cage, ready to kill one another for a little more breathing room.

(My family is really going to love this.)

Let’s hope that when we are able to resume our activities, we learn to appreciate how much we really took for granted.

Information Overload

We have too much access to too much information. Worse yet, both accurate, valuable information and total bullshit are treated equally today.

And most of us don’t know the difference. Worse, some of us don’t want to know.

What this causes is a constant sense of dread and worry. At the very least, a vague sense of unease.

If you sneeze, you have corona virus. Someone coughs, they have corona virus. Everyday things become death knells.

We worry about family and friends we cannot be with, because the news tells us they could all be dead soon.

This is a time where limiting yourself to one VALID source of information should be enough.

I recommend the CDC website as one of the best.

Hoarding

Given that we live in one of the richest nations on earth, the strange need to hoard everyday products like toilet paper baffles me, especially for a disease that doesn’t cause any GI issues.

I am willing to bet that the vast majority of us already possessed more than we needed, at least for several weeks at a time.

However, this is a great example of “mob” mentality, where suddenly some commodity becomes more valuable than gold.

Who would have ever thought that if they were asked, “What would be the first thing you would stockpile at the end of the world?”, the answer would be, “toilet paper”.

Really? Do you plan to eat it? Weave it into clothes? What the hell is wrong with people?

I’ll tell you what’s wrong.

People are idiots. And people in mobs are even bigger idiots.

What we should all learn is to use your brain, don’t succumb to artificially created panic.

Which brings me to my last topic:

Resolution

As I said at the very beginning, this too will pass. Economies will recover, people will go back to work and back to their daily routines.

We will once again be free to go out to eat and socialize as we desire.

Let us not forget this time, however.

Keep in mind what we missed:

Each other. (But, not too much of each other.)

Let us appreciate what we have. (And not try to get as much of it as we can.)

Kindness and patience. (Which is often sorely lacking.)

And finally, in the face of all the misinformation out there-Stay Skeptical!

I will try to update this post, now that I truly have the time.

Please like and share and stay safe.

Comment below, I’d love to read your thoughts.

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Let’s salute every doctor and nurse

Who are dealing with this virus curse.

For no nation has wealth

If it doesn’t have health

And denying this makes it much worse.