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Entries in NOTWR (19)

Sunday
Aug222021

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 33, 2021

DateSunday, August 22, 2021 at 12:01AM

My physical therapy continues and my shoulder is getting stronger. I had a different physical therapist this past week and she worked me really hard! I was incredibly sore yesterday for the first time in a long time. I still can't lift my arm above my head but I am getting closer!

I watched some of the "We Love New York" homecoming concert on CNN last night (until it was interrupted by the outer bands of Hurricane Henri). The hip hop section was really awesome. I still don't quite understand how having 60,000 people together in a park wasn't considered a COVID-19 super-spreader event, but everyone did have to show proof of vaccination (and kids under 12 a negative test) so I guess that was the argument.


Speaking of the pandemic... don't take bloody horse or cow pills to ward off the disease. Good grief. Just get the damn vaccine, people.

 

 

 


Not much with the pandemic surprises me anymore, but Orlando rationing water so the liquid oxygen used in the treatment process can be sent to hospitals for COVID patients instead definitely surprised me.

 

I own a Chevrolet Bolt. My husband has a Volt. Before the Bolt, I owned a Mitsubishi i-Miev. All are electric cars (the Volt has a gas engine, too). On Friday after the stock market closed, Chevrolet announced a recall of... every Bolt period. Previously, the 2017-2019 model years were recalled due to bad battery modules which could cause fire. Now every car is under the recall and there is a stop sale order as well. So this is a giant hassle but I love the car. It's the best car I've ever owned. I hope the battery issues get sorted quickly.

 


Now to Afghanistan, which remains a war zone. Seriously, did anyone think pulling out of a 20 year un-winnable war was going to be anything less than messy? It's like Americans think every image coming from the region should be all kittens and rainbows, with people lined up orderly, each getting a first class seat and pre-boarding beverage out of terrorist land. That was never going to happen, sad to say. When the State Department started telling Americans and SIV-eligible Afghans to start leaving country months ago, they should have listened. That said, the major pull-out push last weekend was definitely chaotic but within a few days, thousands of people were leaving via government, commercial and private chartered flights.


Both Trump and Biden campaigned on leaving Afghanistan, and rightly so. The media and regular folks alike criticized Trump's draw-down deal with the Taliban, but the only issue was that he didn't include the Afghan government in the plans. The Taliban was always going to regain full control of Afghanistan, it was just a matter of time. Apparently no one in the massive United States military, State Department, Congress or White House had any idea the paper army would fold in a couple days. I guess that's what 83 billion taxpayer dollars gets you. That's how much it cost to train up that "army" folks.

 


As I watched the news a few days ago, I was pretty scared for the Americans and Afghans left behind. I feel sorrow for the mothers who are so desperate they were throwing their babies at American troops to try and get them out of the country... but I also grew increasingly mad, too. Why the hell was the U.S. in Afghanistan for so long (and for so little) anyway? Why is the media giving Bush and Cheney a free pass on this mess? That administration failed to capture Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora and that just set off a cascade of events that left American troops further embedded in the country. Before Barack Obama surged troops to Afghanistan to more than 100,000 at the peak in 2011, Joe Biden fought him tooth and nail the whole way. They were on opposite ends of the spectrum on the issue, with Biden wanting to pull out of the region a decade ago.



As the years wore on, Afghanistan become known as the forgotten war. This wasn't just because Americans quit thinking and talking about it. The media stopped covering it too.


So call me callous. As long as every American gets out of Afghanistan, I'm good. Thanks to all the Americans who are currently serving there for the evacuation operations and to all those who deployed in the past twenty years. It wasn't all for nothing, but the costs in lives and money sure were (are) very high.

 


And I leave you with this: a Disney World vacation is about to get even more expensive. Get ready to pay for shorter lines and surge prices for the best attractions. It's confusing and if you are planning a Disney trip, this is something you should study carefully!


AuthorAllyson B. Crawford | Comment1 Comment |
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Sunday
Aug152021

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 32, 2021

DateSunday, August 15, 2021 at 02:47PM
The news over the past week was dominated primarily by four stories: the continued COVID-19 crisis in southern U.S. states, the departure of American troops from Afghanistan, a massive and deadly earthquake in Haiti and the return of football as the NFL preseason kicked off.


Things are bad in Florida with the Delta variant causing COVID-19 to spread everywhere across the state it seems.



As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues his b.s. tour of blaming everyone and everything for the virus instead of encouraging preventative measures, folks are fact-checking him in real time:



Of course, the first point of mitigating spread is so folks don't get sick and die. The other main reason is to protect the healthcare system. There are so few hospital and ICU beds in the south that it is scary. Don't forget it's hurricane season too...




America's war in Afghanistan is 20 years old, which is about 20 years longer than we ever needed to be there in the first place. The Biden administration announced a final troop pullout back in April and it began in earnest a couple weeks ago. Now the country is in shambles and the Afghan National Army (ANA) just gave up and surrendered to the Taliban. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani took off and fled the country, signaling a collapse of the official government. There sure is a lot of unpack here:


1. The end result of the Taliban retaking power was inevitable. Why was American intelligence so poor that military officials believed it would take months - instead of days - for this to occur?


2. Why did 20 years of U.S. military training, huge supplies of state-of-the-art weapons and infusions of monthly payments fail to produce a strong ANA? This is rhetorical, but I will answer it anyway: because you can't impose your own beliefs about democracy and the will to fight on other people (and nations). The individuals have to believe in the cause and do so without fear. Also, you can't beat guerrilla (or tribal) warfare. See Viet Cong.



3. Why were U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan in the first place? The 9/11 terrorist attacks, of course. Why have U.S. forces stayed in the region so long after allies left? No exit plan (see Bush/Cheney), a fear of military failure, a desire for nation building, a patriotic belief that it is America's job to "fix everything" and "help everyone." That last part isn't a dig, by the way. I am proud so many nation's around the world respect America, our wealth and especially our military might. Still, hard power can't always fix everything.


4. Why did the Trump administration - especially Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - so ardently believe the Taliban were worthy partners in peace and were negotiating in good faith? Why did the Biden administration keep Trump's draw-down deadline?



President Biden is now sending more troops in to Afghanistan to rescue Americans and the Afghan partners who have helped us all these years. I hope they all get out safely and that the evacuations occur quickly. One thing to note: the Taliban knows not to engage with U.S. troops. They certainly live in the stone age, but they are not so stupid as to know that engaging with American military will mean certain - and massive - retaliation against them.


A final thought, er, question on Afghanistan: of those who believe leaving the region at this time was the wrong decision, then when was the right time to go? Another year? Decade? Never?



Poor Haiti, man. A decade ago the country was just about destroyed by a big earthquake. Earlier this week, another massive quake hit the island. Over 700 are confirmed dead now and more certainly will be in the coming days.




Football (the NFL kind) is back! I watched my Bengals against the Buccaneers last night in preseason play. The Bengals won, edging out the current Super Bowl champs! Of course, Bengals QB Joe Burrow didn't take any snaps - he is still recovering from a massive knee injury - but the rest of the team looked really promising. Oh and this happened at a different game - people are nuts:



And since we're on football, I leave you with this:


AuthorAllyson B. Crawford | Comment8 Comments |
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Sunday
Aug082021

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 31, 2021

DateSunday, August 8, 2021 at 04:21PM
I started PT for my shoulder this week and things are looking up! Just (at least) 8 more weeks to go!


There was a lot of news last week - it was kind of hard to keep up with it all. I'm in the middle of a big work project too, plus Big Brother is ongoing so I have to keep up with the game via the live feeds.


First off, this is a thing apparently. TikTok is just ridiculous, I swear.



New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is embroiled in a massive scandal involving allegations of sexual assault. Something like 11 women have accused him of inappropriate conduct at this point. He should resign but is refusing to do so. The Democratic state legislature is going to impeach him.




The Delta variant means COVID-19 is surging in America again. The good news is that more folks in the southern states are finally getting vaccinated. The bad news is that it will take weeks to get out of the Delta mess we're in. Also, masks are coming back in lots of places and stuff is getting canceled again. It didn't have to be this way.





Happy International Cat Day!



And I leave you with this:


AuthorAllyson B. Crawford | Comment11 Comments |
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Sunday
Aug012021

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 30, 2021

DateSunday, August 1, 2021 at 03:57PM

So now it's August. I can't believe we're already into the eighth month of the year and summer is winding down. It's been a mixed bag summer for me so far. I did get to go to Walt Disney World in June. The following week, I was on a normal training run, tripped and broke my shoulder (I've never broken a bone before). So the past six weeks I've been in a sling and also not permitted to drive. Of course I broke my right shoulder, which is my dominant arm. That means typing - especially at the beginning of my injury - was ridiculously painful and slow. In fact, whenever I had to write something, I would peck it out with my left hand only. You'll note I never missed posting a single day during this entire fiasco.

I am hopeful that I get good news at my next round of X-rays next week and that I get out of my sling and can start to rehab and drive again. I assume physical therapy is going to be painful, but it is what it is. I have to get my arm back to full range of motion. The accident meant the half marathon I was training for isn't happening now, either. I deferred my registration until next year. Oh well I guess. I've read it can take a full year to get back to optimal strength. I want to start lifting weights again soon. 

I can't believe I haven't been in a pool all summer yet (thanks again, sling!). I am hoping to get some pool time this month. And last night I saw my first concert since the beforetimes! I saw Brit Floyd with Eric and my friend Joe. It was a fun, sold-out show with great music. Who can argue with "Comfortably Numb" live?

Since my injury, I've had lots of time to read books, watch news and stare at the wall. The news over the past week was a lot about the Olympics and the resurgence of COVID-19 thanks to the Delta variant and the unvaccinated.

The single biggest story out of the Tokyo Olympics is gymnast superstar Simone Biles pulling out of competitions to focus on her mental health. And good for her. Elite athletes are not toys built for our amusement, programmed to "perform" on a whim. Not being in the right headspace when flipping and flying through the air is dangerous. Simone is smart for knowing when to step back. Hopefully her actions bring more awareness to mental health, period. Gymnastics is a career for Simone, the same way some of us program computers, write articles or teach kids. When work pushes too hard and things become overwhelming, all of us has the absolute right to push back and protect ourselves.

 

 

 


Florida is ground zero for the current COVID-19 surge. The state is setting new records for cases and hospitalizations, despite the fact that there is a vaccine that can basically stop the virus in its tracks. The vaccine is available to everyone in America, for free and basically on demand at this point. But alas, here we are.

 

 


The massive numbers of unvaccinated folks in America - along with some new study findings - lead the CDC to reverse decisions on masking. Now, if you live in a COVID "red zone" the CDC says you should mask indoors regardless of vaccination status. That's because the CDC now knows that even vaccinated folks can transmit the disease - with high viral loads. This is disappointing news to learn of course.

 

 

 


And I leave you with these interesting images:

 

AuthorAllyson B. Crawford | Comment11 Comments |
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Sunday
Jul252021

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 29, 2021

DateSunday, July 25, 2021 at 05:18PM

A weekly roundup of news stories that caught my eye this past week. The Olympics kicked off with no fans which is pretty sad and provides an overall weird vibe. I've watched a few competitions so far, but I am most interested in female gymnastics and the marathon. Now, the news:


Under the banner "You reap what you sow," a.k.a., don't try to overthrow the U.S. government:


The NFL is cracking down on players who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19. As cases continue to rise because of the Delta variant, the league is fed up and not messing around. It's a mandate without effectively instituting a mandate. A smart legal maneuver.

 


If you get COVID and have a cat, don't touch the animal while sick. The felines can get the respiratory disease too and no one wants a sick kitty.



Speaking of Olympics and the NFL, here's some information on weight lifting which might be helpful if you are trying to drop a few pounds.



A thousand-year rainfall event in China caused massive flooding. Waters rushed into streets and homes and subway cars. The videos out of the subway are things nightmares are made of - truly horrifying.

 


And I leave you with this:

 

AuthorAllyson B. Crawford | Comment1 Comment |
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