QUARANTINE BLOG # 224

November 9, 2020

The Quarantine Blog usually only recognizes birthdays for those whose numbering stops with their total number of fingers and toes, but today is a special day for one reader who needs her fingers and toes, my fingers and toes, and the fingers from one volunteer.  Today is the birthday of one formerly known as the “Short Little Militant Sisler Kid.”

Jennifer Daryln Eastman, our first born (her earliest pronunciation of her name was “Jeffo Dah-yeen”) is 50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AepyGm9Me6w years old today.  Happy Birthday, Jen!

👉  As predicted in QB 213, Los Angels Dodger’s third baseman, Justin Turner, will not be disciplined for going onto the field to celebrate the World Series title with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates after he tested positive for COVID-19.  Turner was removed after seven innings of Game 6 against Tampa Bay on October 27 after MLB informed the Dodgers of the test result, which was received during the sixth inning.  He returned to the field after Los Angeles won 3-1 to earn the title, took off his mask and posed for a photograph with teammates.

“Our investigation revealed additional relevant information that, while not exonerating Mr. Turner from responsibility for his conduct, helps put into context why he chose to leave the isolation room and return to the field,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Friday.  Commissioner Manfred blathered on he believes Turner received incorrect information from an unidentified person.  Sounds like the voodoo of “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit.”

Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, “While the events following the conclusion of the World Series were unfortunate, there is no question about who Justin Turner is, and what he means to his teammates, the Dodger organization and the City of Los Angeles.”

One reader of this blog pointed out, correctly, that Turner had been in the dugout and on the field with his teammates for 6 innings and had already exposed them to the coronavirus.  

True.  Absolutely true.  

But that is not the point.  The point is Turner was told to go into isolation, and for whatever reason, left it.  There was a rule, and the rule was ignored and broken, and because of “who Justin Turner is” (says Stan Kasten) the powers that be have deemed it okay to break the rules.  Buffalo biscuits!  Certain political groups around the country have been shouting that there are two sets of rules, and so they are justified in breaking them.  The Turner-Manfred-Kasten stupidity adds weight to their argument.  There must be rules!  The same rules for everyone!  Without them, our society is doomed to collapse, and great will be the fall thereof.

👉  Royal Caribbean will resume sailings with short cruises to its private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, once it has fulfilled the new requirements issued last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Service, said, “We do not have all of the details yet fleshed out.”

In the COVID-19 era, there are a multitude of requirements that must be met, requirements that will change the face of cruising: coronavirus testing for 100% of passengers and crews prior to boarding; wearing face masks on board and during excursions when physical distancing is not possible; increased ventilation on board; social distancing while on ships, private islands, excursions, and terminals; no private shore excursions; and dedicated cabins for isolation (I think Bonnie and I have already cruised in one or two of those – especially on Royal Caribbean).

👉  Several of our blog readers are in high school or college where they are required to write, what used to be called “term papers.”  With some institutions requiring weekly papers, I’m not sure what to call them, but for all of you who produce these literary gems, Charlie Brown’s little sister Sally, writes one you may wish to use as a guide:

Sally can shovel with the best of them.

👉  We haven’t heard from our “Did You Know Department” in sometime, and some strange things have come to light.

DYK that banging your head against a wall for one hour burns 150 calories.  We all feel sometimes like some particular task is like the proverbial banging, but DYK does not recommend it as an exercise.  

DYK that in Switzerland it is illegal to own just one guinea pig.  This is because guinea pigs are social animals, and they are considered victims of abuse if they are alone.  This from the people who brought you secret banking, and legal assisted suicide (but only if the motives are altruistic – selfish self-suicide is a crime in Switzerland).

DYK that 7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.  I know 7% doesn’t sound like a lot, but that actually works out at 16.4 million American adults.  Sounds like a lot now, right?

DYK that movie trailers were originally shown after the movie, which is why they were called “trailers.”  The problem with the trailers showing after the film was that audience wouldn’t stay around to watch them, making the trailers rather ineffective.  I still call them “previews.”

DYK that the average male gets bored of a shopping trip after 26 minutes.  Meanwhile, women don’t get tired of shopping until around 2 hours!  So next time you see a couple at a retail store with a bored looking boyfriend, you know they’ve been out for more than half an hour.  That’s one more proof I’m not normal – I get bored just thinking about going shopping, let alone actually going shopping.

👉  The Monday sermon returns with, “Jesus and the Man Born Blind,” a message from the Crawfordville pulpit.  This is the second in a series about the interviews of Jesus with individuals http://davidsisler.com/christian/Jesus_and_the_Man_Born_Blind.mp3.

👉  We conclude today with the story behind a beautiful and powerful hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

We think of Martin Luther as a great reformer, Bible translator, political leader, fiery preacher, and theologian. But he was also a musician. He grew up listening to his mother sing. He joined a boys’ choir that sang at weddings and funerals.

When the Protestant Reformation began, Luther determined to restore worship to the German Church. He worked with skilled musicians to create new music for Christians, to be sung in the vernacular. He helped revive congregational singing and wrote a number of hymns.

Often he “borrowed” popular secular melodies for his hymns, though occasionally a tune brought criticism and he was “compelled to let the devil have it back again” because it was too closely associated with bars and taverns.

Luther’s most famous hymn is “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott,” – “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Based on Psalm 46, it reflects Luther’s awareness of our intense struggle with Satan. This is a difficult hymn to translate because the original German is so vivid. At least eighty English versions are available. The most popular in America was done by Frederic Henry Hodge.

The hymn begins, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing,” and ends “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever!”  Enjoy the entire hymn as performed by Fountainview Academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBhVuCcz9GI.

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