March 23, 2021
If you are working on your travel plans for an upcoming getaway, Quarantine Blog offers the following information on who’s open and who’s not (mostly it’s not). Italy, alas, is not open.
Currently most Caribbean islands are open, as are many African nations, a few in Asia, and one or two along the Adriatic Coast. The so-called experts are predicting some places will open up come summer, and some places will likely hold off until the fall. Which sounds like the weather bureau came up with that one – there is a 40% chance that it will, which means there is a 60% chance that it won’t.
Belize is ready for visitors today. If you’ve had both Fauci Ouchies, and have your vaccination card, you may proceed, and if you are a diver, take in the Great Blue Hole. Otherwise, you can be tested upon arrival at a cost of $50.
If you have won a Wheel of Fortune vacation to one of the Caribbean spots, entry is easy (kind of) if you follow the rules. For Aruba, you must fill out a health assessment and have a negative Covid-19 test result. JetBlue passengers can take an at-home, saliva-based test. You must purchase Aruba Visitor's Insurance.
Barbados, one of the prettiest of the island destinations, is very demanding. US citizens must complete an online travel form and submit it 24 hours before leaving. You must present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test result, taken within 72 hours of arrival. All travelers must take a rapid antigen test on arrival. As the US is designated a high-risk country, you must still quarantine at an approved hotel or resort until you get a second test and negative result. The quarantine is a minimum of five nights. You must also wear an electronic tracking bracelet.
If you want information on a destination not mentioned above, check out the CNN Travel site.
** Workers at a hotel in Scarborough, England, were renovating the historic building when they stumbled onto a treasure trove of World War II–era memorabilia. They included evidence of a long-lost romance: a few time-worn, handwritten love letters. In their exchanges, the pair express loneliness. One note says, “You are always in my thoughts night and day.” In another, “Wherever you may go my darling don’t ever forget that I love you more than anything else on earth.”
** With millions of people being vaccinated against the coronavirus every day, several countries have begun exploring a possible solution to this problem: vaccine passports. A vaccine passport would grant access to activities that are off-limits to others – whether it’s international travel, bars and restaurants, gyms or group gatherings.
There are no official plans for a vaccine passport in the U.S. just yet, but President Biden has ordered his administration to “assess the feasibility.” But there is the usual hand-wringing debate. Even though such a health guarantee could allow businesses to open their doors to vaccinated customers, others argue that the passports would make inequities worse because poor people are being vaccinated at a lower rate than wealthy white people. That’s right. Don’t do something that will help us all because poor people are not getting the FREE vaccine.
** Every American culture has little sayings that are unique to them. The South is definitely no exception. Most common country phrases get lost in translation to those without a southern drawl. So I’m fixin’ to give you a list of some favorite southern slang.
Ever had someone say, “Don’t get your panties in a wad?” This phrase refers to someone who’s all riled up about something not worth the hissy fit. So if someone brings up your knotted knickers or squirmy step-ins in conversation, you might want to cool down.
Now, before you think your friend’s mama is giving you a sweet compliment when she says, “Aw, bless your heart,” you might want to double-check for sarcasm. However, “bless your heart” can be another way to say “thank you.”
Check out this video for 15 more.
** Eugene Peterson gives a good paraphrase of today’s Lenten text, Hebrews 5:1-6: “No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, ‘You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!’ In another place God declares, ‘You’re a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.’”
A. J. Gossip, a Scottish pastor and professor of days gone by, told his students that when he was ordained to the ministry he felt as if the people were saying to him: “We are for ever involved in the dust and the heat of the day; we have to spend our time getting and spending; we have to serve at the counter, to toil at the desk, to make the wheels of industry go round. We want you to be set apart so that you can go in to the secret place of God and come back every Sunday with a word from him to us.” The priest is the link between God and man.
In Israel the priest had one special function, to offer sacrifice for the sins of the people. The qualifications for a priest were specific: he had to be one with his people, bound up with them in the bundle of life; he was not self-appointed, but God-appointed; the priesthood was not an office, but a calling, a work for which he was chosen.
Jesus, our great High Priest, did not choose his task. God chose him for it – at his baptism a voice said to Jesus, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (Psalms 2:7). Jesus went through the bitterest experiences we have ever experienced and understands humanity in all its strength and weakness. Because of those experiences Jesus is our perfect Savior. The salvation which Jesus brought is something which keeps us safe both in time and in eternity.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment