QUARANTINE BLOG # 506

August 18, 2021

Laura Morris, a teacher in Virginia, resigned in front of the school board Tuesday, stating in an emotional speech that she refused to continue pushing their “highly politicized agendas.”

“Within the last year, I was in one of my so-called equity trainings [and was told] that White, Christian, able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools and quote, this has to change.  Clearly, you’ve made your point.  You no longer value me or many other teachers you’ve employed in this county.  School board, I quit,” she said.  Choking up, she added: “I quit your policies, I quit your training, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly politicized agendas to our most vulnerable constituents – children.”

👍  The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster vaccination eight months after they received their second shot.  The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents, health care workers and emergency workers.  They would probably be followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year, then by the general population.

👉  COVID-19 is surging in the Caribbean, and Martinique has advised tourists to leave the island immediately.  “The situation is extremely serious,” French Overseas Territories Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.  “There are infection rates that have never been seen, not just in these territories, but all of France.”  In addition to asking tourists to leave, all shops have been closed with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies, as have all beaches, hotels, and holiday rentals.  Residents can only go within an approximate half-mile radius of their homes.

👉  NASA is seeking applicants for a “one-year mission to simulate life on a distant world” to live in a 1,700-square-foot habitat with three other people on Earth.  NASA plans to observe humans in a Mars-like situation on Earth so it can study the challenges that might crop up during a future mission to the red planet.  NASA warns that the crew will experience simulated problems like those humans might face on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and other environmental stressors.  The posting calls for healthy and motivated U.S. citizens between the ages of 30 and 55 years old, plus a STEM master’s degree or sufficient experience piloting an aircraft. 

👎  Ok, this is going too far!  I have applauded all of the measures that the cruise industry has taken to get back at sea (and I believe firmly that they have been held to standards that other members of the entertainment and travel industry have not), but this is going too far.  Carnival Cruise Line is temporarily moving to an every-other-day bacon schedule at its Lido Buffet fleetwide.  The people who supply the company are having trouble finding bacon.  I think part of the problem is people who heap up bacon for breakfast and throw half of it away.  Require the buffet line crew to serve it, and make guests come back for seconds.  Okay.  Ranting and raving is concluded.

👉  And now back to Washington monuments.

The Heald Square Monument is a Chicago landmark, an 11-foot tall bronze sculpture by Larado Taft showing General George Washington standing between the two principal financiers of the American Revolution, Robert Morris and Haym Salomon.

Robert Morris loaned $10,000 of his own money to the government when the Continental Army lacked the funds to continue fighting the war.  Haym Salomon sold bonds to provide funds for the Revolutionary War effort, and arranged for a loan to help George Washington pay his soldiers.  Salomon died penniless shortly after the Revolutionary War, having donated everything he owned to the war effort.

What makes this beautiful sculpture particularly interesting is the little-known bronze plaque on the back side of the granite base, showing a seated Statue of Liberty. In this depiction, Lady Liberty is “stretching out her arms to welcome all.”

Tomorrow, Washington Place historical district.

👉  Next, some “smilies”

👉  And some signs for the times:

👉  Mis-Nomenclature:

• The funny bone isn’t a bone; it’s a nerve.

• Catgut isn’t made from cats; it’s made from sheep.

• French fries were invented not in France, but in Belgium.

• Koala bears aren’t bears; they’re marsupials.

• A ten-gallon hat holds only about three quarts of liquid.

And now you know.  Aren’t you glad QB told you?

👉  Today’s close, “Peace Amid Danger,” is from The Songs of Jesus, by Timothy Keller.

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people (Psalm 3:1-8).

David’s son Absalom was trying to kill him. The seeds of that family dysfunction are David’s own fault. He had wanted Absalom’s love so much he never corrected him, even when Absalom murdered one of his brothers. Now David is fleeing to save his own life. In this prayer he realizes that neither a son’s love nor popular acclaim can serve as a person’s worth or security. David relocates his glory and hope to God and finds peace despite danger. God is the only one who sustains you, whether an army is pursuing you or you are at home in your own bed. God sustains every breath you take.

Prayer: Lord and Savior, I am facing so many troubles, some of my own making. But I can hold my head up because I am your child and servant. So be my shield – protect me. And be my glory – give me confidence that you are with me and will bring me through this. Help me! Amen.

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