The Good News is ....

          

New Yorkers are giving nightly ovations to health workers.
 

 As the latest unemployment numbers show, people across the country are struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. That's why actor and director Tyler Perry helped out grocery shoppers in two hard-hit cities in the outbreak. On Wednesday, he paid for customers' groceries at 29 Winn-Dixie locations during shopping hours for seniors and high-risk individuals, the company said. In Atlanta, he picked up the tab at 44 Kroger stores.

 A New York City landlord is giving his 200 tenants one less thing to worry about amid the coronavirus pandemic as he waived rent for the month of April. "I want everybody to be healthy. That's the whole thing," Mario Salerno stated, emphatically. He said after some of his tenants told him that they were worried about paying rent because they lost their jobs due to the pandemic, he decided to take action.

 

A group of nurses in Nashville prayed together on the helipad atop the hospital in an uplifting scene during the coronavirus crisis. They prayed for patients and their families.

 

 Inspiring photo shows medical workers flying to New York to fight coronavirus

 

Surgeon, Elvis Francois, on a break, sings "Lean on Me"

Bon Jovi pitches in by washing dishes at his non profit restaurant, JBJ Soul Kitchen. His kitchen is feeding  hundreds of homeless or desperate folks during the pandemic.
 

 A senior citizen, married for 67 years, honors his wife by standing outside of her window at the nursing home where she has been isolated due to the Covid 19 pandemic.


Father Scott Holmer, a Catholic priest at a parish in Maryland, has started hearing drive- thru confessions  in his church's parking lot for the duration of the pandemic. He keeps the regulation six feet social distance from the driver's window.
 

New Yorkers sing to each other from their apartments to cheer each other up and prove that isolation does not have to mean that you are alone.

The good news is, that during an emergency or a disaster, people step up to the plate and prove they are compassionate, generous and human. Stay safe and stay well.

Truth and fiction ... Covid 19

TRUE or FALSE?

COVID-19 only spreads in hot and humid climates.

FALSE

Current evidence shows that COVID-19 can spread in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather.

TRUE or FALSE? Cold weather can kill COVID 19

FALSE

Cold weather and snow cannot kill COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? A vaccine is available to protect against COVID-19.

FALSE

There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19.  The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.


TRUE or FALSE? COVID-19 only infects older people and individuals living with chronic conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart disease).

FALSE

COVID-19 infects people of all ages, including children. However older people and individuals living with chronic conditions appear to be more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with the virus. People of all ages need to take steps to protect themselves. This is why it is important to wash your hands often, and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Pets can spread COVID-19.

FALSE

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans. However, you should always wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds after touching pets. As a precautionary measure, if you have COVID-19 symptoms or are self-isolating due to contact with a COVID-19 case, you should follow similar recommendations around animals as you would around people in these circumstances.


TRUE or FALSE? Some diets can protect you from getting COVID-19?

FALSE

There is no evidence that diets such as low carb diet can protect your from getting COVID-19. Eating healthy food is good for your overall health. However, the best protection against getting COVID-19 remains washing your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Social media provides good advice on COVID-19

FALSE

You should only go to reliable sources for the source of truth on COVID-19. This includes www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19, Government of Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO).  Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on social media and in some cases the misinformation can be harmful to individuals if followed.  It is important to use reliable sources of information. There is currently no cure for COVID-19. The best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

TRUE or FALSE? Antibiotics are effective in preventing and treating COVID-19?

FALSE

COVID-19 is a virus, and therefore antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. If you are hospitalized for COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.

Beware of social media rumors and fake news about Covid 19. Stay safe and stay healthy.

Steve Jobs' Last Words

 

Steve Jobs' last words:

He died a billionaire at 56 yrs, of Pancreatic Cancer, and here are his last words from his sick bed:

"I reached the pinnacle of success in ...the business world. In others’ eyes my life is an epitome of success.

However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.
At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and
wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.
Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – "Life".
When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – "Book of Healthy Life".
Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends...
Treat yourself well. Cherish others.
As we grow older, and hence wiser, we slowly realize that wearing a $300 or $30 watch - they both tell the same time...
Whether we carry a $300 or $30 wallet/handbag - the amount of money inside is the same;
Whether we drive a $150,000 car or a $30,000 car, the road and distance is the same, and we get to the same destination.
Whether we drink a bottle of $300 or $10 wine - the hangover is the same;
Whether the house we live in is 300 or 3000 sq ft - loneliness is the same.
You will realize, your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.
Whether you fly first or economy class, if the plane goes down - you go down with it...
Therefore.. I hope you realize, when you have mates, buddies and old friends, brothers and sisters, who you chat with, laugh with, talk with, have sing songs with, talk about north-south-east-west or heaven and earth, .... That is true happiness!!
Five Undeniable Facts of Life :
1. Don't educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be Happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things not the price.
2. Best awarded words in London ... "Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food."
3. The One who loves you will never leave you for another because even if there are 100 reasons to give up he or she will find one reason to hold on.
4. There is a big difference between a human being and being human.
Only a few really understand it.
5. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, You have to manage!
NOTE: If you just want to Walk Fast, Walk Alone! But if you want to Walk Far, Walk Together!
Six Best Doctors in the World
1. Sunlight
2. Rest
3. Exercise
4. Diet
5. Self Confidence and
6. Friends
Maintain them in all stages of Life and enjoy a healthy life.

Definitely words to live by … Shadow

Honoring those who served, past and present

 

 

 

Each day, an average of 294 American veterans of World War II die. This Veterans Day provides an opportunity to honor those rapidly dwindling survivors, most of them now in their 90s and 100s. Of the 16 million American soldiers who fought, only 389,292 were alive this year, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

 

“Every day, memories of World War II, its sights and sounds, terrors and triumphs, disappear,” says the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, which seeks to explain the Allied victory and the price of freedom.
The day now known as Veterans Day began in 1919, a year after the World War I Armistice with Germany, which occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
In proclaiming the holiday, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said he hoped the day “will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory.” As we remember those who served, take a moment of silence to honor their sacrifice.

 

ANOTHER MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARY IN NOVEMBER

 

Thirty years ago, on November 9, 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall came amid revolution, five days after 500,000 people gathered in protest. A spokesman for communist East Germany announced that its citizens could finally cross the border whenever they wanted, and the demolition of the wall commenced with hammers and picks.

 

After World War II, a defeated Germany had been divided into four “allied occupation zones,” occupied by the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and France. As it created an Iron Curtain between communist East Germany and West Germany, Berliners could navigate freely across the divided city.
That ended in 1961. The Berlin Wall began overnight: Barbed wire, cinder blocks and then concrete dividing east and west. East Germany built the wall to stem the tide of East Germans—2.5 million of them—who had fled west. About 5,000 East Germans were captured trying to get over the wall; 190 were killed.
All that ended in November 1989. Mr Gorbachev took down the wall.

 





Impeachment: This week's events

 



What's up with the Turks and the Kurds ??

Why is Turkey bombing the Kurds in Syria?

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in northern Syria, as Turkish forces step up their cross-border offensive on Kurdish-held areas. International clamour has increased for Turkey to halt the attack.  Martin Patience explains what's behind the conflict.

 

 

Turkey-Syria offensive: Kurds reach deal with Syrian army

 

Kurds

 

The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey's offensive against them. Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces had been deployed to the north. It follows the US decision to pull all its remaining troops from the area over the "untenable" situation there.

The Turkish assault, launched last week, is aimed at forcing Kurdish forces from along the border area. Areas under control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the area, have come under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making gains in two key border towns.

Dozens of civilians and fighters have been killed on both sides. In a separate development on Sunday, Kurdish officials said nearly 800 relatives of foreign Islamic State (IS) members had escaped from Ain Issa, a camp in the north, as clashes raged nearby.

 

The Turkish offensive and US withdrawal has drawn an international outcry, as the SDF were the main Western allies in the battle against IS in Syria. But Turkey views elements of the Kurdish groups within the force as terrorists and says it wants to drive them away from a "safe zone" reaching 30km into Syria.

It also plans to resettle more than three million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey within the zone. Many of them are not Kurds. Critics have warned this could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population.

 

What's the deal? 

The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said the Syrian army would deploy along the entire length of the border as part of the agreement. This deployment would assist the SDF in countering "this aggression and liberating the areas that the Turkish army and mercenaries had entered", it said in a statement. The move also "paves the way to liberate the rest of the Syrian cities occupied by the Turkish army such as Afrin", it added. Turkish forces and pro-Turkey Syrian rebels forced Kurdish fighters from Afrin back in 2018 after a two-month operation.

 

The deal represents a significant shift in alliances for the Kurds, after losing the military protection of their long-term US partners in the area. It is not yet known what the Syrian government has committed to. However SDF chief Mazloum Abdi acknowledged "there would be painful compromises" with the Assad government and its Russian allies, in an article for Foreign Policy magazine.

"We do not trust their promises. To be honest, it is hard to know whom to trust," he writes.

"But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people."

The deal follows US President Donald Trump's surprise move last week to pull troops from pockets in the north-east, effectively paving the way for the Turkish operation against the Kurdish fighters. At the time, the SDF called the move "a stab in the back".

 

What about the latest US withdrawal?

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper earlier announced the Pentagon was moving up to 1,000 troops away from the north after learning that Turkey was pushing further into Syria than previously expected.

Describing the situation there as "untenable", he said the SDF had been "looking to cut a deal" with the Syrian government and Russia to counter the Turkish attack. This, he continued, would leave the US forces stuck between "two opposing advancing armies".

Hours after Mr Esper's comments, Syria said it was deploying its forces to the north to "confront a Turkish aggression". It is not yet clear where exactly the troops are being sent.

On Sunday, President Trump tweeted that it was "very smart" not to be involved in the fighting "for a change", saying engagement in Middle East conflict was a mistake.

 

What has Turkey seized so far ?

Turkey is pushing deeper into northern Syria.  On Sunday, President Erdogan said his forces had already captured 109 sq km (42 square miles) of territory, including 21 villages. He told reporters the key border town of Ras al-Ain had come under Turkish control - though the SDF said they had pushed Turkish forces back to the town's outskirts.

 

Mr Erdogan said Turkish forces had also besieged the town of Tal Abyad, some 120km (75 miles) away. The UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Turkey was in almost complete control there.

Both Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad are key goals in the Turkish offensive against the SDF. Turkey also announced that its Syrian allies on the ground had seized a key motorway - called M4 - some 30-35km south of the border.

What are the casualty figures?

They're rising, with civilians killed on both sides of the border:
More than 50 civilians and over 100 Kurdish fighters killed in north-eastern Syria, SOHR says
SDF says the Kurdish forces' death toll is 56 and Turkey gives a higher figure of 440.  Eighteen civilians killed in southern Turkey, according to Turkish reports, and four Turkish soldiers and 16 pro-Turkish Syrian fighters killed in Syria.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA says up to 160,000 civilians are now on the move and it expects the number to rise. It says it is increasingly concerned about the safety of its staff in the region.What about IS? The fighting has spilled over to areas close to IS detainee camps.  Fears that Kurdish forces will be unable to keep IS prisoners confined appeared to have been realized when officials at the Ain Issa camp said nearly 800 relatives of foreign IS members had escaped.

 

The SDF says it is currently holding more than 12,000 suspected IS members in seven prisons, and at least 4,000 of them are foreign nationals. IS has claimed recent car bombings and on Saturday declared a new campaign in Syria. Turkey says it will take responsibility for IS prisoners it finds during its offensive. A whole new, Middle East 'Pandora's Box' has been opened. Thank you Mr Trump.



Violence peaks in Hong Kong

 

 

 

The 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China was "one of Hong Kong's most violent and chaotic days", the city's police chief has said. An 18-year-old protester was shot in the chest with a live bullet - one of six live rounds fired by police. Protesters - armed with petrol bombs and projectiles - fought pitched battles with police in several parts of Hong Kong. In total, 104 people were taken to hospital and 180 were arrested. Police chief Stephen Lo said 25 officers were also injured.

In the days leading up the anniversary, tensions were high in Hong Kong, which always sees protests on the anniversary. This year, however, Hong Kong has seen four months of protests sparked by proposed changes to an extradition bill.  Though the changes have been abandoned, the unrest has continued, expanding into demands for greater democracy.

 

 

The shooting of Tsang Chi-kin, who was attacking an officer with a pole, was captured on video and shared online.
"My chest is hurting, I need to go to hospital," the 18-year-old said. The government said he was in a stable condition.
Although people have been shot with rubber bullets in previous protests, this was the first injury from a live round. Mr Lo said firing the bullet was "lawful and reasonable" as the officer thought his and colleagues' lives were under threat. Asked why the bullet was fired at close range, Mr Lo said:
"He [the officer] did not decide the distance between him and the assailant."

What made Tuesday different?

In Beijing, the anniversary of Communist Party rule saw a parade of Chinese military might: 15,000 troops, 580 pieces of equipment, and 160 aircraft.
In Hong Kong, some 1,200 miles away, protesters marked the day somewhat differently.
Peaceful marches soon exploded into violence. BBC reporter Tessa Wong, who was on the streets, said protesters fought "pitched battles" with officers.
Shortly before Tsang Chi-kin was shot, men wearing helmets and gas masks attacked an officer on the ground with a pole.
An officer responded by firing his gun at close range.
Elsewhere, protesters threw petrol bombs, started fires, and ran at officers. Police responded with water cannon, tear gas, and - in total - six live rounds.
The day saw the highest number of arrests since this year's protests began, and the highest number of live rounds fired.

 

 

  

What explains the anger?

The protests were sparked earlier this year by a proposed law, which would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. Opponents thought this would put Hong Kongers at risk of unfair trials, and, in July, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the law "was dead". But, despite the law being withdrawn, the protests continued every weekend.  Clashes between police and protesters created their own momentum, and there is wider discontent, now.

Recent years have seen growing opposition to the perceived encroachment of Beijing on Hong Kong's politics and threats to local identity.  Many young people have economic worries, and there are also demands for universal suffrage for elections to Hong Kong's parliament.  As China showed off its superpower status in Beijing, violence in Hong Kong - a special administrative region of China - was inevitable.

What is the background?

Until 1997, Hong Kong was a British territory. Since then, it has been part of China but with its own system of law and government - known as One Country, Two Systems. Hong Kong has its own judiciary and a separate legal system. Rights including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are protected. But those freedoms - the Basic Law - expire in 2047. It is not clear what Hong Kong's status will be then.