All in Columns
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column arguing that while a stay-at-home order might be justified as an initial response to an immediate and poorly understood public-health threat, it wasn’t “sustainable” for more than a few weeks. The piece generated more than the usual amount of snark and hate mail. I was being “ignorant” and “reckless” and “irresponsible.”
Most of us have heard the term “unintended consequence.” The term refers to the fallout, usually unanticipated, of an action or situation. Two of my older grandchildren are being impacted by unintended consequences of the coronavirus shutdown on high school and college students.
We are only days away now from President Trump's announcement concerning the direction our country will take in dealing with the coronavirus, and getting our economy going again. By working together we can emerge even stronger than we were before this "silent plague" came our way. There are creatures among us that can help us understand how important it is to work together, and how we can live our lives with more meaning and purpose just by observing them.
As we temporarily shut down Church services as well as many other activities throughout our land, there are several things we should keep in mind. First of all, this is not the time to panic.
A lot has changed in the last month. For many of us, we have seen changes in how we live, work and shop. One thing that hasn’t changed, is that local farms, farmers markets and garden centers are (mostly) still open. These businesses are considered essential services in accordance with statewide stay at home orders.
I did not know I would endure my own trio of “deaths” over a four-day period. First, my wireless router died, turning my home into a Wifi wasteland. Next, my longtime friend, an HP8600 Printer, began to send me multitudes of error messages. In the end, I had to pull the plug. Then my Samsung 58-inch smart HD TV went black and no amount of coaxing could bring it back to light.
Attorneys from White & Allen, P.A. answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the Paycheck Protection Program.
Let’s talk about coronavirus, COVID 19, SARS-CoV-2, or other names that are inappropriate, either because they are inaccurate or make light of something serious. Call it what you will, but the fact is that we are dealing with a situation that has fundamentally altered our lives, possibly in a permanent way. I’m taking this opportunity to write a short distillate of the most practical and pertinent information.
This week is Holy Week! Now, more than ever it is a sobering and exciting time for the church. It is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. This is the week we take the time to reflect and remember the events leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
COVID-19 has no preference for party affiliations, and neither should we. As we suffer through a pivotal moment in history, its easy to point a finger and find someone to blame. Ever changing intelligence does not offer the same clarity as hindsight. Our governing body has displayed both strengths and weaknesses in doing what we have shown ourselves incapable of.
So what do you say— do you tell people “Happy Holy Week?’”
“You could say 'Happy Easter,’ when it’s actually Easter day, or ‘Christ is Risen!’. Normally there are so many activities during the week before Easter. This year is different but should be no less activity in our hearts.
Well, the Coronavirus is still with us, but there are hopeful signs that we may soon be turning the corner on the road to recovery. I like the way President Trump put it when he said it is not a question of MAY, it is a question of MUST. It is a bout perspective.
Many are paying heaps of lip-service to the unselfish and heroic behavior of those who are serving during the current health care crisis and its uncertainty. I cannot help but wonder how many of us truly understand the sacrificial nature of the work doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, and first responders are doing: the long hours, the constant vigilance, the unending possibility of exposure to themselves and their families.
I looked out into an empty classroom today and I had to hold back the tears. What I miss most as a teacher right now is being able to help act as interpreter, a secret skill middle school teachers possess that we don’t talk about very often.
At least once a month I hook up all of the family phones to a laptop and extract the photos. I seem to be alone in this, as most people store their photos in some magical cloud that Steve Jobs tethered to the Apple corporate headquarters in Cupertino, CA. By the way, has anyone else noticed the weather started to get crazy around the time the Apple iCloud was introduced in 2011? Mother Nature doesn't seem to be fond of selfies.
Hopefully the tide is turning. In a letter to all state governors last week, President Trump announced that his Administration would be releasing new guidelines for state and local officials that will allow them to be more flexible in response to the coronavirus and to seek a balance between public health & economic stability. We are not going to eliminate or cure all the illnesses of this world, but we can reach out to those who are suffering and perhaps ease their pain.
I have been ordered, under threat of arrest and imprisonment, to minimize my contact with friends and family who live across town or in another city. I have been ordered, under threat of arrest and imprisonment, not to assemble with others to express our jointly held opinions or practice our jointly held faith.
Since Gov. Cooper ordered the closure of schools on March 14, teachers, principals and central office staff members across the state have been scrambling to transition their educational programs from in-class, face-to-face classrooms to materials students can complete at home.
I had an epiphany the other night… you know one of those thoughts that cross your mind after you’ve eaten one too many Double-Stuffed Oreos at 1:00 a.m. because you couldn’t fall asleep and were watching The Mentalist before you turned off the lights. I realized I could no longer say that I have never experienced the fearful grip of a pandemic, the subsequent stay at home order issued by a governor, and the absolute panic of going to four different stores at 7:00 a.m. and seeing no toilet paper on the shelves.
Spring has sprung a bit early here in eastern NC. Nature is bursting out of (a sort of) winter. At this time of the year, the sighting of various insects, including actual honey bee swarms, causes a good bit of confusion.
