Virtual classes are underway. So let the learning begin, and the patience wear thin.

“Some call it magic, the search for the grail.” – John Lennon

Sometimes I tire of the constant Lennon remasters and remixes, but they are all we have left of a very special man. “Mind Games- Ultimate Remix” popped up on my Release Radar and I skipped past it.

Then, after seeing Lennon’s stoic face walking across the screen, I had to listen. No matter what you think about the man, he was a driven force, full of spirit and soul. He did things his way. Instead of pissing on a grammy, he left the world’s most popular band, went away, and made the industry follow him. Now Kanye, it’s time for you to let the learning begin as well.

Fruit Bats give us “Stunned One” and it’s a beautiful listen. Part Beatles, part Robyn Hitchcock, it’s the perfect combination, for a reflective Fall morning. Leaves are turning and falling, foreshadowing Winter.

Geographer is such a great artist, combining both new and retro sounds. I previously wrote about his fabulous New Order cover, “Age of Consent,” while including several of his other singes in my weekly round-up. “Keep Running” is his latest in a strong line of singles that demand continuous play.

Santos Party House was a New York City nightclub, in the TriBeCa neighborhood of downtown Manhattan, and now it’s a song. Featuring Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, and mixed by Girl Talk. At first listen I wasn’t impressed, but on my jog, I became a fan. Smoke, Wiz, and Curren$y flow fluidly atop this groovy beat.

You know I have to mention my favorite up-and-coming rapper, Healy. He returns with Public Library Commute, and they fit together like hand in glove. Smooth rhymes and silky beats, equal Autumnal treats.

This week your jazz cut is a 2-For-1, with Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonius Monk, both appearing live in my #RADAR.

Mr. Monk delivers an upbeat number called “Well, You Needn’t – Live At Palo Alto High School.” Not only is he in top form, but listen to the drums and the horns. “According to a press release, the concert was organized by 16-year-old student named Danny Scher, and was recorded by the school’s janitor. The tape was stowed away in Scher’s attic for years and was only recently rediscovered.” –Consequence Of Sound

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Fall is nearly here, and despite the global pandemic that’s still impacting the world, some companies are looking for ways to get things back to normal. That means getting people back in the office. At the time of this writing, there is no vaccine or cure available for COVID-19, so you’ll need extra precautions to keep everyone healthy. Here are eight ways you can keep your employees safe this fall:

1. Create Rotating Schedules

Don’t start by bringing everyone back into the office at once, especially if you’ve got a large team that usually fills your space from wall to wall. Create rotating schedules that only bring in a small portion of your team at a time. Either rotate them through various shifts throughout the day or bring them into the office for one or two days a week.

They can stay home the rest of the time. It might take some getting used to, but it will keep you from cramming everyone in like sardines.

2. Take Extra Time to Disinfect

You will need to take extra time to disinfect your entire office and any communal spaces before you go home for the night. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you need to clean all surfaces with soap, water and a disinfectant. For things like electronics where water isn’t an option, utilize alcohol or other tech-safe products to kill any viruses on the devices.

3. Ditch the Open-Office Floor Plan

We all love our open-office floor plans and collaborative spaces, but right now, they’re potential breeding grounds for the virus. Ditch the open floor plan in favor of high-walled cubicles or plexiglass dividers that keep each person’s workspace separate from their neighbor.

4. Provide Disposable Face Masks

We’re six months into a global pandemic, and most people have started a collection of reusable cloth face masks and are more than happy to wear them into the office. If your team doesn’t have any masks or you prefer they use disposable options, make sure to provide them. Depending on your budget, you may only want to utilize the basic 3-ply surgical-style masks. If you have at-risk employees, you might want to invest in N95 respirators.

5. Socially Distance Your Desks

Even if you already have cubicles, you don’t want people sitting right next to one another. Make sure you’re socially distancing your desks. Keep them as far apart as possible within the constraints of your office. Remember not to block emergency exits or create any fire hazards. Putting a few extra feet between your desks could help keep everyone safe.

6. Buy Stock in Sanitizer

While proper hand-washing is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, you don’t always have access to soap and water. Hand sanitizers can fill the gaps. Buy stock in hand sanitizer and make sure it’s always available in your office for everyone to use.

7. Stay Informed of Any Changes

Things are constantly changing as we learn more about how this virus works, how it’s transmitted and how we need to respond to it. Stay informed so you can alter your plans as necessary, even if these changes mean switching back to a work-from-home model at a moment’s notice.

8. Provide COVID-Centric Training

Safety training might seem redundant when we’ve spent the last six months washing our groceries and wearing a mask whenever we’re in public. However, it can be a good tool to remind your team of the stakes. Set up some quick and simple COVID-centric training that reminds everyone to wear their masks and wash their hands. Feel free to include any industry-specific training that might benefit your team, too.

Stay Safe This Fall

If getting back into the office is part of your plan for the end of the year, make sure you’re taking all the necessary steps to keep your employees safe.

Tonight the Jewish New Year starts at sundown. Serious Jews have begun to consider their sins over the past year in lead-up to Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement.

In contrast, I am looking at the pile of papers I should have cleaned off my worktable so I could start the new year with a clean slate. The guilt. Oy veh!

For those of us less religiously inclined and slightly eating disordered, the big new-year question arises: Will I mend my eating ways after the Yom Kippur fast to continue past this single day of weight loss? My answer is NO. I will eat something fattening right after the fast so I don’t have to concern myself with breaking a perfect record. (Every Jewish holiday has a food aspect, even a fasting holiday. Oy veh!)

I haven’t blogged at Girl Born in 51 on ChicagoNow for quite awhile. I was working 25 hours a week at the local library as a computer aide and studying library stuff on the side in hopes of a better job in the future. Then I unexpectedly quit because of covid and the library mandating they would not require patrons to wear masks. Furthermore, staff has to devotedly serve these clients. Nope, that’s not for me.

So I haven’t renewed my membership in the American Library Association. I don’t expect to ever work in a library again.

I’m deciding what to do next. This kind of introspection is a constant thread in my life.

It is looking like I will write about and coach people of retirement age who want to start a freelance business that is right for them. People who want to do what they want to do in a way that works for them. No, we don’t have to “think big” because capitalism believes there is something wrong with us if we don’t.

Wayne and I now have three beautiful granddaughters. (We have six children, none of them jointly.) Would love to visit them in person but that’s on hold.

Wayne and I have started socializing with others outside our home more. During the summer, we have isolated to a very high level. Now as winter approaches, we are socializing with small numbers of people in the open air. Yes, our timing stinks.

During late March, I started phoning people I haven’t seen in years. Now that has fallen by the wayside. I don’t have much to say. I could talk about what I am watching on TV but I don’t even have the discipline to binge watch.

When I started this blog, I identified myself by age (born in 51), female, and Jewish. Now that I was eternally self-employed, I didn’t have to worry about hiding my demographics. Then I took a library job. Coming out as to my demo was not a good decision in retrospect.

Well, it’s out. Nothing to be done. So I am free to be me.

I am aware that the title of this post is, “Where are you? Where am I?” And I am also aware that I have blabbed on about me without really writing about you. I guess that’s my point. My contact with other human beings is limited.

In closing, have a happy new year. May we comfortably put off our end-of-year desk cleanup until December 31. We’ve got another three and one-half months.

America has been on a virtual martial law shutdown for months now with no end in sight, based on unreliable if not inaccurate data about the lethality of Covid-19.

This is a never-ending argument, but the number of people who died from Covid-19 now is as imprecise as it was months ago when this debate started. At the heart of the debate is whether the patient died with Covid-19 or from Covid-19.

The crucial difference was highlighted months ago when Dr. Ngozi Ezike, an internist and pediatrician serving as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tried to clarify the distinction between dying with or from Covid-19. At a press conference with Illinois Gov. J. B Pritzker, she responded to a question (see video below):

I just want to be clear in terms of the definition of people dying of COVID. The definition is very simplistic. It means, at the time of death it was a COVID-positive diagnosis. That means that if you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live and then you were also were found to have COVID, that would be counted as a COVID death. Technically, even if you died of clear alternate cause but you still had COVID at the time it is still listed as a COVID death. Everyone who’s listed as a COVID death doesn’t mean that that was the cause of the death but they had COVID at the time of their death. I hope that’s helpful.

Quite helpful, indeed, Doctor.

She also answered a question about how many people died from  Covid-19 who did not have another underlying condition. She said 90 percent of the deaths attributed to Covid-19 actually died with an underlying condition. The implication in the second video (below) is that only five percent of the Covid-19 deaths are due to the disease alone, and not from an underlying condition.

This shoots to hell the premise for the nation-wide shutdowns imposed by various governors and mayors. If the disease is not as fatal as advertised, how do you justify jailing people in their homes, killing millions of jobs, wrecking the education of more millions, ruining the quality of life for so many more and so forth?

To justify this bulldozing of our civil rights, martial law proponents have been trying to “clarify” Ezike’s already clear definitions. Like trying to wash your car with hogwash.

Typical is a TruthorFiction “fact check” that tried to squirm around the statement by suggesting that whatever deaths were not caused by Covid-19 were more than offset by the unknown number of times that people died without anyone knowing that they were infected with and caused by Covid-19. Even though nobody knows the number.

Really laughable.

As well meaning as epidemiologists and statisticians are, Ezike spoke the truth. Martial law was declared based on the worst possible scenarios they predicted, predictions that turned out not to just be wrong, but grossly untrue. 

Their credibility as scientists and dedicated public servants have been eroded if not ruined. And that makes the coronavirus pandemic even more destructive.

Whether you’re fundraising for your child’s sports team or your work’s nonprofit initiative, it’s not always easy. There are several factors to consider. From budgets to locations to donors, you likely have a lot to manage. But if you employ a few tricks, you’ll be able to ensure everyone has an enjoyable time — and you meet your goal.

Here’s a look at how to host a fun and lucrative fundraiser.

1. Develop a Clear Budget

Your fundraiser will require a budget for a venue, catering, decorations and more. Talk with other parents, co-workers and members to see what event you can throw with your budget. You won’t need to set aside too much cash, but you should allocate for unforeseen expenses. Your organization can talk to various vendors and businesses to work out estimates as you make your budget.

Try to talk to multiple vendors before you commit. You’ll be able to find cheaper options for items that don’t need to be pricey, like balloons and confetti. You can also get in touch with connections that you may have to donate tables, flowers or other necessities.

2. Consider Ways to Earn Money

You need to think about how you want to lay out your fundraiser. You can require people to buy tickets, but you need other revenue streams, too. Consider a raffle, an auction or another activity your guests will enjoy. You could even think about events that revolve around a season, like autumn. How fun does a harvest dinner sound? Your goal should be to provide several opportunities for your donors to contribute.

3. Ensure a Comfortable Experience

Try to consider how to keep your guests comfortable, too. Your decorations may look amazing, but you shouldn’t forget about more basic needs. Will there be enough restrooms? Have you taken steps to control your venue’s temperature so that it’s not too hot or cold? Where can your guests sit when they’re not raffling? These parts are as important as any other component to your fundraiser.

4. Create a Vast Donor List

Your donor list should involve as many people as possible. You may already have a database that you plan to use. If not, you can use your organization’s connections to reach multiple individuals. Aside from clients or customers, you shouldn’t hesitate to invite family and friends, either. After all, you never know which person will be your most prominent donor. Do your best to market everything accordingly, too.

5. Follow Up With Every Attendee

After your fundraiser, you need to send “thank you” emails or cards to every attendee. This gesture may seem insignificant or tedious, but you’ll retain donors, as well as keep potential donors interested. In fact, 85% say they’ll donate again if they receive a personal note after an event. You can keep your message simple. A sincere follow-up with information about how you’ll use their money can work wonders.

Be prompt so that your guest list doesn’t have to wait. Your vendors, volunteers and other helpers will appreciate a call, too.

Use These Tips to Pull Off a Successful Fundraiser

With a little advanced preparation and attention to detail, you can host an outstanding fundraiser. Use these tips to put on a noteworthy event!

Northbrook’s free speech zone. Come to count the deaths. (Google maps)

In north suburban Northbrook, a triangle of grass where Shermer Rd. and Walters Ave. intersect in downtown has become a free speech zone, following  a fight years ago over whether religious messages can be posted there on such holidays as Christmas.

The dispute was settled by allowing free expression, which brings us to today’s bonehead award:

“Coronavirus Death Scoreboard To Be Unveiled In Northbrook”

As reported by Northbrook Patch:

NORTHBROOK, IL — With the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States rapidly approaching 200,000, Lee Goodman, of Peaceful Communities, is looking to make a statement regarding the deadly disease. On Friday, the “COVID Death Scoreboard” is set to be unveiled at Triangle Park, corner of Shermer Road and Walters Avenue.

“This display is a reminder of the continuing need to take precautions. Schools and businesses are reopening, but the disease is still spreading and people are still dying,” Goodman said.

Well, not so much anymore in Northbrook. None in the eight weeks since July 21. As the Patch reported, of the 42 earlier deaths, the bulk (residents and staff) were in nursing homes, of which there are seven. The age breakdown is:  80+ (28), 70-79 (6), 60-69 (6), 40-49 (1) and 30-39 (1).

In other words, no children and no young adults. Yet children and their young parents will be constantly reminded of death and dying–exactly the kind of fear that we, as a nation, don’t need to be fueling.

The news of the death tally prompted a flood of comments on a Facebook page, Reopen Illinois Schools. They’re worth reading. They range from noting how Goodman is a serial protestor (true) to some very angry ones about the damage this will to kids. As Kati Byrne Spaniak (my daughter) noted: “We cannot be scaring our children like this. This perpetuates the idea that our children will die if we send them to school.”

Well, you know, we have to make sure that the kids know how dangerous the world is and our work isn’t done until we’ve scared the hell out of every last one of them. All, of course, in the name of peace. Way to go, Lee.

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www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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COVID-19, death scoreboard, Lee Goodman, Northbrook

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    Ken Dietz

    5 hours, 30 minutes ago

    Thank you Dennis for reminding folks of how were are being manipulated by the powers who want to control us.
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    Ken Dietz

    5 hours, 38 minutes ago

    The facts that no one has died in Northbrook since July? ? Or the fact that of the 42 total…
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    BillDCat

    6 hours, 24 minutes ago

    In reply to Ken Dietz:

    That’s fine. Doesn’t say much about his opinion if he has to try these ridiculous argument tactics in order…
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    BillDCat

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    If you thought the action was stupid and an over-reach, you would have just made that argument……
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    BillDCat

    6 hours, 33 minutes ago

    > Yet children and their young parents will be constantly reminded of death and dying–exactly the kind of fear that…
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