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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Biden Is In

In the book, Animal Farm by George Orwell, after the pigs have taken over and run things their way for the good of everybody. it seem to be just like up to the time of Obama. Then something went wrong and Trump and friends took over. At the end of the story, it mentions a sign that had been put up at the beginning of the "revolution." It had said, "We are all equal." And someone (I think it was Barr) had written underneath, "But some of us are more equal than others." I hope we are now starting a new book, a much better one for the people.

“Social dancers know how fortunate we are who still

have hope that we shall dance again."

President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration events are likely to look different from past years in order to prevent the spread of the Trump Pandemic. The inauguration is scheduled to take place amid a surge of infections across the country. The change-up to the quadrennial tradition is an illustration of Biden’s dramatically different approach to containing the virus from that taken by Trump. It is likely to feature “scaled down versions of the existing traditions” and may borrow from the techniques that were used to put on the virtual Democratic National Convention over the summer.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Bruddah Iz


Biden's approach to tackling the Trump Pandemic is that it is the most immediate and obvious challenge facing the country. He intends to provide free testing for all and hire 100,000 people to set up a national contact-tracing program. He says he wants to establish at least 10 testing centers in every state, call upon federal agencies to deploy resources and give firmer national guidance though federal experts. He says all governors should mandate wearing masks.Voters suspicious of federal authority will see this as overreach, but it lies very much in line with Mr Biden's and Democrats' general view on the role government should play. We shall overcome.

“I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes,

and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” ― Eleventh Doctor

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Wuhan, China

It has been a hard road, testing, wearing masks, respecting social distance and washing their hands. They don't have Trump leading the wrong way with Malaria drugs and other snake oils. Dancers are bringing Saturday night fever back to Wuhan as the lock down is being relaxed. The people have been very cooperative and they are dancing once again on a Saturday night by the side of the Yangtze river, which winds through the central Chinese city where the novel coronavirus pandemic began. We almost had it made in Hawaii, but we opened too soon and permitted tourists from the Mainland.

“Social dancers believe that we must hang in there. It may be astonishing how
short a time it can take for very wonderful things to happen.”
 

Tourists from the mainland are the ones most likely to be contaminated than any others in this entire world. Yes, because of Trump. Most countries do not permit Americans into their countries anymore. Wuhan residents are now beginning to dance their worries away. The city is slowly getting back on its feet, hopeful that the worst is passed, but worried by the emergence last week of a few fresh cases on the virus. While most large indoor gatherings are still banned, people are reclaiming their daily lives and hobbies, which in many parts of China includes “square dancing” or "line dances," usually in the evenings in public squares, plazas or parks.

"Morning Dew" by Melveen Leed.

May I have this dance?

On Saturday night, over a hundred masked people can dance on an open-air riverside walkway in central Wuhan as loudspeakers blare out everything from electronic dance music to Japanese pop. Some waltzed in pairs. Others may move in sync to choreographed dance routines. All wear masks and mostly kept apart. It’s may be hard to breathe when wearing this mask to dance and you can’t get rid of the perspiration, but the mood is great, and you can finally gather with your fellow dancers, Stay safe folks and we shall dance again on Oahu.

"Social dancers believe that dance is the joy of movement to music and the heart of life."

Friday, November 20, 2020

Maybe by Christmas?

Social dancers on Oahu are still lacking much knowledge of our dance situation.There has been a consensus that it has been challenging to navigate the Trump Pandemic whether you are a teacher, a dancer, or someone walking down the street. It has caused an increase in overall stress level, with guidelines changing on what feels like a daily basis. The state as a whole was doing very well until about three months ago. Then the Trumpanzees insisted on opening up too soon and too much. Our cases and deaths went through the roof.

"Don't despair, we are in not total control, we have hopes that the entire world is listening to science and is not going to rely on snake oil."


We have had a couple of lock downs again. We have more use of masks and we are respecting social distance more. The tourists and the schools make the issue still in doubt. They allowed tourists from the mainland and those people are contaminated. Americans are no longer permitted to enter Canada. Reports come out one day and then be retracted the next only adding to the frustration that many of us are feeling. One thing that we must remind ourselves is that we are dealing with a novel virus. We are watching science do exactly what it is supposed to do. And some still pay no attention. Research is happening at a very rapid rate- normally we wouldn’t see articles published for months,

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges 

We shall dance in the Palladium again.
The world is collaborating and learning more about this virus every day and so the recommendations are changing. They are dancing in Wuhan, China. Science is constantly correcting itself right now as our body of knowledge surrounding the virus continues to expand. I see this as a good thing - if we were still operating off of data and information we had in March we would be in a much different place. The scientists are adjusting their views, in a constant state of learning, and not just sticking to their own biases and perceptions. Dr. Fauci was right and Trump was wrong.

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”
― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Slow Going

On Oahu we have accepted that our ability to dance together has disappeared overnight, This has been a stress for us social dancers not being able to socialize and that’s really hard. So should dancing with strangers come back? Hell, yes. As to when we will feel safe again, there’s a hopeful precedent in what happened a few years after the 1918 flu pandemic. We just have to be patient, for our social-dance scene to evolve, we can’t be first out of the gate. But it’s not "no dancing" — just "not yet" for social dancing.

“Most social dancers believe that if you lose hope, somehow
you lose the vitality that keeps you moving," 
 

Unfortunately, the Trumpanzees have been pretty hard in Hawaii and three months ago we were coming out of it. Then they opened too soon and too much. Hawaii is still in bad shape. They do not believe in masks or social distance. Trump Rallies have no recognition of masks or social distance at all. We don't know too much either. Six feet is fine but not engraved on stone. Ten feet is better than six feet, and 20 feet is better than 10. Most people can see the reason easily. Trumpanzees cannot.
 
"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz
 

Hi Grandpa, Attached are a few pics from my Mom's birthday dinner we took her out to... Thank you again. We had a nice celebration! Much love, Your Granddaughter, Tracey.

Most of my relatives are from California. My granddaughter lives in Whittier. Yes, that is my great grandson. Jacob. I will play the game and make more contacts. None of these are dancers
 
“Most social dancers know that we got more yesterday than anybody.
What we need now is some kind of tomorrow.”.
 

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

A Veteran Writes

Most of us were not heroes, we were just ordinary guys. Heroes get medals for "Above and Beyond the call of Duty." We were only doing the "Call of Duty." On August 15,1944, I am on a dusty dirt runway outside of a small village near Rome. I am just a kid, almost nineteen, I had a few beers and I am feeling nice. Now at close to 2 AM, I am on a C-47 airplane roaring down a runway with lights about as visible as flashlights, marking the left and right sides. We finally lift off and we become airborne with a set course for Southern France. The invasion would be starting in about six hours. I and my fellow paratroopers didn't have to worry about airplane formations so we just tried to sleep.
 
 
With the uncomfortable seats, all the equipment I was carrying, and the tight parachute harness, I might doze a little but that's all and I could pray a lot. As we approached the coast of France over an hour later, I remembered the fear growing inside of me and of praying a little harder. And probably repeating to my self, "Dear God." Soon enough the red light came on to indicate that we were nearing our drop zone. It was still pitch black outside and we were not encountering any anti-aircraft fire. So at that point I started to worry about what might be waiting for us on the ground and the chances of landing in the vicinity of the drop zone. It was time for a little humor and the jump master got up and announced "OK, all you guys with the one way tickets, stand up."
 
 
We made our last minute equipment check, hooked up our static lines, faced the rear of the plane and waited excruciating moments for the green light. It may have been after 3:30 am by then. The green light flashed on and we moved forward, leaving the plane one by one. I remember getting to the door, saw the guy in front of me vanish and then just a big black hole, I made the sign of the cross and went out. Once out of the plane and the parachute opened, I always got that sense of relief. I checked my canopy, looked around and only glimpsed a couple of other chutes but worried when I realized I couldn't make out any ground features. Everything looked hazy and my first thought was they dropped us in the Mediterranean.
 

Then I broke through a fog bank and that is what was preventing me from seeing the ground detail. But they had dropped us low enough so that we would not spend too much time in the air. So suddenly, there was the ground and I had no chance to prepare to land. I hit like a sack of shit as they use to say in those days. Just got a little banged up, that's all. I quickly got out of my chute and put my equipment together, There I was all by myself in a foreign country, God knows where. But I was just fine so far, now I had to look for the other guys. I pushed the safety off my trigger guard, just in case, but hoped I didn't run into any Jerries. I was on solid ground now.
 
Have a Happy Veteran's Day.
 

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Blogging

Traditonal blogging delivers content but does not facilitate readers/dancers to participate in the creation or development of the content. On Oahu social media such as Twitter and Facebook have shot to the forefront of people's attention throughout the world because the participation may be fun. Of course, we will not push, so that many in our dance environment will take a while to fully understand. At this moment we do not have enough dance information to share so we go slow. We must be patient and the hits on our blogosphere may reflect this, when we begin to dance again.

"If I have a hundred ideas and only one of them turns right, I am satisfied."


Of course, the majority of our possible somewhat steady readers are still not certain what blogging or social media is all about, and let's not blame anyone. Social Media is not what we have been accustomed to for fifty, sixty years. We had news letters, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV type of media and all "to whom it may concern," with very little feedback. Social Media is essentially a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Social media gives you what TV never could - a chance to be engaged and engage others. Blogging is not so much even in Makaha.

"Waikiki" by Amy Gilliom

 
Most dancers are well aware of a possible commitment and even if not true, is their privilege, with the results being that blogging is increasingly going to the younger by default. In everything we do, we do not exclude anyone, they exclude themselves. And we. on Oahu, accept that, it is clear enough. Thanks to social media, it's easy to share our ideas, photos, videos, likes and dislikes, within our own dance world as far as it will go - and find out what the reader/dancers think of them. You can find friends, business contacts and become part of our entire dance community for the benefit of all. And it is all up to you.

“Social dancers believe that hope is a verb with its shirtsleeves rolled up.”

Friday, November 6, 2020

The Pandemic in Hawaii

The Trump Pandemic has revealed deep cracks in Hawaii’s government and social system. Many of us are having a better understanding of how we came to be in the situation we’re in now, We must put Hawaii’s experience in perspective and provided some thoughts for the future. It’s been six months since Hawaii’s first stay-at-home order went into effect, barring residents from most public spaces and shuttering thousands of businesses in an attempt to stop the Trump Pandemic from spreading across the islands. Now the dance community on Oahu is waiting to emerge from a second stay-at-home order, with many wondering what there is to show for months of personal sacrifice.

"Social Dancers know that life is an extraordinary adventure and they fully understand that they can only do this - one time around."

Hawaii had major advantages aiding its pandemic response: An ocean to help seal its borders more tightly than any other state seeking to quarantine travelers. A population somewhat more likely to don masks than residents on the mainland unfamiliar with the custom or unwilling to give up personal comfort in the name of safety. The support of residents, a majority of whom said they were willing to bear extreme financial burdens in order to keep the state safe. And we had time: Washington state saw its first fatality from the Trump Pandemic on Feb. 29. Hawaii didn’t lose a resident to the disease until April 1. Still, six months into the pandemic, the fight against the virus has battered Hawaii’s economy and taken a serious toll on the mental health of residents.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz


Then we let the tourist in and opened the schools. As beleaguered parents braced for the second month of virtual classes, businesses continue to lay off employees and federal benefits dry up, the state is facing perhaps its biggest challenge yet: restarting tourism safely when just relaxing restrictions for residents was enough to send cases skyrocketing and force the state back into lockdown. We now have 236 deaths in Hawaii. We are in bad shape but we sort of have a another chance to get it right. Perhaps we can dance by the end of the year? Testing, masks and social distance. This is not a Trump Rally.

"Social Dancers believe that the future belongs to those
who believe in the beauty of their dreams."