I bought this postcard at a funky café in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago and just found it now, tucked into an envelope of other things I’d been saving.
Given the amplitude of the seething and whining about having to social distance for two weeks from a couple of my “south-pointing compass” friends and acquaintances online, it seemed appropriate. C’mon, guys — and yes, they’re all guys — Anne Frank was tougher than you. Hell, the eggplant I had for lunch was tougher than you.
Thanks to Tracy Ingram for the find!
I’m doing my part to fight COVID-19 by practicing social distancing, as recommended by the public health specialist I trust the most. That means working from home, which isn’t so bad, especially with the current weather in Tampa (mostly sunny, with the temperature at 10:00 a.m. at 74°F / 23° C) and the view from my Seminole Heights porch.
Wash your hands, don’t touch your face or 401(k), and stay safe!
I get lots of kind words from both friends and strangers from my former hometown of Toronto about my sister, Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. She leads Toronto Public Health, Canada’s largest public health agency and which provides public health programs for Canada’s largest city and economic capital. As you might expect, she’s been working very long days for the past weeks, as COVID-19 has grown from mystery illness to epidemic to full-blown pandemic, while maintaining a level of chill required to manage a crisis of this magnitude.
Here’s she is at a news conference in March 12th, courtesy of CP24, Toronto’s 24-hour local news channel…
…and here she is on March 13th:
Her birthday was last week, and I was able to FaceTime with her for only a few minutes. She didn’t have any time to celebrate, as it’s been super-long days seven days a week for her, as she and her team manage Toronto’s response to this crisis. It’s a difficult, high-stakes challenge, but I’m glad that she’s on the case.
Once this is over, be sure to send her your thanks.
Here’s Eileen speaking about the opioid crisis:
And here’s some reading material from the Toronto media:
This photo has only just begun to make the internet rounds, but it’s pretty powerful. Share it far and wide!
Even though people are confined to their homes in Sicily, it appears that people there have worked out ways to keep social distancing from turning into social isolation through the best social technology out there — the accordion!
Here’s a video posted to Twitter from John Nichols:
You can see the original tweet here:
Sicily has figured out this whole self-isolation thing.#COVID19 #CoronavirusPandemic pic.twitter.com/93whPVtQcR
— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) March 13, 2020
