It is supposed to be the gold standard.

"The Nursing Home Reform Act" (click here)

The original reform act was passed in 1989. There hasn't been much more enacted since them.

Amendment of Subsection (d)(1) (click here)

The Joint Commission (click here) on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or JCAHO is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that accredits over 20,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the country. The JCAHO commonly is referred to as the Joint Commission in the healthcare industry and among governmental industry regulators on the federal and state levels. The Joint Commission is the successor of an organization established in 1951.

Is your organization (click here) ready to implement the standards? You can assess your readiness in a variety of ways, including:

- Conduct mock surveys. Walk through your facility and see how well you meet the requirements.

- Identify gaps in compliance. Document areas where improvement is needed. This will help target your efforts and prioritize where resources need to be allocated.

- Develop timetable for compliance. Once you've identified areas for improvement, assign completion dates for each gap identified. This will help you formulate a readiness date for your on-site survey.

Regardless of the name of the nursing home, it is probably owned by a corporate company. 

"Facts about long term care accreditation" (click here)

The Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Accreditation Program was launched in 1966. Today, nearly 1,000 organizations offering long term care services are accredited. Organizations eligible for long term care accreditation include those with: 

Beds licensed by the state as nursing home beds, excluding intermediate care facilities specializing in care for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. 

Beds designated as long term care beds under a hospital license, excluding beds belonging to a long term acute care hospital and hospital swing beds. 

Beds, units or facilities certified by Medicare or Medicaid as skilled nursing facility beds. 

Beds, units or facilities designated as long term care by a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or a state authority....

The Republicans don't care about the people of this country.

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has many names for very valid reasons, including sidling up to Russia and the money of an oligarch, therefore, "Moscow Mitch." But, one of his identities that he proudly touts is "The Grime Reaper." The picture below shows why "Moscow" Mitch enjoys the title of being the Grim Reaper. But, the issue that occurred with Wisconsin and exposing Americans to a known killer virus is an astounding development.


April 9, 2020
By Linda Greenhouse

The Supreme Court (click here) just met its first test of the coronavirus era. It failed, spectacularly.

I was hoping not to have to write those sentences. All day Monday, I kept refreshing my computer’s link to the court’s website.

I was anxious to see how the justices would respond to the urgent request from the Republican National Committee and Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature to stop the state from counting absentee ballots postmarked not by Tuesday’s election but during the following few days.

A federal district judge, noting that Wisconsin’s election apparatus was overwhelmed by the “avalanche of absentee ballots” sought by voters afraid to show up at crowded polling places, had ordered the extra time last Thursday, with the full support of the state’s election officials. Was I the only one left in suspense on Monday, holding out hope that the five Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices would put partisanship aside and let the District Court order stand?

In early evening, the answer landed with a thud. No, they would not.

In more than four decades of studying and writing about the Supreme Court, I’ve seen a lot (and yes, I’m thinking of Bush v. Gore). But I’ve rarely seen a development as disheartening as this one: a squirrelly, intellectually dishonest lecture in the form of an unsigned majority opinion, addressed to the four dissenting justices (Need I name them? Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan), about how “this court has repeatedly emphasized that lower federal courts should ordinarily not alter the election rules on the eve of an election.”

Yes, the Supreme Court was absolutely myopic with their heads in the academic clouds by five of the conservative judges; but; don't' lose sight of the sincere evil within the Republican Party.

April 8, 2020
By Garrett Eps

...In Wisconsin, (click here) the Democratic governor called a special session to consider a delay; the Republican legislative majority refused even to convene. They calculated that a lower turnout would be good for them, and walked away from their duty to the voters. Applications for absentee ballots surged—an understandable response to the looming danger at the polls—until the numbers overwhelmed state officials.

As of last week, thousands had not yet received their ballot, and so could not mail it to be received by Election Day, April 7. To vote, they would have to risk infection and journey to the polls. A federal district judge found this to be a burden on the right to vote, and ordered the state to accept ballots that arrived by April 13. A federal appeals court approved the order...

This was planned and the Republican Party would not be budged. They were the people that refused to attend to the needs of the people of the State of Wisconsin.

In Congress today, the Republican Party wants to go forward with more funding when they aren't even interested in having an oversight committee in place to monitor the $2.2 trillion for the "CARES" law.

Congress is out of session until Monday. How can McConnell actually expect reasonable people to trust him with more money when the people aren't even sure how the first law was carried out by the Republican executive branch?

The politics in the country are hideous and ridiculous and lack the truth. The people are supposed to be the focus of government, including the Supreme Court, and part of that is the reassurance that their government is working as it is expected.

After this episode of Republican disregard of the people, I have to believe when McConnell embraces the identity of "The Grim Reaper," he really means it. 

The people of this country are not at the center of the Republicans currently in government. Wisconsin is proof. And the complete disregard of reality that Americans are facing on election day by the Supreme Court's ruling, allows the declaration of "Robert's Politically Activist Court."

Never in my wildest imagination would I expect a political party to completely disregard the safety of the lives of the American people and their future. 

The next spending bill cannot be passed until the oversight is in place and certainly not without making provisions to allow elections to go forward with safety built into the elections of this country when facing dangers to Americans' health.

Advice post recovery from COVID-19.

Shortness of breath is a common complaint about this terrible virus. Shortness of breath requires treatment.

My sincerest advice to anyone recovering from COVID-19 is to also make an appointment with a pulmonologist as a follow-up. It is not unusual to have EPISODIC shortness of breath with illnesses that involved the lungs.

ie: Stepping into a shower with mist in the air, shortness of breath sets in and the person feels the need to set down to recover from that moment.

ALBUTEROL is considered a rescue inhaler. It works quickly as opposed to others that are taken long term inhalers that have to be taken once or twice a day, every day. Such a rescue inhaler is also used as a prophylactic. Instead of risking shortness of breath and feeling poorly; BEFORE getting in the shower take a rescue inhaler like albuterol with two puffs.

It takes a little skill that has to be acquired to properly use a rescue inhaler. But, in using it think of it as a PRE-shortness of breath medication as well. Usually, albuterol is taken as two puffs at a time and ordered by an MD up to 6 times a day for rescue breathing. Albuterol is always good to start the day and be the last inhaler at bedtime.

Please see a pulmonologist as an outpatient if recovered or recovering from COVID-19. Don't simply think about suffering quietly as if there is nothing that can help. It is not okay to feel poorly. Always seek help and there is usually something that will help with a simple prescription by a qualified doctor.
...........................................................................................
This medication was mentioned in an update from the White House. It is still in trials. No one should be getting their hopes up. The trials are not over.

Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral compound (click here) undergoing clinical trials in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

• Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved anywhere globally and has not been demonstrated to be safe or effective for any use.
• Remdesivir has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo activity in animal models against the viral pathogens that cause MERS and SARS, which are coronaviruses structurally similar to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
• Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was first identified in the city of Wuhan, in China's Hubei province, in December 2019. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) renamed the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19

........................................................................................................

April 6, 2020

Dubai/London/Moscow (Reuters) - Major oil producers (click here) including Saudi Arabia and Russia are likely to agree to cut production at a Thursday meeting but only if the United States joins the effort, aimed at coping with the disastrous effect of the coronavirus on fuel demand, three OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Monday....
...................................................................................................

Updated April 9, 2020 (click here)

Public Health Laboratory Testing for COVID-19

This page will be updated daily at noon. Numbers close out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting.

CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The outbreak first started in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other locations internationally, including the United States....

The numbers

Global cases of COVID-19 is 1,518,719 (click here)

USA 435,128 which is 28.7 percent of all cases globally.

The number of deaths globally is 88,502.

USA 14,795 which is 16.7 percent of all the deaths globally.

New cases TODAY globally are 759.

USA TODAY 201 which is 26.5 percent of all the new cases.

No other country is reporting those levels of percentages. I have been in five states in the past week and the further south I traveled the more cars on the road and people milling about in public areas. Everything north of the Virginia southern border was desolate. The majority of vehicles north of Virginia's southern border were trucks and below Virginia's southern border passenger vehicles.

People in the states where governors were lax in instituting social distancing orders aren't at all concerned about contracting the virus or protecting from it's spread. They believe they are not going to see the problem other areas of the country have experienced. This isn't over.

Mass exodus.

This surprised me. But, perhaps the people are simply looking to visit family and friends and perhaps they had travel plans before the lockdown. The 55 thousand is about 0.5 percent of Wuhan which had a population of 11,080,000 people before the virus.

It is obvious China expects a second round of virus cases by limiting the travel and preventing travel to Beijing.

The reports coming out of China by people speaking English and living in China during this time is that the Chinese government was indeed extremely careful in monitoring the movement of people. Officials would come to the homes of people that tested positive to discover their movements while positive. There was no backlash to the person involved, simply an interview that traced the movements of those carrying the virus.

China probably knows what to expect in the second round of cases in understanding how people are moving through the country and possibly taking the virus with them.

April 8, 2020
By Emily Feng

China has ended its lockdown of Wuhan, (click here) the city where the coronavirus first emerged. After being closed off for more than 10 weeks, millions are expected to leave the area....

...FENG: There is definitely excitement in the air. This is the first time that I've been in the city since the outbreak began. And so it was really heartening for me to see people starting to feel hope again. We woke up at dawn to visit some of Wuhan's transport hubs. And for the first time in more than two months, there were taxis on the road. Taxi services had been canceled until now. Travelers with suitcases were lining up, ready to get their temperatures taken and their health history examined so that they could get on a train or a plane and leave.

The city here says that 55,000 people bought train tickets to leave. And tens of thousands of more left today by car and plane. Though, I should add that no planes have been cleared to fly to Beijing, which is not under lockdown but has very, very strict travel rules now. That's still about half the normal pre-outbreak number of trains and planes that are running today. And transport officials say they're only allowing three-fourth capacity on planes and putting train passengers one seat apart from one another. But people were still really excited to leave.

GREENE: Yeah, I can imagine. I think I speak for so many people around the world who want to get to a point where we're seeing things move in that direction. I mean, how are people feeling? How are they reacting to this moment and the relief?...

This isn't the common cold or the flu, it has very deadly outcomes for more people than the annual flu.

April 2, 2020
By Jason Gale

65 percent of the cases in April displayed no typical signs of COVID-19
Spread of the virus before symptoms pose challenge for control.

Two out of three people (click here) who tested positive for coronavirus in China this month had no typical signs of Covid-19, highlighting the challenge of identifying infections and stopping its spread.

Of 181 new infections detected, 115 -- or 64% -- didn’t have a fever, cough or other symptoms used to identify probable cases, according to China’s National Health Commission. The testing was conducted in the 48 hours through midnight Thursday. The agency has 1,027 so-called asymptomatic people under medical observation, 221 of whom have traveled from other countries, it said Friday.

With the pandemic-causing virus infecting more than 1 million people across the world, scientists are finding a wider range of manifestations than previously recognized. These include an abrupt loss of smell and taste, to unusual neurological symptoms in a small number of cases, said Mady Hornig, a physician-scientist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York.

“We’re trying to fit all these pieces together to know what is Covid-19?” she said in a phone interview. “When you first have an outbreak or any disease, and if it hasn’t been identified before, you have a process of creating a case definition.”...

To date, the federal government has no specific plan to test people or any plan for returning to normal activities in the USA. That is dangerous and irresponsible.

Bernie Sander's voice is an important voice. It is a disappointment to many that he is suspending his campaign. We expect the movement Senator Sanders has begun long ago to sustain the future. The Sanders Movement is a moral and just organization. It carries the much needed change that touches the lives of so many Americans' lives. Thank you, Senator Sanders, for the strong moral movement.

Ingredients

Ever wonder (click here) what's in the mouthwash, lotion or shampoo you use? Kurt Reynertson knows everything there is to know about the ingredients in the company's consumer products—and the measures Johnson & Johnson takes to keep you safe.

Corporate infrastructure in the State of New Jersey is disappointing to say the least. Every pharmaceutical company has at least a corporate headquarters in New Jersey. Johnson & Johnson has major manufacturing plants in that state.

In Newark, there are magnificent Level I hospitals.

Level I (click here)

Level I Trauma Center is a comprehensive regional resource that is a tertiary care facility central to the trauma system. A Level I Trauma Center is capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury – from prevention through rehabilitation.

Elements of Level I Trauma Centers Include: 

• 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons, and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial, pediatric and critical care. 
• Referral resource for communities in nearby regions.
• Provides leadership in prevention, public education to surrounding communities.
• Provides continuing education of the trauma team members.
• Incorporates a comprehensive quality assessment program.
• Operates an organized teaching and research effort to help direct new innovations in trauma care.
• Program for substance abuse screening and patient intervention.
• Meets minimum requirement for annual volume of severely injured patients.

The State Trauma Center was a large hospital with about 700 beds. There was a downsizing of the staff of the university and some units were closed when there was a new CEO that took over the management of the hospital. What happened to the hospital buildings closed? Units were closed? Now would be the time to reopen those buildings and invite 4th-year medical students to become residents.

Ortho Diagnostics should be tasked to manufacture as many of their tests as possible, now. There is no reason why Ortho has a shortage of monies, Goldman-Sachs purchased that branch of J&J years ago. Goldman needs to pour financing into the potential of Ortho to solve this issue.

Aiding in the detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (click here) that can be used to detect immune response to the virus and support epidemiological research to help better understand the spread of the disease.

The Ortho plant in Raritan is enormous and has significant potential. Where are the people that can do the job?

Manufacturing Operator 3, Reagent Prep (click here)

Squibb Laboratories (click here)

Lawrenceville, New Jersey - Princeton Pike

FUNCTION(S): COMMERCIAL, GLOBAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & SUPPLY, R&D, ENABLING FUNCTIONS

The 650,000-square foot facility opened in November 2016.

The Princeton Pike site houses employees from the Commercial teams, their commercialization and late-stage development partners from Research & Development and Global Product Development & Supply, and their enabling function support teams.

Squibb already has global relationships. Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey have PhD that can be tasked to assist.

Hopewell, New Jersey

The 433-acre campus offers almost one million square feet of laboratories, office space and computing facilities.

The Hopewell location is a Research & Development facility focused on our key therapeutic areas.

The pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey is endless. (click here) There is no reason for shortages of medicines. They should be meeting with the Governor through conference calls to find common ground for the solution and expediting MEDICAL SUPPLIES, including medicines.

I don't know if the old agricultural labs of American Cyanamid is still empty and standing on Quakerbridge Road. The buildings, if standing and safe can be converted into hospital rooms. The Army Corp. could conduct assessments that can move this space to be reutilized. There are labs and greenhouses to produce raw materials if that is a better use of the space.

The capacity of New Jersey to mobilize in response to this novel virus should never be in question. There are vast resources in that state as well as it being the most densely populated state which will facilitate the spread of the virus. Stay at home is extremely important in NJ.

The population of Camden, NJ is 48.5% Hispanic or Latino, 41% Black or African American Alone, and 5.92% White Alone.

The population of Newark, NJ is 47% Black or African American Alone, 39.2% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.88% White Alone. N/A% of the people in Newark, NJ speak a non-English language, and 82.1% are U.S. citizens.

Newark has a large minority population as well, however, Camden has far less infrastructure to address any COVID-19 outbreak. Facilities and staff and plenty of medical supplies need to be targeted for Camden. It is easier to work with Philadelphia in attracting help and building facilities that can potentially care for both city populations if the outbreak is large and beds are needed.

The New Jersey beach counties are experiencing COVID-19 deaths. I don't recall major hospitals in those counties. Atlantic and Cape May counties may need to address any anticipated spike with personnel and facilities if the hospitals in those counties are lacking enough capacity. Businesses of the beach counties are basically closed. It is a perfect paradigm for stay at home.

Port Elizabeth (click here) is APM Terminals' largest terminal on the east coast of North America, and offers the largest reefer capacity in the port of New York and New Jersey. The terminals four ZPMC ship-to-shore super post-panamax cranes are capable of handling the largest container vessels on the water today, up to 23 containers wide on-deck.

FOOD. Perishable goods. Port Elizabeth is an extremely important shipping port with established trucking companies use to moving perishable goods along the entire east coast.

The little known secret (click here) is New Jersey's agricultural community including historic dairies. Besides milking cows, there are field crops such as soybeans and winter wheat on the land in New Jersey. But, New Jersey's best agricultural effort is "Truck Farming." PRODUCE. Veggies and fruits, especially berries. New Jersey had a climate that could grow intense cropping with rich land. I can only speculate how much of that rich farmland still exists. New Jersey had a program to preserve farmland for 99 years. I believe the state is still in that 99-year window and ensures plenty of capable farmers.

New Jersey has the potential of providing many ingredients to the American effort. It has large minority communities that are going to need help if there is a significant uptick to COVID-19. That is a challenge New Jersey has to rise to but it will need help in doing so.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is nothing short of a answer to a national emergency. I had tears in my eyes when he was speaking about the consortium and manufacturer.

There is a way. At least for the western states. 

Leadership feels wonderful.

It is about saving lives. He is also correct in stating as of today the road ahead is long although the vision of the horizon is real. 

California got started early in educating the public and restricting transmission.

April 6, 2020
By John Myers

Sacramento - Recognizing that states like New York (click here) are experiencing immediate supply shortages as a result of coronavirus, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California would help meet this moment by loaning 500 state-owned ventilators to the strategic National Stockpile Inventory.

“California is stepping up to help our fellow Americans in New York and across the country who are being impacted the hardest right now by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Newsom. “We still have a long road ahead of us in the Golden State – and we’re aggressively preparing for a surge – but we can’t turn our back on Americans whose lives depend on having a ventilator now. We’re meeting this moment with compassion. I know that if the tables were turned and we were experiencing a hospital surge, other states would come to our aid and provide ventilators just as we are today.”

California continues to prepare for a possible COVID-19 surge. The state is securing thousands of beds in alternative care facilities, protecting the homeless, purchasing critical medical equipment and launching new programs like the Health Corps to recruit healthcare professionals.

California is bracing for another spike in coronavirus deaths this week, with the total number of confirmed cases topping 15,000....

Then why are federal officials confiscating essential supplies?

April 6, 2020
By Zolan Kanno-Young and Jack Nicas

Washington - In Massachusetts, (click here) state leaders said they had confirmed a vast order of personal protective equipment for their health workers; then the Trump administration took control of the shipments.

In Kentucky, the head of a hospital system told members of Congress that his broker had pulled out of an agreement to deliver four shipments of desperately needed medical gear after the supplies were commandeered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado thought his state had secured 500 ventilators before they were “swept up by FEMA.”

For weeks, the Trump administration pushed states to procure their own ventilators and protective gear, like masks, gloves and face shields. But a new effort by the administration to create a hybrid system of distribution — divided between the federal government, local officials and private health care companies — has led to new confusion, bordering on disarray, and charges of confiscation....

Chloroquine and hydroychloroquine is NOT an over the counter (OTC) medication.

There is some misinformation about hydroxychloroquine by Trump that is inaccurate. The commercial name is Plaquenil. Hydroxychloroquine is the generic name. Plaquenil comes in 200 mg tablets. 

Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria (click here)
Adults: 800 mg (620 mg base) followed by 400 mg (310 mg base) at 6 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after the initial dose (total 2000 mg hydroxychloroquine sulfate or 1550 mg base).

THIS IS BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY!

The side effects occur in people and depending on "co-morbidities" the side effects can be worse and serious.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking hydroxychloroquine:

Incidence not known (click here)

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking hydroxychloroquine:

Incidence not known

• Blistering, peeling, loosening of the skin
• blurred vision or other vision changes
• chest discomfort, pain, or tightness
• cough or hoarseness
• dark urine
• decreased urination
• defective color vision
• diarrhea
• difficulty breathing
• difficulty seeing at night
• dizziness or fainting
• fast, pounding, uneven heartbeat
• feeling that others are watching you or controlling your behavior
• feeling that others can hear your thoughts
• feeling, seeing, or hearing things that are not there
• fever with or without chills
• general feeling of tiredness or weakness
• headache
• inability to move the eyes
• increased blinking or spasms of the eyelid
• joint or muscle pain
• large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, and sex organs
• loss of hearing
• lower back or side pain
• noisy breathing
• painful or difficult urination
• red irritated eyes
• red skin lesions, often with a purple center
• severe mood or mental changes
• sore throat sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
• sticking out of the tongue
• stomach pain
• swelling of the feet or lower legs
• swollen or painful glands
• trouble with breathing, speaking, or swallowing
• uncontrolled twisting movements of the neck, trunk, arms, or legs
• unusual behavior
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• unusual facial expressions
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• yellow eyes or skin (liver involvement)

This is a very, very serious medication with side effects that occur over time. Some of these side effects such as facial twitching are permanent. Facial twitching does not occur overnight NECESSARILY and in most cases. There are always some people that will have these problems early.

I agree that if a person is facing death by COVID-19 there is every reason for a physician to write for the administration of this age-old medication.

If a person is prescribed this medication he or she needs to adhere to the dose prescribed by the physician. DO NOT SELF MEDICATE. More is not better.

Symptoms of overdose

• Drowsiness
• dry mouth
• increased thirst
• loss of appetite
• mood changes
• no pulse or blood pressure
• numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or lips
• unconsciousness

Some side effects of hydroxychloroquine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Just a word about "Incidence not known."

There is no central clearinghouse about the side effects of medications. There are methods physicians have available to them if they are seeing a troubling effect or side effect of any medication.

I might add, physicians do not necessarily EXPECT side effects, okay? They prescribe in good faith. Side effects are known to prescribing physicians through a very thorough process at the FDA in licensing medications. So, when a doctor prescribes medications they can at the time of initial prescription provide information to the patient as to what to expect in taking this medication, both good and bad. THEN AGAIN, at the pharmacy, the pharmacist is always willing and quite able to answer questions about medications, especially if they are newly prescribed.

So, this particular medication is a strong medication and needs a prescription in order to have it available for ANY PERSON to use as a health enhancement and/or a brief treatment/episode to end malaria.

Currently, there are medications the FDA and CDC are looking at as well as the physicians of the WTO in order to end this nightmare called COVID-19. This is just as much a nightmare to the people that line the halls of these organizations as it is the public. 

I promise. All the organizations involved in ending this pandemic are good, hard-working people that have everyone's best interest and outcome at heart. I would be very surprised if these medications were used long term to fight COVID-19. I would expect them to be prescribed as an EPISODIC therapeutic regime and ended when the patient is out of the woods, so to speak.

PLEASE DO NOT OVER REACT TO MISINFORMATION. PHYSICIANS ARE THE BEST SOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE APPLICATION OF THESE MEDICATIONS.

Everyone. I do mean everyone involved with this pandemic wants it to end. They are wonderful people and deserve respect for their good works.

Thomas Modly, the acting secretary of the Navy did the right thing by resigning after disparaging remarks  about Captain Bret Cozier.

I can’t actually entirely blame him for his language when the USA commander in chief calls other countries “shit hole countries.” That doesn’t exactly inspire greatness in the rest of the command structure. 

I apologize to both Thomas Modly and Captain Cozier for having to tolerate Donald John Trump.

I hope the resignation of Thomas Modly will provide peace of mind to every sailor’s spouse and family. This sort of intimidation is to never happen again! Quite frankly having ignored the pleas of a USA Aircraft Carrier Captain regarding the health of his crew is a human rights violation.

I don't see anymore spending packages being passed by Congress UNTIL Trump abides by the legislation honorably.

The US Senate limited Trump's ability to wage war with Iran, they and the US House need to rein him in with the powers to remove Inspector Generals for political purposes. He is endangering lives in the USA with his antics.

It is extremely obvious Trump is turning the White House into his political headquarters with the new press secretary and all the movement of IGs.

If the legislature doesn't end this mess now, I don't see anymore spending legislation anytime before the election. He is killing people.

Make one legislative package for the most effected states such as New York, as a BLOCK GRANT and get out of the way. Trump can't screw that up.

Specifically, state in the federal legislation $$$$ go to New York State, etc., immediately upon entering into law.

April 4, 2020

President Trump (click here) late Friday shook up the federal inspector general community by firing one of its stalwarts and announcing his intention to nominate five new IGs, including one to oversee the government’s pandemic response.

Trump notified Congress late Friday night that he was removing Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson from his position within 30 days. Atkinson drew White House condemnation after he alerted Congress last September—as required by law—to the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump’s impeachment.

In his letter to Congress, obtained by the Washington Post, Trump wrote: “It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.”

Michael Horowitz, chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and the Justice Department IG, blasted the move in a statement early Saturday:...

Specifically, mimic the state's moral mission to the people. We are looking at governors being supported again. The states can also assist farmers that can grow the food needed for the people of the state. PRESERVE FARMLAND and investigate any bankruptcy for the cause over the past three years. It is about returning function and not politics.

I will be honest, the Non-GMO farmers are still productive because they sell to a specific market and that has not ended. It is a good place to start within the parameters of state government.

April 7, 2020
By Anna Patrick

Second Harvest’s team in Pasco (click here) wanted to try a new way to hand out food, so they made an event on Facebook.

“250 FREE food boxes will be distributed Tuesday, March 24 for anyone in need” the message said. No IDs required. No proof of need. Just show up, and you’ll receive a box.

Vehicles began arriving hours before the 3:30 p.m. pickup. The line grew so long “it started to snarl traffic from the Port of Pasco to King City,” said Jason Clark, the president and CEO of Second Harvest.

They ran out of food in about 40 minutes.

“The economic shock is just so sudden,” Clark said of the coronavirus pandemic. “I expect that we’re going to see a lot more people in food bank lines.”...

The numbers.

Source of numbers (click here).

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Globally - 1,380,600

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in the USA - 366,000

The USA has 25.6 percent of the COVID-19 cases globally.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 78,226.

The number of deaths in the USA due to COVID-19 is 11,784.

That is 15.0 percent of the global deaths from COVID-19.

New cases of COVID-19 today globally is 34,140.

New cases of COVID-19 in the USA are 10,534. This is ridiculous for a First World country. To be exact it is 30.5 percent of the entire world's new cases.

Summer School is a very bad idea.

The increase in COVID-19 cases isn't over yet. This is April and the number of new cases is still increasing in the USA. Louisiana especially started very late in ending social interaction for the lack of leadership to stop Mardis Gras.

School children love summer vacation and carry out assignments during the summer with reading expectations.

I think states really need to reflect on their failure to protect people such as Florida and Spring Break, too. They need to realize returning to social interaction is slowed because of the lack of leadership to end the danger and isolate the virus from spreading.

If I were a parent of a young child, I would never let them go to summer school until there is a real expectation the children were absolutely safe.

At this time it is best to cancel the rest of the school year and continue the online instruction and expect to return to a 2020-2021 "normal" school year. Anything short of that is foolish.

I think children need to perfect their online instruction skills at this point which is a skill set all by itself. Learning online is very different than in the classroom. There is a lot of distraction at home, however, children are comfortable at home and it can be an added benefit as well. There should be no bullying in the home. There needs to be a nurturing environment and the school systems should be defining what it means to have a nurturing school environment in the home. Sometimes having "Fido" laying under the desk can be a comfort that encourages learning, too. So, parents need to become well educated on how to facilitate learning at home.

April 7, 2020

Summer school, (click here) starting the 2020-21 school year early and customized education plans are among the ideas being tossed around if students end up missing more than two months of classroom instruction because of the coronavirus.

"There is going to have to be something that we do to help make sure that we give kids the opportunity to catch up," said Debra Schum, a former top official of the state Department of Education and a 42-year educator.

"Right now there are not a whole lot of answers," Schum added.

"People are brainstorming to see what are the possibilities."...