The Greek Democracy existed from the 8th century BCE (Same meaning of BC but void of religious definition - Before Common/Current Era.

It continued through a time considered the "Hellenistic Age in 27 BCE" The image to the left is the expanse over time of the Greek Empire.

...Athenian democracy (click here) was a direct democracy made up of three important institutions. The first was the ekklesia, or Assembly, the sovereign governing body of Athens. Any member of the demos--any one of those 40,000 adult male citizens--was welcome to attend the meetings of the ekklesia, which were held 40 times per year in a hillside auditorium west of the Acropolis called the Pnyx. (Only about 5,000 men attended each session of the Assembly; the rest were serving in the army or navy or working to support their families.) At the meetings, the ekklesia made decisions about war and foreign policy, wrote and revised laws and approved or condemned the conduct of public officials. (Ostracism, in which a citizen could be expelled from the Athenian city-state for 10 years, was among the powers of the ekklesia.) The group made decisions by simple majority vote....

Greek democracy was the purest form of practice, but, it was definitely racist. The only voting members of the ekklesia were men citizens. They each had a vote in government and it was counted. 

The government decisions were by majority vote. 

It was during the Hellenistic Age that democracy became more intense and practiced in city-states by the demos (the citizen body). As the Greek Empire grew it was better to allow the local authority to carry out governance. That meant that while it was all a democratic process, it varied from the governance of Athens.

But, remember the context of this "idea" of democracy. It was a group of individuals that found the need to define governance. Right? This was 800 years before the change in the timeline of history from BCE to CE. That is a long time for an idea to take a concept and provide governance. In a civilized society, it almost seems like a natural order, in retrospect. 

It's Sunday Night 

Is the USA completely defined by it's history or by it's people?

Beyonce (click here for official website) 

The National Anthem

"The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key (click here for official website)

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner, O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Trump should have passed the presidential power and practice to Pence while he is hospitalized receiving serious medications. The steroid, dexamethasone, can have serious side effects including insomnia and mood swings. No one can predict the side effects.

Evidently, Trump believes his need for power and attention is more important than the national security of the country.

The country is not going to get the truth from Trump about his health.

(chart - click here)

It seems to me someone needs to resolve the mystery surrounding Donald John Trump and since the doctors are even pandering to Trump's political demand, then let me clear this up.

Donald John Trump, regardless of his daughter's propaganda video, is seriously ill.

He is beginning anti-inflammatory therapy known as dexamethasone (click here). I assume he is still receiving remdesivir (click here). It is unclear that REGN-COV2 (click here) is an ongoing treatment because it is not usually given in the hospital. It is mostly an outpatient initiative. 

When I first saw a lung imaging at the beginning of this viral onslaught I was concerned that the inflammation is about as dangerous if not more so as the virus itself. Mr. Trump is receiving an anti-inflammatory because his body is in a full assault against a significant viral load.

SARS-CoV-2 is a unique virus. It is called a novel because it is in a class by itself. Why?

...Altogether, (click here) these reports strongly suggest that SARS-CoV-2 differs from other coronaviruses in its capacity to replicate within the pulmonary tissue, elude from the antiviral effects of IFN-I and IFN-III, activate innate responses, and induce the production of the cytokines required for the recruitment of adaptive immunity cells....

The inflammatory response is a serious manifestation of the virus. It is the body's last-ditch effort to response to the virus. It is standard in every person with a significant viral load because SARS-CoV-2 drives the body to this extent.

...The most common symptoms (click here) were fever, shortness of breath, expectoration, fatigue, dry cough, and myalgia. Severe cases tend to have lower lymphocyte counts, higher leukocyte counts and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), as well as lower percentages of monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. Most severe cases demonstrated elevated levels of infection-related biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines....

Donald John Trump has significant disease with advanced signs based on the medications he is administered. I remind this virus does not necessarily manifest severe lung distress while at the same time the blood level of oxygen is dropping. The president is being foolish from a health perspective in riding in a caravan in a parade to benefit his political campaign. It proves he believes his own misinformation that this is a flu and nothing more.

Let me make one last observation about the joint treatment of remdesivir and dexamethasone. The anti-inflammatory is reducing the damage to body tissue but it also reduces the immune response. HOWEVER, remdesivir is taking on the fight to eliminate the virus in the body. 

Therefore, this duo is perfect. One protects the body's tissues while the night in shining armor is vanquishing the virus. It is a genius treatment.

Senator Feinstein is correct the confirmation hearings must be postponed.

The contamination event (click here)

Senator Feinstein is 87 years old. She is in the high-risk group and currently, the Senate office building is not contaminated by SARS-CoV-2.

Every person at that announcement ceremony and the parties afterward have to be in quarantine right now, including the judge and her family. There is no way all those people can be cleared to hold the confirmation hearings on October 12th. The judge should not be in the same room with Senator Feinstein.

The hearings have to be postponed, otherwise, lives are on the line. Senator Feinstein and any other person concerned about their well being after this party in the Rose Garden and White House need to have physicians testify to the danger.

This is the Republican's own fault. They opened themselves up to infection. No one else should be put in peril over Republican arrogance and ignorance.

I feel bad for Chris Christie. He has been dissed by this president on more than one occasion, but, he put all that aside to help with the campaign along side of Bill Stepien only to get COVID-19. I hope he recovers.

I demand a legisltated mandate for ALL Americans with COVID-19.

Every COVID-19 patient is facing great danger and has a right to receive EXACTLY the same medical treatment as the president of the USA. The new treatments that are not yet approved MUST be part of a mandated protocol that a patient can request as soon as diagnosed as the president did.

THERE WILL BE THIS MANDATE PAID FOR BY THE PEOPLE OF THE USA JUST AS THE PRESIDENT DID.

Donald John Trump MUST make a huge apology to the American people for lying to all the American people. There have been people of the over 200,000 that are dead that believed his lies that SARS-CoV-2 was a Chinese Hoax. Americans went to COVID-19 parties to become part of the herd immunity and subsequently died. Young people went to Spring Break in Florida because they believed they wouldn’t become sick and then did while spreading the virus across the country when they went home. The USA leads the world in COVID-2 diagnosis and deaths. Enough of the Trump Lies. He needs to resign out of shame for the lies he told.

TRUMP BEAT IT BECAUSE THIS COUNTRY IS COMPASSIONATE AND VALUES EVERY CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY. EVERY OTHER AMERICAN MUST BE PROVIDED THE SAME TREATMENT PAID FOR BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 

COVID-19 is not the flu.

The virus effects people at varying seriousness, however, the recovery time past the two weeks of quarantine is usually substantial. 

I hope the First Lady and the President have mild symptoms and they recover quickly, but, that quick recovery is not a guarantee.

The idea that a president of the USA recovered well from a serious infection is hardly a reason to open the country when people are still dying in large numbers. The president is provided exceptional care and the rest of the country does not have that capacity. End of discussion.

I fully expect the First Lady to burn her green jacket of indifference. I expect penance to the travesty in leadership this administration has carried out.

I take it this is a little more than the sniffles, huh?

Really nice and very good news for Flint, Michigan.

Yes, it is affordable housing.

October 2, 2020

Flint (WJRT) - A pair of developers (click here) are receiving state tax credits for two projects that will create nearly 100 new apartments in Flint.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority awarded nearly $2.8 million in tax credits for the projects from a program that helps create and rehabilitate rental properties in urban and rural areas. A total of 17 projects statewide will receive $17.8 million from the program.

Communities First Inc. and RAD Conversion Specialists are receiving $1.3 million for the Grand On University apartments, which will create 48 new living units.

Norstar Development and the Flint Housing Commission will receive just under $1.5 million for the Clark Commons II project, which will create 48 new apartment units.

The Sick American President

I don't want to hear a word about blame by anyone including Hope Hicks. They have been flagrantly ignoring and at times making disparaging statements about the people in the CDC, FDA, and NIH. This infection is the responsibility of the President and First Lady for ignoring important precautions.

What I find odd are the comments relating a change in the financial markets as if related to Trump's contagious illness. There is no historical reference to that potential. This may be the first and if it is, there has to be an understanding that only Trump will sew corruption into their favor as no one else did before. I find that reality outrageous and anti-American.

Besides The Fed is baby coddling them. It is October the beginning of the government’s new fiscal year. Honestly.

I am sure both he and the First Lady will survive the SARS-CoV-2 infection they opened themselves up to as they receive the best care the American people can provide.

They can no longer state this is just the flu.

We knew is was the super spreader of hate, now he is the super spreader of disease.

Now Mike Lee is positive. What is that all about? (click here)

Donald John Trump's sole focus is himself. He made sure he was able to attend a fundraiser in New Jersey before he was tested, too. Everyone in the area of Trump in the entire past week has to be tested. If they don't, they are being foolish. That includes Guilliani and Chris Christie.

To top off the corruption of the Republican Party, Bill Barr is breaking the law. (click here)

October 2, 2020
By Jennifer Rubin

President Trump (click here) announced early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the novel coronavirus, two days after close aide Hope Hicks displayed symptoms. While appalling, it should be no surprise to learn, as The Post reports:

After White House officials learned of Hicks’s symptoms, Trump and his entourage flew Thursday to New Jersey, where he attended a fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster and delivered a speech. Trump was in close contact with dozens of other people, including campaign supporters, at a roundtable event.

The president did not wear a mask Thursday, including at the events at his golf course and on the plane, officials said. He was tested after he returned to the White House, but he also appeared on Sean Hannity’s TV show from the residence by telephone.

This is grotesquely irresponsible, but no more so than Trump’s insistence on eschewing masks (and mocking former vice president Joe Biden for wearing one, as recently as the debate on Tuesday), holding large rallies, pushing quack remedies, lying to the public about the severity of the pandemic and goading local officials to reopen schools. All these actions reflect his utter lack of regard for others, his inability to think of the welfare of anyone but himself....

Quarantine

Is Pence now in charge of the Executive Branch?

Cancel the next two debates.

The debates are a national security risk for the bad behavior of Trump, but, also his yelling could have released SARS-CoV-2 on the entire room including Joe and Jill Biden. 

It was a high statistical probability Trump could carry the virus to the debate. He does nothing to protect his health and thinks nothing of infecting anyone else.

This is a dangerous virus.

The debates are a gathering that is now also a dangerous gathering. From here going forward either cancel the debates or make them completely virtual. Too much is on the line and Trump does not respect the safety of others.

Abbott has written an illegal order to close drop boxes for federal ballots.

A million reasons, but, let's start with the SARS-CoV-2 health emergency. It is putting voters into one spot to deposit votes. That is unhelpful. 

Then there is the federal judge that ordered the US Post Office to replace all the infrastructure it removed. 

Then there is the blatant disregard for the INTEGRITY of the 2020 election during a global pandemic. This is an attempt to suppress the vote. It is obvious and blatantly wrong. Such changes need to be made far in advance of the election. This is blatant tampering with the 2020 elections.

October 1, 2020
By Nicole Via y Rada

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, (click here) a Republican, ordered counties to stop accepting hand-delivered absentee ballots at more than one location, issuing a proclamation that could make it harder for residents to vote early.

The proclamation, which goes into effect Friday, modifies part of Abbott's July 27 order that added six days of early absentee voting in the state in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fellow Republicans in Texas are challenging the additional early voting days in court.


After concerns were raised about the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service, voters have increasingly indicated a desire to use drop-off sites to ensure that votes are counted while avoiding the possible crowds on Election Day.

Abbott said he issued the new order to ensure the security of the ballots, which President Donald Trump has questioned as Americans have embraced early and absentee voting in response to the pandemic. Trump has sought to sow distrust about the outcome of the election by casting doubt, without evidence, on the integrity of the system....

I am surprised. Is it possible Texas is expected to turn blue by the Trump campaign? These are very desperate measures.

September 29, 2020

By John Engel

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden neck-and-neck in Texas. But some Democrats have questioned whether the national party has bought into the idea that Texas is the biggest battleground state.

The Republican National Committee has sent three times more money to Texas than the Democratic National Committee—$2.4 million to $795,899—according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Beto O’Rourke, the former presidential candidate and most popular Democrat in the state, has repeatedly urged the Biden campaign to take Texas seriously. A poll released on Tuesday by UMass Lowell found Trump ahead of Biden 49-46 in Texas, within the margin of error....

Joe, put on your cowboy boots, load up help for those effected by the Global Pandemic and head to El Paso where Beto has a great constituency.

Then again construction boots might be just as good. Don't forget the baseball cap! Looks good!

Any lawsuits against the former Governor Snyder needs to secure his assets until the cases are decided.

Yes, that is a very vicious observation. But, what he did was far more vicious.

September 30, 2020

By Ryan Stanton

Ann Arbor — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (click here) and wife Sue have put their downtown digs up for sale.

The couple loves downtown and their condo, but they want to live closer to their children, said longtime assistant Allison Scott, who said they’re remaining in the area.

Their elegant, 4,644-square-foot condo at 211 S. Main St. is now listed for $2.35 million through Dresch & Restrick Realtors with Keller Williams Ann Arbor.

Coney-Barrett is distanced by "People of Praise" religious group. Really?.

She is an extremist and holds radical views that will cause peril to women in the USA. Don't expect Trump to withdraw her nomination because he believes women are not equal partners in marriage. He believes his wife has to submit to his will. That is very obvious.

People of Praise amount to what is considered a CLUB for Christians. I would like to know why she belonged to this group for so long. This type of club is my pet peeve because they are not religiously sanctioned. The Roman Catholic Church has parishes organized by the leadership of a Bishop. There are no clubs within the Catholic Church, there are churches and the social groups that exist within that church.

All these crackpot groups try to have political clout in carrying on about strict religious standards that are supposed to be exhibited by elected officials. It is nonsense and only matters because of enough amounts of money to assist in elections like the Federalist Society and/or because citizens believe these groups are important to their worship.

When a so-called religious group comes out to leverage the negative opinion of people running for office, they are doing so without any authority. They are nothing more than clubs that like to follow religious tradition in their meetings and priorities.

The government of the United States of America is not affiliated with a religious organization. The Evangelicals have a huge covet of the USA, but, they are not an official religion. Where Barrett gets it wrong is that her personal view, both about her judicial review (professional) and personally of religious bias should matter within the freedoms of the USA Constitution.

I don't think so.

She will no doubt seek to hide that predilection in words in any document she produces within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Monitoring her is going to be interesting, but, if she continues to seek to undermine THE RULE OF THE MAJORITY it will be caught. It is no joke to attempt within a federal authority to undermine the USA Constitution. 

30 September 2020

A tiny religious organization (click here) tied to Amy Coney Barrett, Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee, sought to erase all mentions and photos of her from its website before she meets with lawmakers and faces questions at her Senate confirmation hearings.

Barrett, a federal appeals judge, has declined to publicly discuss her decades-long affiliation with People of Praise (click here), a Christian group that opposes abortion and holds that men are divinely ordained as the “head” of the family and faith.

Former members have said the group’s leaders teach that wives must submit to the will of their husbands.

A spokesman for the organization has declined to say whether the judge and her husband, Jesse Barrett, are members....

Physicans should consider ordering oral anti-inflammatory such as predinose for quarantine patients.

Physicians never want to order unnecessary medications, I think COVID-19 is the exception. A short course of any kind of oral anti-inflammatory will not hurt most people. There are always exceptions, but, then that is why doctors are ordering it.

To the best of my knowledge remdesivir can only be administered in the hospital as intravenous medication. However, if the physician believes this medication is needed in a quarantine situation, there is always home care that can administer it in the home. It would be interesting if remdesivir could be an oral solution or pill.

I believe the quarantine timeline begins at two weeks. Two weeks is a long time for SARS-CoV-2 to grow inside the human body. While quarantine limits help society to contain the virus, it can be devastating to the person. This example is tragic. This is a young man that was very, very healthy and the lousy virus found this brain a place where it could replicate. We have seen this by neurological surgeons that detect blood clots in some patients. The blood clots are a result of cell rupture when SARS-CoV-2 breaks cell walls to continue it's replication.

I can't help but wonder if a reduction in the inflammation would at least protect some of the brain not directly infected by the virus. I am also curious about the effects of anti-inflammatories directly on the virus itself. Do anti-inflammatories only protect the tissues of the body or can it directly effect the virus itself. Simple tests in the lab could answer that.

The other aspect of the immune response quite possibly could be dietary. If the patient is able to eat while infected perhaps a nutritional supplement designed to support the stressed immune system is in order. The immune system begins it's work as an infection invades the body, the idea is to increase the nutritional support of the patient during a time when the immune system is demanding the body to work differently at survival. Intravenous nutritional support is always available to hospitalized patients. There is a chance that in attempting to support the immune response it could create a benevolent environment to the virus, although DNA is it's pursuit. Perhaps a trial of nutritional support is in order, too. This concept is especially important to people experiencing food insecurity. The United Nations has developed biscuits that assist with nutrition, so the concept is not foreign to scientists.

This guy breaks my heart. This is the nightmare I thought the country needs to avoid at all costs. It is just that the cyber network works. Why the risk-taking?

September 30, 2020

By Shawn Hubler

Chad Dorrill died of neurological complications related to Covid-19. His uncle said Mr. Dorrill’s legs didn’t work when he tried to get out of bed.

Chad Dorrill was in “tremendous shape.” (click here) Tall and slender. Played basketball. Ran long distances. But the 19-year-old college student died on Monday night, apparently of neurological complications related to Covid-19.

Mr. Dorrill, a sophomore at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., had been living off campus and taking classes online when he became ill with flulike symptoms, the school’s chancellor, Sheri Everts, wrote on Tuesday in a statement to students confirming his death. “His mother encouraged him to come home, quarantine and be tested,” Dr. Everts said.

He tested positive for the coronavirus on Sept. 7 and quarantined for 10 days before returning to Boone, according to his uncle David Dorrill, who said he lives seven houses away from the family in Wallburg, N.C., near Winston-Salem. He said that after his nephew returned to college, he almost immediately began experiencing serious neurological problems....

Fires are increasing again in western states.

30 September 2020

1346

GOES (Geostationary) East Satellite (click here for 3 hour loop)

This satellite shows an enormous vortex. It has dumped huge amounts of water in the eastern third of the country causing flooding. People were left without electricity in some places. There was also disruption in transportation.

September 30, 2020

By Isabel Keane

After a night (click here) of heavy rainfall, residents of the Lower Hudson Valley should expect some delays and road closures today due to flooding and downed wires.

Across Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties nearly 10,000 customers were left without power from strong overnight storms.

While many local parkways tend to flood, minor closures on the Bronx River Parkway were cleared by 8 a.m., Westchester County police said.

A tractor-trailer rollover on Interstate 95 in New Rochelle that occurred around midnight had two southbound lanes of the Thruway blocked overnight, but that crash was cleared by 8 a., state police said.

Those taking Metro-North Railroad today may also experience delays due to the weather. The Harlem Line is delayed up to 30 minutes due to a downed tree, the MTA said.

With increasing heat, carbon, and particulate release in the western USA, the Gulf is becoming active again. It is also easy to see the vortex is a heat transfer system off the Equator. The bottom shows the hemispheric vortex reaching past the North American and South American borders into the Pacific Ocean.

September 30, 2020

7:19 am EST

NOAA Satellite 

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico: (click here)

1. A tropical wave located over the west-central Caribbean Sea is expected to move westward over the next couple of days and interact with a frontal system, producing a broad area of low pressure over the western Caribbean Sea by Thursday night or Friday. Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for some development thereafter, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend while the system moves slowly west-northwestward over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.

* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...60 percent.

GOES-East Full Disk - GeoColor (click here for 4 hour loop)

The fires today go beyond the West Coast this morning. (click here)

The newest fires are in South Dakota and Nebraska. This movement east is worrisome especially because with higher winds in the Midwest and West is basically still. 

September 30, 2020

By Toni Dreibus

Weather maps (click here) in North Dakota and South Dakota are lit up as a red-flag warning, extreme fire danger warnings, and wind advisories have been issued, according to the National Weather Service....

The 2020 harvest is underway. It is going fairly well this year.

The USA's weather nearly divides the country in half when it comes to drought. The eastern half is receiving huge amounts of water with the persistent storms, while the western half is in profound drought. 

Drought Monitor (click here)

The harvest is currently facilitated with the dry weather.

Why the Proud Boys?

Established (click here) in the midst of the 2016 presidential election by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys are self-described “western chauvinists” who adamantly deny any connection to the racist “alt-right,” insisting they are simply a fraternal group spreading an “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” agenda....

...They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric. Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings like the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville. Indeed, former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler helped to organize the event, which brought together Klansmen, antisemites, Southern racists, and militias. Kessler was only “expelled” from the group after the violence and near-universal condemnation of the Charlottesville rally-goers....

Trump likes to think he is the inspiration for the organization of the Proud Boys. The group was organized by a media empire founder (click here), therefor Trump has an exclusive media network to carry his propaganda. To Trump, what could be better? 

I might add, even though Joe Biden is determined to attend the other two debates, Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an excellent point in stating Trump would USE the debate to drive lies and propaganda.

I also believe Trump's lies and propaganda has immeasurable results in the electorate. The Trump campaign widely is about recruiting marginal voters. When Trump goes off the rails it is about entertaining those that may be recruited to vote. Trump excels in recruiting non-traditional voters. The verbal abuse leveled at the country last night was to get the attention of people, not about facts. Trump has an allegiance from the "Gossip News Rags" like the National Enquirer. Those are the people he is looking to find and entertain.

Regardless of Trump's White Supremacist/Nationalist loyalty voter, there are polls that Joe Biden is making inroads with White Men. That alone is a reason for Joe to continue to reach out to them. I think it is important the Biden voters are diverse. He promised to bring the country back together, his outreach in this manner is vital to his "healing" agenda.