Oz

As of the moment, the third Corona-fighting congressional bill is delayed. Each side faults the other. According to an an article at foxnews.com, Dems want to include new collective bargaining powers for unions, higher fuel emissions standards for airlines and expanded wind and solar tax credits. What does any of that have to do with the virus? Can’t those issues be addressed in a separate bill? I suppose it’d have no chance of passing on its own, so chicanery is required. Quid pro quo, anyone? It’s so friggin’ annoying. I hate the whole process. Fortunately, there is good news on the battlefront. Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva announced it is donating more than six million tablets of Hydroxychloroquine, also known as plaquenil, which has been used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases like arthritis and lupus. According to Dr. OZ, who was just interviewed on Sean Hannity’s radio show, the regimen requires 20 tablets per patient, so a lot more is needed. Hannity said three million have been found in the U.S. and are already being sent out. There are people recovering from the virus who claim the drug was life-saving, but the sample is so far too small to say definitively that it will work for most folks. I’d ask for it if I were sick.

An interesting talking point has arisen. Is it possible that the measures to combat the virus, especially the closing of businesses, will be worse than the effects of the virus itself? Of course, the answer is unknown, just as so many aspects of the situation are. It’s the President’s call. As I walked along Sheephead Bay Road in the rain this afternoon, all but the candy stores were closed on the train station’s side of the street. The usually bustling strip was almost entirely vacant. I wonder if the bagel shop and Chinese bakery will survive if they have to remain closed for a month. Even a few weeks might do them in. Hopefully, they’ll qualify for government relief.

Here’s an amusing corona headline from nypost.com: “Man uses drone to walk his dog during coronavirus lockdown.” And here’s one from foxnews.com: “Missouri woman gives birth in Walmart toilet paper aisle.” That story will be shared by the family for decades — with a Corona twist.

It’s no surprise that Woody Allen’s controversial memoir, Apropos of Nothing, has found a new publisher after it was dumped by Hachette, which caved to pressure from inside as well as outside its ranks. Arcade Publishing, a unit of Skyhorse Publishing, is now handling the book. I’m skeptical of the molestation charges levied against Allen by his daughter, although I realize anything is possible in this world. He’s not in jail. He has not been convicted. His right to free speech is the same as any American’s. While I’m probably in 100% disagreement with his politics, I admire his art.

It was another 23 hours of isolation. Since it was such a mild winter where I was able to run the curbside book shop practically every day, I thought I might forgo one of my annual tasks — washing my wood floor. I did it in phases after lunch. I hope the mice appreciate it. Four caught so far.

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