By Matt Nadelson / New York City As an amateur stat geek, I take great pride in discovering patterns in data that the pros may have missed. The mountains of Covid-related data are no exception. My burning question lately is why some parts of the country have such vastly different vaccination rates than others. I’ve read the theories, and the statisticians all seem to be fixated on the usual suspects of race, wealth, education, or political affiliation. But what if they are missing the elephant in the room? When looking at the states with the highest vaccination rates– Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine– the temptation is to say, ”It’s just a New England thing.” Or if you’re into baseball, you might say, ”It’s just a Red Sox fan thing.” But surely there must be more to it than that. So I generated another hypothesis: these were states where people had a greater level of trust in government, and therefore a greater level of trust in vaccines. There was only one problem: according to the data, my theory was dead wrong. Northeastern states actually have the least amount of trust in government. So I had to keep digging. My next theory was that perhaps these states had a stronger middle class. Surely, if people have their basic financial needs met, they will have more faith in the mainstream scientific and political institutions that encourage them to get vaccinated. But nope–I was wrong again. Not one of the highly vaccinated states cracks the Top 10 when it comes to the strength of its middle class. And then my sleuthing took a sudden and shocking turn, a turn that for a man of some religious conviction like me was quite painful to realize. It occurred to me that the highly vaccinated states were not very religious ones. What I thought would be a commentary on how trust in government may help vaccination rates was about to become a commentary on how religion may undermine them. My greatest fear was realized when I came across this study. Of the five least religious states in America, strikingly four of them were also the most vaccinated ones. I had finally found my smoking gun data point, but it was not at all what I had hoped for. It turns out that religiosity is not only a good predictor of who is getting vaccinated; it’s also a good predictor of who isn’t. Of the five most religious states in America, three of them were among the least vaccinated. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences reached the same conclusion. The study found that "a significant predictor of vaccine attitudes in the United States is religiosity, with more-religious individuals expressing more distrust in science and being less likely to get vaccinated.” However, despite this finding, only about 1 in 10 Americans say they believe that a Covid-19 vaccine conflicts with their religious beliefs. This discrepancy suggests that people are not very self-aware about the extent to which their religious views impact their overall worldview. So what, if any, Covid-19 policy adjustments should we make from this startling discovery? That’s a case for another day, but one I think is worth exploring. Religion and science have a long and storied history of butting heads in this country. As far as my own Covid statistical journey goes, this is a case of be careful what you investigate - you might find something you’re not looking for. Matt Nadelson is the founder and president of Computer Camaraderie Corp., a full-service IT support firm based in New York City that specializes in the unique needs of home and small-business users. 212-734-2225 Email: matthew@ccc4me.com Facebook: @CCC4MENOW Website: http://www.ccc4me.com

FRED PLOTKIN is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Fred discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. In a “Public Lives” profile in The New York Times on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area Well, it’s January again, the time of year that many of us make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to improve ourselves in some way. I pondered mine for a while. These are not normal times so outside-the-box thinking is called for. No, it’s not losing 10 pounds (though that would be nice). No, it’s not joining a gym to begin a daily exercise routine (though that would be nice). No, it’s not saving a certain amount of money each month to build our nest egg (though that would be nice). My resolution this year is less typical than those three examples. I decided to dig deep to discover what would be a reasonable yet satisfying undertaking. The light bulb went on when our good friends Dan and Nancy drove up from Ventura to the Bay Area to be our first guests at the Fishman Family Compound during the first week of the new year. In my morning conversation with Nancy, the two of us discovered that we have the same resolution for 2022. We talked about what we could do to be better human beings. Aha! We are all about kindness. Committing to be kind might seem like a silly resolution because it is not what you would expect. Aren’t resolutions meant to improve our emotional and physical selves? Then being kind is not silly at all. I’m particularly looking at being kind to myself. I have always set a high personal standard . Reaching that mark has not been easy. This behavior has caused me to be judgmental to the person in the mirror, and at times towards others. I want to let go of that pattern. I’ve had an amazing ability to beat myself up when I make a mistake, no matter how big or small. It drives my kids nuts! They try to rein me in by yelling “Let it go, Mom. You’re making us all crazy!” This is going to be a tough one. I’m able to forgive others when they make a mistake but not this person sitting over here. Do any of you out there have a similar habit? Join me in “It’s enough already!” and try to be kind to yourself. Our friend, Susan, stopped by for a coffee today and she was telling us that her resolution was to be kinder to herself! Wow! Another person on board. What that looks like for Susan is that she just resigned from two political advocacy boards that she’s served on for seven years. She said emphatically, “It was enough already!” My commitment to being kind will include not beating up yours truly. If I miss a day of swimming laps, oh well. If I have too much dessert, why not? Stay up in the middle of the night to watch TV? Good for me. Not getting out of my pajamas until noon? Been there, done that with my friend Nancy. She said she never allowed herself to do that but really enjoyed it. Nancy also needs some lessons in self-kindness! Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson cautioned, “You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” Ain’t that the truth? Most of the time, I’m kind to others, but all of us could stand a little brushing up. When I greet a shop keeper, the bank teller, the grocery clerk, I say, “good day” or “thank you for your help.” If their service was something more involved and I feel that they did an exceptional job, I tell them that. What a lift it must be to receive that seemingly small compliment in a world where customers barely acknowledge a service person’s existence. Our American expression for greeting people was nicely summed up by Louise Egan, founder of the Soho Language Group in New York. In her words, “Being asked ‘How are you?’ is a topic of some concern among certain expatriates and visitors to New York. In their eyes, why should a salesperson, concierge, casual colleague, or restaurant wait person care how you are? The answer is, they don’t!” This is so true. Maybe we should take a brief moment and really connect with that person to acknowledge that they are a person. That would be a kindness in the smallest of ways. Today’s recipe is a kindness to yourself and to others. This is a healthy, easy dish that takes practically no time at all to prepare, just a little forethought. Brined Roast Chickens couldn’t be more universal. I use two small fryers for a couple of reasons. Do you know that expression, “She’s a tough old bird”? True, true. The larger, older birds have tougher meat. The other reason is to honor your commitment to kindness: roast one chicken for you and give one away. If you throw a few potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. in the oven while roasting the chicken, voilà, you have a complete meal. It takes no more time to roast multiple birds. Just increase the brine. Soon you’ll be giving these little birds away to the neighborhood! Country music songwriter and singer Glen Campbell had it right when he wrote these pithy lines in 1970, “Just shine your light for everyone to see… try a little kindness.” Brined Roast Chicken Yield: 8 servings Brine 1/2 c. kosher salt 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 lg. onion, sliced 1 tsp. minced garlic 4 bay leaves 1 Tbs. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped 1 tsp. black peppercorns 1 tsp. thyme leaves 4 c. hot water 4 c. ice cubes 2 whole chickens 3 1/2 - 4 lb. each Make the brine. Combine all of the ingredients except for the ice cubes and the chicken in a marinating vessel. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the ice cubes. Stir until cooled to room temperature. Place each chicken in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Divide the brine between the two bags using a ladle. Move the chickens around in the bags to distribute the brine. Set them in a shallow casserole, refrigerated, for 6-8 hours. Rotate the chickens every two hours. Note: If using chicken quarters, marinate no more than 4 hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Remove chicken from brine and drain off the liquid. Place them on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, breast side up, for about 60-75 minutes or when a thermometer is inserted into the thigh reads 180°. For shiny finish, brush the skin with olive oil or melted butter. Allow to rest out of the oven for about 15 minutes before carving. Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.

One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 66 By Laurence Lerman / New York City The news of director Peter Bogdanovich’s death on January 6 was crowded out by the blitz of publicity about Sidney Poitier’s passing the same day at 94, along with coverage of the one-year anniversary of the capitol insurrection. The gifted Bogdanovich, who started out as a movie journalist, critic and curator before moving into filmmaking in the late Sixties, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles at 82. Few filmmakers have launched their careers with the kind of critical acclaim and box-office success that Bogdanovich received as one of a handful of blooming directors in the “New Hollywood” of the 1970s. He came up alongside such soon-to-be-luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Francis Coppola and Brian De Palma. Following his directorial debut with the 1968 Roger Corman-produced crime thriller Targets and a 1971 documentary on the director John Ford, Bogdanovich came out blazing with three acclaimed smashes: 1971’s The Last Picture Show, 1972’s What’s Up, Doc? and 1973’s Paper Moon. Proving his deftness and self-assuredness at helming nostalgic dramas, adult romances and screwball comedies, Bogdanovich’s trio of films were immediately embraced as being among the finest homegrown movies of their time. By the end of the Seventies and the close of the “American New Wave” era (as it was also dubbed), they had already attained classic status. Not bad for a director who at 35 was regularly being compared to Orson Welles. But Bogdanovich still had nearly 50 more years to go and the majority of his work over those following years—starting with his disastrous 1974 Henry James adaptation Daisy Miller starring then-girlfriend Cybill Shepherd—didn’t deliver on the reputation he had garnered at the dawn of his career. Just like his friend Welles. There were a handful of bright spots. The dramas Saint Jack (1979) with Ben Gazzara, Mask (1985) with Cher and Eric Stoltz, The Cat’s Meow (2002) with Kirsten Dunst and Cary Elwes, and the comedy Noises Off (1992) with Carol Burnett and Michael Caine were all critically well-received, though Mask was the only one to click at the box office. But there were even more critical and commercial hiccups. There was the Cole Porter-fueled musical comedy At Long Last Love (1975) with Shepherd and Burt Reynolds. a real train wreck of a movie that demands to be gawked at; the silent film era comedy Nickelodeon (1976) with Reynolds, Ryan O’Neal and John Ritter; the romantic comedy They All Laughed (1981) with Ritter, Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn and Dorothy Stratten; and the dizzying comedy Illegally Yours starring the uncomfortably matched Rob Lowe and Colleen Camp. It didn’t get much better for Bogdanovich at the box office or on critics’ notepads in the Nineties, with Texasville (1990), a follow-up to The Last Picture Show featuring a returning Jeff Bridges and Shepherd; or the country music-themed The Thing Called Love (1993) starring Samantha Mathis and River Phoenix. Through it all, talented, high-profile actors clearly still wanted to work with him—the 2014 romantic screwball comedy She’s Funny That Way featured Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Will Forte, Rhys Ifans and Kathryn Hahn—but Bogdanovich’s name and early-Seventies output didn’t energize audiences into checking out what he had cooking. The latter half of his career found Bogdanovich helming a number of movies for network and cable TV. The first was 1996’s To Sir, with Love II, a tepidly received and now barely remembered sequel to the 1967 British film starring Sidney Poitier, who returned to recreate one of his most enduring roles. What else? Bogdanovich acted in dozens of film and TV productions over the past two decades, most notably in a recurring role as psychiatrist Dr. Eliott Kupferberg in four seasons of HBO’s The Sopranos (an installment of which he also directed). And he took part in the completion and restoration of Orson Welles’ Hollywood satire The Other Side of the Wind, which went into production in the Seventies and was finally released in 2018 following decades of legal and financial complications. But with exception of She’s Funny That Way, the New Hollywood survivor’s days as a theatrical filmmaker were behind him. In what could be termed a happy ending, nearly 50 years after his seminal AFI-commissioned documentary Directed by John Ford, Bogdanovich returned to similar film-on-filmmaking terrain for his final feature, the well-received 2018 documentary The Great Buster: A Celebration, an appreciation of silent film legend Buster Keaton’s artistry and influence. Most notable is that Bogdanovich splinters the usual chronological narrative, skipping Keaton’s mid-career golden period and moving forward to his decline and later years. He then doubles back to give Keaton’s greatest accomplishments their due in the final third of the film. In other words, Bogdanovich saved the good stuff for the end. If only Bogdonavich’s career had played out like that. The great director Billy Wilder famously declared, “You’re as good as the best thing you’ve ever done.” By that standard, Bogdanovich was very, very good indeed. Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

By Andy Borowitz January 10, 2022 WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Rep. Jim Jordan’s announcement that he is refusing to talk to the January 6th committee has sparked celebrations across the nation, as Americans express hope that the congressman’s abstention from talking becomes a sustainable trend. In interviews from coast to coast, Americans agreed with Carol Foyler, a realtor in Missoula, Montana, who said that Jordan’s refusal to talk “seemed almost too good to be true.” “Really, the year is off to a terrible start, with Omicron spreading like crazy and whatnot,” she said. “When I saw the thing about Jim Jordan not talking, I was, like, ‘Finally, some good news for a change.’ ” Harland Dorrinson, an insurance adjuster in Akron, Ohio, agreed that it would be “amazing if Jim Jordan stopped talking,” but also sounded a note of caution. “I worry a little that this is a New Year’s resolution, like going to the gym or cutting back on carbs,” Dorrinson said. “If it’s February and Jim Jordan still isn’t talking, then it’ll be time to get out the party hats.” Andy Borowitz is a Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes The Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news.

By Naomi Serviss / New York City When Hugh Jackman got whacked by Covid last month, The Music Man wasn’t the only thing in Trouble with a capital T. It was Broadway with a capital B. Jackman addressed an exuberant post-performance crowd, enthusiastically singing the praises of the unsung heroes: understudies, standbys and swings, for their stamina and dedication. Unfortunately, as Jackman was praising the industry’s backbone, Covid put the kibosh on the show, claiming its star performer. Friends peppered me frantically. “Broadway’s shutting down again?” “This time’s permanent, right?” “No way would I set foot in a Broadway theater now!” Is the gist. No one’s into risking hundreds of dollars on a Broadway promise. Planning a trip to the city is too iffy, some say. They’ve been detoured this way before. Not up for another go-around or rescheduling or waiting for a refund. Ticketholders of the mega musical The Music Man are especially sweating it out. It’s going to get better, right? What to do? The entire theater industry has the heebee-jeebies. Another wide-scale shutdown would shutter or “pause” more shows,” à la Mrs. Doubtfire. In an unusual maneuver to stave off closing, Mrs. Doubtfire is taking a nine-week hiatus. Performances have been canceled from January 10 through March 14. Reasoning? It beats closing prematurely and losing the pot. Ain’t Too Proud. has also announced its closing January 16. Waitress ended its Broadway run after multiple Covid-related cancellations. America Utopia stripped down to Unplugged & Unchained, a scaled-back show with nods to David Byrne’s Talking Heads roots after Covid took out band and crew members. It’s not easy being theater royalty. Queen Patti LuPone reassured and pleaded with minions on Instagram that Broadway was open and The Great White Way illuminated. Strict covid protocols may lead to performance cancellations, but Company, at the Shubert Theatre, plans to soldier on. Thanks to the understudies, swings and standbys, those whose job is to jump in when needed, many productions go on. Casts and backstage personnel are vaccinated and masked backstage. They’re tested daily, but breakthrough infections have taken their toll. Come From Away was slammed so hard, the show was forced to cancel a week’s performances before Christmas. It’s a shame, since the state of theater is dicey at best. On December 26, eight of the 12 actors in the show were subs. Some replacements for band members also filled in. Recent news stories have highlighted the show-saving actors who have stepped up and in, when Covid intruded. But it’s not over. While some shows have closed because of the devastating spreading infection, others have paused to regroup. To Kill a Mockingbird will close at the Shubert Theatre on January 16, and transfer to the smaller Belasco Theatre June 1. Not great timing for Greg Kinnear, who just stepped into Jeff Daniels’ shoes as Atticus Finch on January 5. Bob Dylan's Girl From the North Country is struggling as well, with its last performance scheduled for January 23. Producers are eyeing a possible spring reopening post-Omicron surge. Most productions have continued. It’s a scenario likely to repeat as Omicron continues to be an equal-opportunity offender. Audience attendance dropped to under three-quarters of all seats during the week ending January 2. The average seat price was $146. Lines for TKTS, midtown’s discount theater site, indicate faith that Broadway will rise Phoenix-like again. Speaking of which, Jackman is back, baby! Here’s hoping the long-anticipated Funny Girl will experience good trouble. With a lowercase t. See the accompanying story, Big Apple Bargains, If You Dare! Naomi Serviss is a New York-based award-winning journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Highroads (AAA magazine), in-flight publications, spa and travel magazines and websites, including BroadwayWorld.com

By John Rolfe / Red Hook, NY Tired of Covid, prevention mandates and “expert” recommendations of how to navigate the pandemic? Most of us want to return to normal life, even if it means taking greater risks. But if you need yet another reminder that the virus ultimately calls the shots (pardon the pun) for us, here it is. I’m a bus driver for one of the largest school districts in New York’s Hudson Valley. Serving more than 8,000 students, mine has been doing its best to keep kids in classrooms despite the major surge in Omicron cases. Whether that effort is due to parental and political pressure, the poor results of remote “classes” (I use that term loosely) or the simple desire for normalcy, I can’t say. It’s probably a combination of those factors. Anyway, schools in my district were recently forced to close for a few days because too many of my colleagues were out sick, in quarantine, or had just tested positive and we were pushed past the breaking point. Already in the grip of the national driver shortage, we’ve been using qualified mechanics and office staff members to fill in. Now we could no longer cover enough routes for enough schools (we serve more than 15 twice a day) and needed time for enough drivers to recover. Pilots of the Big Yellow Madhouse are an often overlooked piece in the school puzzle, but our presence (or lack thereof) has certainly been felt since the pandemic started in early 2020. Driving kids to and from their institutions of learning is a huge hassle for many parents, especially if their working hours conflict with a school’s schedule. Some parents have no way of getting their kids there. Others have no computers or even Internet access for remote classes. I certainly understand parental and teacher anxiety. Last summer my colleagues and I ferried a record number of students who needed extra classes because their grades had fallen dramatically during our three extended lockdowns from March 2020 to June 2021. Getting students to engage, pay attention or even log on to remote sessions is a tall order, especially for very young kids. Parents who need child care during the day are understandably anxious to focus on their jobs in the face of economic pressure. Angie Schmitt recently wrote a thoughtful piece for the Atlantic titled “Why I Soured on the Democrats: COVID school policies set me adrift from my tribe.” The mother of two elementary schoolers in Cleveland, Schmitt decries threat exaggeration by the political left and the overuse of extreme interventions (mask and vaccine mandates, remote classes) that are disproportionate to risk, cost and the needs of kids. She also laments not having paid sick leave and the way that working women are shamed for complaining about the burdens of having children stuck at home. As a father, I sympathize with the tough spot parents are in. The bitter irony is that our society demands that they devote much of their life to work, often out of economic necessity, and then complains that kids these days are rotten because they don’t get enough parental supervision. We drivers see plenty of behavioral problems in the best of times. Now, despite claims to the contrary, they rarely have to do with having to wear masks. Kids are being much more cooperative about this matter than adults. I fully believe that kids are best off in school, but the inconvenient truth remains that even with the recent federal relaxation of qualification requirements, we'll still have a driver shortage, for the foreseeable future. Frankly, the change won't make a difference. I know I wasn't, and most people aren't, aware of the old "know-thy-engine-parts" requirement for getting a commercial drivers license with a school bus certification. You just ran into them as part of the process, which unfolds as you go. If they really want to solve the shortage, they'll significantly hike the pay and benefits, but that would mean boosting property taxes to cover them. Will never happen. Some drivers are retiring rather than get sick. Many are voicing discontent with low pay (typically $20 an hour or less for a five-hour workday), challenging demands, and lack of respect and support. There is also grumbling about our district’s “vaccinate or be tested weekly” mandate. But requiring drivers to stay home when sick or showing early symptoms is consistent with our standard policy against coming to work with a bad cold, the flu, a stomach virus or some other contagious malady. That is only common sense and courtesy to co-workers, students, teachers and parents who do not wish to share in the wheezy, sneezy, hacking, chundering fun. The bottom line: People are going to get sick no matter what we do, but the easier we make it to get sick with Covid, the more often disruptions like the one in my district will occur. For months, I’ve been hearing rumors about my district shutting down for long periods. I’ve also been reading about school bus service disruptions across the country. The Litchfield Elementary School District in Arizona just suspended four routes indefinitely. Rage all you want at school boards and administrators about the evils of masks and vaccines and remote learning, but Omicron and our chaotic hodgepodge of pandemic responses are blowing holes in all strategies to get back to normal. I’ve always wondered if those of us who are “afraid” of Covid stayed home and hid in our basements — as some folks suggest — while the unmasked and unvaccinated went to work, what would happen to the economy and life in general when those so-called brave souls started dropping like flies? Look at the ripple effect illness among a small but essential group such as school bus drivers can have. There’s your answer. John Rolfe is a former senior editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids, a longtime columnist for the Poughkeepsie Journal/USA Today Network, and author of The Goose in the Bathroom: Stirring Tales of Family Life. His school bus drivin’ blog “Hellions, Mayhem and Brake Failure” is parked on his website Celestialchuckle.com (https://celestialchuckle.com) with the meter running.

By Naomi Serviss / New York City Started feeling crummy a couple days ago. Nothing site-specific, more an enshrouded malaise with a stomachache. Still, did my early morning Central Park walking routine, but with a shoulder chip. Felt a little off. I was testy to Albert, the 86-year-old, backwards-walking familiar stranger I see most days on the path. Some might nail him with a dirty old man peg. I think he’s a lonely old man who doesn’t grasp boundaries. He’s also a dirty old man. But considering the unpleasant unseasonably warm and rainy weather, I gave myself permission to have the vapors. With a side of gut-itis. Then my sinuses kicked in and I blamed a head cold. It seemed far-fetched to think it was the dreaded virus! But the virus I’d envisioned as a crippling mystery, was coming home to roost! Why me? Why not me? After all, I was vaccinated, boosted And had little contact with outside-my-building folks. I masked up outdoors regardless. Even in the Central Park sanctitude. So why should I “waste” an extra testing kit I had on a cold? We Zoomed with the kids last night. I quasi-bragged I had a mild cold. And didn’t think it was necessary to test. They rightly thought I was being an idiot! So, today I did it, as suggested by that big sneaker company. A home Covid test determined I was positive. Yikes! I realized the exhaustion was for real! Not hypochondriacal this time! But seriously, folks, this was the virus? Headachy? Maybe my pallor was a tad off. Zoom eye bags don’t count. I told José, the best Upper West Side doorman, because he knows my routine better than my husband Lew. We see each other when I bring Janis out for her morning and afternoon walks. He’s going to keep his distance now, with my help! I had fallen into a pleasant habit of bringing him herbal tea midmorning. Sometime a Brookie from Trader Joe’s. Heavenly. A marriage of fudge brownie and cookie=Brookie! At the pandemic’s early stirrings, I frantically bought José boxes of powdered Vitamin C. He deals with a million people! He needs whatever! We chat a few times a day and text each other. I hope he doesn’t catch my drift. José’s scheduled for a booster and the last thing he needs is to get sick now. Tea service is on hold. I’ll avoid him as much as possible, even though it pains me. When José returned from Puerto Rico, he brought me a cool T-shirt! Nina would be jealous if she knew, maybe I won’t include that. I jest. I know I’m a lucky girl. My symptoms are mild, I’m not online overbuying! Except from maybe Chewy.com. I don’t have to do the dishes! Win-win! We are going to need more Pine-Sol. And I had to tell my theater-loving pal/neighbor Carol of my result, because two weeks ago we hung out in her immense prewar original everything apartment. In the meantime, I feel no guilt for letting the dust accumulate a little more this week. If the two-year-old’s toys litter the living room, so it goes. Her barking I could live without. Tomorrow, at sunrise, at 7:19 a.m., the hammering resumes next door. Literally, out our bedroom window. A 22-story lux condo is going up, Three gorgeous brownstones sacrificed. Let’s squeeze more New Yorkers in! I guess my sarcastic mien hasn’t been unduly affected by Covid’s reach. Cravings: Restful sleep Overprocessed Extra Noodle Lipton Noodle Soup. Ice cream, gelato or Ben & Jerry’s. Something soothing. Palatable. Ginger ale has been good. Murray’s Sturgeon lox couldn’t hurt! Thanks, benefactor! Covid is no laughing matter, it’s slain hundreds of thousands of Americans. Unvaccinated folk are beyond my ken. I’m forever grateful for the dreamers, artists and scientists who were gobsmacked by this pandemic and created a vaccine! I remember the little polio-vaccine-infused sugar cubes we took in elementary school. We lined up in Ogontz Junior High School’s lunchroom, rendered speechless by the big kids. The warm smells of processed meat wafted. My children were vaccinated when necessary and it was both traumatic and miraculous. Why wouldn’t people welcome science’s fruits? It’s rhetorical. Meanwhile, I have the extraordinary Beatles documentary, Get Back to finish and a few books to crack open. Right after a short catnap. Naomi Serviss is a New York-based award-winning journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Highroads (AAA magazine), in-flight publications, spa and travel magazines and websites, including BroadwayWorld.com

Priyanka Misra “If I hadn’t had the vaccine, I might not have been able to do this interview!” -Priyanka Misra The Insider: Hi Priyanka! Thanks for talking with The Insider. Priyanka Misra: Hey there! Thanks for having me. The Insider: Just need a little background info before we chat. Which city do you live in? Priyanka Misra: I live in New York. The Insider: What type of work do you do? Priyanka Misra: I have a background in finance, but now work at a biotech company as the vice president of corporate development. The Insider: And how old are you? Priyanka Misra: 33 years old. The Insider: You had Covid earlier in the pandemic, right? Priyanka Misra: Correct, I first got Covid in March 2020, when it first hit New York City pretty badly. The Insider: People knew very little about it at that point. It must have been frightening. Did you get very sick? Priyanka Misra: Yes, it really was. And quite frustrating! It started out as a minor cold and a sore throat, but then quickly developed into chest tightness. I also had shooting pain up my nasal passage, a sensation I had never felt before. I have a history of asthma and allergies, so I figured it was just exacerbated allergies since it was prime pollen season. I went to a CityMD to get checked out and to hopefully get a Covid test, but they suggested I didn’t need one and that the tests were only for dire cases. CityMD determined it was bad allergies and prescribed me a steroidal medication to get through the chest tightness. A week on those meds went by with no improvement. Shortly thereafter, I lost my sense of taste and smell. The Insider: How long were you sick? Priyanka Misra: I was sick for about two and a half weeks. When I lost my sense of taste and smell, I knew I had it but wanted to go back to the doctor to confirm. Once again, they didn’t give me a Covid test, mentioning that the CDC had just come out with the loss of smell/taste symptom as a sign, so there wasn’t enough data out on it yet to warrant a test. I had chest tightness for a few weeks and the sense of taste and smell took about a year and a half to fully come back. The Insider: That must have been terrifying! Priyanka Misra: Yes, it was pretty scary to say the least! So many unknowns! The Insider: Did you go to the hospital at any point? Priyanka Misra: No, I did not. The Insider: So did that experience make you super careful? Priyanka Misra: Yes, definitely. After recovering from the virus, I would take all the precautionary measures seriously – always wearing a mask and gloves and profusely wiping everything down after grocery shopping, even before entering the apartment! The Insider: When did you get vaccinated? Priyanka Misra: March 2021 and a booster in November 2021. The Insider: What kind of vaccine? Priyanka Misra: J & J. The Insider: That must have been a relief. Priyanka Misra: It was, but now there are so many breakthrough cases, which is nerve-wracking again. The Insider: People in New York City got very relaxed for a while. It started feeling like the pandemic was on its way out. Priyanka Misra: Definitely. We started seeing a pick-up in activity when the weather got warmer. Lots of dining outside. People were tired of being cooped up indoors for so long and wanted to let loose. The Insider: Did you start to fly again? Priyanka Misra: I did. The Insider: Were you nervous about it? Priyanka Misra: At first I was, but I took the precautionary measures to stay safe, i.e. wearing a double mask, face shield and gloves. The Insider: Fast forward to the Christmas holiday this year. Did you go away? Priyanka Misra: I did, I went to Miami for a week. The Insider: Did you take a Covid test before you left for your trip? Priyanka Misra: Yes I took a PCR test, because I had been exposed the weekend before at a holiday party. It was negative. The Insider: And did you test again when you came back to New York City? Priyanka Misra: Yes. I tested positive. The Insider: Were you surprised, or were you having symptoms? Priyanka Misra: I wasn’t that surprised, since I was staying with a friend who had started having symptoms a few days before. The Insider: I’m so sorry you had to go through it again! Was it the same this time, or very different? Priyanka Misra: It’s okay, thanks! It was much milder. Just a sore throat, slight headache and fatigue. The Insider: For how many days? Priyanka Misra: Five to seven days. The Insider: Are you fully recovered now? Priyanka Misra: I feel fine now but need to take a PCR test to confirm the negative results. I have been quarantining for the past week. The Insider: I’m very curious about your reaction to news you hear these days. For example, how do you feel about people who won’t take a vaccine? Priyanka Misra: Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and can make their own choices, but at the end of the day the smart thing to do is to trust science and help save lives. Vaccines are paramount in lowering the death toll and keeping hospitalization rates down. The Insider: What if an anti-vaxxer said to you, well, didn’t you get Covid again anyway? Priyanka Misra: Yes, but it was a mild case. If I hadn’t had the vaccine, I might not have been able to do this interview! At least being vaccinated and boosted, I got a mild second attack. The Insider: Good point! Last question--I’ve heard a lot of younger people say, I’m not worried. I’m young and it would be like a cold or the flu. Your reaction? Priyanka Misra: I think younger people tend to be less paranoid about it and are willing to take more risks. This is probably something we are going to have to deal with on an ongoing basis for the foreseeable future, much like the flu and have to be prepared to get shots regularly. The Insider: Thanks, Priyanka! I really appreciate your time! Priyanka Misra: Thank you! A pleasure. Ava Alicanti “I was super sick my first time. Fever, headache, chills, sweats, fatigue, body aches, cough. I am happy that this was so minor.” –Ava Alicanti The Insider: Hi Ava! Ava Alicanti: Hi! The Insider: Thanks for talking with The Insider again. The first time we spoke was in September 2020, when there was a Covid-19 outbreak at your college, SUNY-Oneonta [in central New York]. When we heard you recently had Covid again, we thought we would check back in with you and catch up. Have you been vaccinated since your first illness? Ava Alicanti: Yes. The Insider: What kind of vaccine did you have? Ava Alicanti: Pfizer The Insider: When was your last shot? Ava Alicanti: In July The Insider: How many days were you sick with Covid this time? Ava Alicanti: I was congested for a week The Insider: Did you have any other symptoms? Ava Alicanti: Nope. Nothing. The Insider: That’s great! So it felt like a cold? Ava Alicanti: Yes, exactly. I am happy that this was so minor. The Insider: How would you compare that to your first time? Ava Alicanti: I was super sick my first time. Fever, headache, chills, sweats, fatigue, body aches, cough. The Insider: And how long did that go on? Ava Alicanti: I was sick for about three to four days. The Insider: Did you have any lingering symptoms from the first time? Ava Alicanti: No, not at all. The Insider: Did you stay at school this time, or were you at home? Ava Alicanti: I was at home. The Insider: How did you stay away from your family? Ava Alicanti: I didn’t. I was tested days after I started feeling congested. Within those days I was all over my house using and touching the same things as the rest of my family. If they were going to get it, it was way too late. They would already have gotten it from me. My sister tested positive on the same day as me, so she was already sick and my older sister who tested positive a day or two before just stayed in our basement. The Insider: So there were three of you with Covid in the house? Ava Alicanti: Yes. My mother tested negative, though and was never sick. The Insider: That’s amazing! She must be very relieved. Ava Alicanti: My younger sister had the exact same symptoms as me and my older sister who stayed downstairs had a fever for one day. The Insider: Do you know how you caught it? Ava Alicanti: I have no idea. I was not around anyone with a confirmed case, but I had been shopping and going to the gym all week so I could have just gotten it out in public. The Insider: Here in Manhattan, there are a huge number of people who have Covid now. Is it like that at your college too? Ava Alicanti: No, not one person I know at school had it. The Insider: Did you have to contact anyone and tell them they had been exposed? Ava Alicanti: Yes. I texted all of my friends that I had seen and told them, but no one was too shocked or concerned because it was so mild and because the cases on Long Island are really high so you could really get it anywhere. The Insider: That’s an age thing, don’t you think? People who are younger are less worried about it. Ava Alicanti: Yes, totally. But this has also been going on for over a year now, so I think that people could be becoming more numb to it. The Insider: Do you think your behavior will change now because of having Covid again? Ava Alicanti: No. not at all. It passed so quickly. And I was living normally before getting it. So now that I had it and quarantined and am no longer contagious, I will just continue to do things as I normally do, go to the gym with a mask on, see friends, etc. The Insider: Thanks so much for doing this, Ava! I really appreciate it. Ava Alicanti: No problem! Allen Roth "The first time, I ran a fever for multiple days, was coughing, incredible fatigue. All I could basically do was sleep. But this time, honestly, I feel fine. It’s mostly a stuffy nose and light fatigue." -Allen Roth (A pseudonym is being used for professional reasons.) The Insider: Hi Allen! Thanks for agreeing to talk with The Insider. Allen Roth: Thank you for taking the time to ask me questions. Hopefully my situation can shed some light for others. The Insider: Let me ask you a few bio questions before we start. How old are you? Allen Roth: I am 31 years old. The Insider: Where do you live? Allen Roth: Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The Insider: And what kind of work do you do? Allen Roth: I work as a carpenter for a general contracting company based in Manhattan. The Insider: What made you go for a Covid test? Allen Roth: I needed to test negative in order to go to work last Tuesday .I took a rapid test that morning and was negative. Early Friday morning, on New Year’s Eve, I started feeling mild symptoms. I tested myself midday Friday with another at home and it produced a positive result. The Insider: Dd you go and take a PCR? Allen Roth: I went for a PCR this morning. The Insider: How long did they say it would take? Allen Roth: 24 to 48 hours. I took another at home rapid test today, which was still positive. [The PCR subsequently was also positive.] The Insider: My friend has been waiting for her results for five days. For real! Allen Roth: Yes, that’s the frustrating thing. More than anything I need a paper trail for work to say that I had it to get paid the sick days. The Insider: What was it like at the testing site? Where did you go? Allen Roth: My girlfriend and I went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard location this morning at 8:30. And we were in and out within 30 minutes. It was organized and definitely hadn’t been swamped yet. And we liked how it was mostly outside so we could separate from people more, especially considering I have Covid. Even double-masked, I felt bad I was around anyone, but I had to get tested. It is kind of a mess. The Insider: Have you ever had Covid before? Allen Roth: Yes. The Insider: When was that? Allen Roth: I got tested in June 2020 before going back to work for the first time in months and I had antibodies. And in retrospect, I had been incredibly ill that past winter in early to mid-January. I thought it was just the flu, but it was the sickest I had been in several years. I have a strong feeling that’s when I had Covid, but I also have no way to exactly know. That was very early in the timeline, but I wouldn’t doubt it was circulating in New York well before March 2020. The Insider: What were your symptoms then? Allen Roth: I ran a fever for multiple days, was coughing, incredible fatigue. All I could basically do was sleep. It felt like a really bad flu. I did not notice any taste or smell but wish I had been mindful of that. The Insider: So how would you compare that to your current illness? Allen Roth: Much, much worse. Honestly, now I feel fine, probably 80%. It’s mostly a stuffy nose and light fatigue. The Insider: Were you vaccinated after your first illness? Allen Roth: I got vaccinated in April 2021, which was pretty much as soon as I was able to by priority. The Insider: Boosted too? Allen Roth: Yes, I got my booster shot early December. The Insider: What would you say to someone who said, “You got all of the shots, and you still got sick”? Allen Roth: I would say that I feel much better having had the shots, knowing the likelihood of me getting seriously sick are lower, and that the vaccine was never about stopping complete contamination but decreasing hospitalization.

By David Weiss | January 4, 2022 | From Deadline Detroit David Weiss, a Los Angeles-based freelancer, grew up in Oak Park. He has written for Newsweek, the LA Herald Examiner and Men's Journal and co-founded the band Was (Not Was). Herewith, some select post-seasonal gripes and groans. I kept my big, maleficent mouth shut as the holidays rolled through, figuring the world has enough worries and woes and little need for gratuitous misanthropy. But that inflatable buck stops here. I’m setting the pressure cooker to vent and hope nobody gets steamed as I greet the glorious new year with some rude remarks and bitter ruminations. The holidays are over – false cheer begone! Let’s get ready to rumble! But first, a faint literary memory: in some fat Russki novel I read in college, two old gents are sitting on a park bench discussing life in general, and agreeing that gossip was one of their few remaining joys. “When I was a young man,” OG #1 said, “I loved individuals with the greatest passion, but hated humanity. Now that I’m old, I love humanity but every last person bothers me for absolutely no reason at all – this one for the cut of his coat, that one for the jaunty way he wields his umbrella. No one is exempt.” I share the latter position as a newly confirmed geezer. My heart sings in sympathy for the embattled human race, its cherished institutions on the respirator, the very air we breathe laden with lethal microbes, fellowship gone fallow. Yet my tolerance for foolishness and myopia is at an all-time low. Allow me to illustrate. One of the great things about growing old in a Granny State is that Medicare throws in that Silver Sneakers deal, hoping to keep old folks from doing swan dives in the shower. Free gym membership? Count this cheap bastard in. I joined LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness, bought a new Spalding basketball and looked forward to battling the pandemic blues by launching a volley of 3’s every other morning. So far so good. Of course, when the gyms opened back up after the first Covid wave, our trusty California state officials made mask-wearing mandatory, and more recently added proof of vaccination status for good measure. While I had vowed never to return to a sweaty, huffing-and-puffing public health club when the Wuhan Whatsit hit our shores, my need for athletic distraction – and a feeling that King Corona was losing its left hook – siren-called me back to action. Transmitting Like CKLW But now that the everlovin’ Omicron variant is transmitting like CKLW in its glory days, I am amazed and perplexed at the number of musclebound buffoons traipsing around the gym with masks at half-mast, or not bothering to wear one at all, despite the policy flyers pasted all over the place. When I first took notice of this viral lawlessness, I stopped at the service desk on my way out and reported such wanton disregard for the rules to a trio of twenty-something staff members. “Yeah, we know,” one of them drawled indifferently. “We don’t have enough staff to make sure everybody’s following the rules, but we will have someone do a walkthrough when the manager gets in.” When the manager gets in? By then that pesky nano-killer would have the opportunity to pass its spiky baton on to a hundred treadmilling troglodytes, who will perforce take it home and share the deadly bounty with family members and friends, or anyone else unfortunate enough to consort with these myopic, Fox-watching miscreants. Frankly, I don't care if the vax-and-mask refusers wind up gasping for air in the ER. Again, Darwin rules and stupidity drools. Alright, my friends, we are steamrolling to the anticlimax of this not-so-tall tale, whereupon your masked hero (ahem) takes it upon himself to gingerly approach one of his fellow club members to bust his sculpted ass for unfiltered breathing-while-exercising, a lethal breach of civility and, yes, wanton flaunting of the rules and regulations. Pretty Boy Void “You don’t find it necessary to wear a mask, huh?” I asked him pointedly. Pretty Boy Void looked a little stunned, and certainly a serrated dialogue balloon would have revealed his thoughts to be: “Who is this wrinkled old fuck, and what business does he have telling me what to do?” Instead, he decided to argue his case on the merits as he saw it, explaining that he has a daughter in Florida who goes to school unmasked, and that she never caught the Covid. “Besides which,” the self-dubbed epidemiologist added, “that mask you’re wearing isn’t protecting you from anything. Do you know how small the virus is – like one micron across? Masks don’t work. Period.” “And who are you, anyway -- Superman?” I replied with a sarcastic smirk. “You apparently don’t give a damn whose deadly droplets you fill your lungs with. Nor, I should add, whom you might subsequently infect given your studied indifference to both science and the law. What’s up with that?” The lanky, GQ-coiffed fop stared at me with equal measures of disdain and disbelief but held his tongue. Without forethought, I offered an ungloved fist-bump and said: “Well, good luck to you anyways.” He returned the gesture, if but weakly, and returned to his bodybuilding regimen. He was probably preparing to be an extra in some no-budget martial arts flick, pumping iron like a madman for eight seconds of screen time. Hey I'm not bitter -- I truly hope that Gorgeous George gets the gig and they shoot on location -- in Wuhan! Oh yes – bah, humbug and a happier new year. Hope is on the horizon, he typed with fingers crossed. It can’t get any worse, can it?

By Jessie Seigel / Washington, D.C. 2021 was an exhausting year, its uncertainty wearing on every nerve. From beginning to end, our nation was subjected to the parry and thrust of attacks on democracy by coup-mongers and defense of it by congressional committees. And the country was drowned in right-wing disinformation on all fronts, spreading like the virus, faster than true facts could correct. Not even the Covid-19 pandemic was spared, as those trying to protect the public from the disease with masks and vaccines were beset by those attempting, for political gain, to obstruct that effort. The suspense created by all this was—and still is—nearly unbearable. But now, the whole of 2022 lies before us, with a midterm election toward the end of it. And I see two possible futures for our country. In the first chilling scenario, those involved in planning the January 6 insurrection will stall enforcement of the subpoenas of the House Select Committee investigating it until after the 2022 election. No timely action will be taken in the Senate to pass the federal voting rights legislation urgently needed to overcome the ongoing subversion of election processes by Republican-controlled state legislatures. As a result, right-wing Republicans will take over the House in the 2022 election and kill the House Select Committee’s investigation. Then, holding a majority, they will make good on their threats to investigate the investigators, getting even by hounding and/or removing from committee assignments such statespersons as Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin, Liz Cheney, and others in the House who have tried to uphold democratic principles. While the current House Select Committee is investigating actual crimes, the post-election investigations—led by the likes of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and their cohorts—will be purely political. The Republican state legislatures will cement their control of voting mechanisms to ensure their party retains power regardless of who wins an election. Taking advantage of the failure to adequately oppose their actions, they will continue purging honest election officials, from secretaries of state to volunteer workers, replacing them with political hacks loyal to Trumpism. And if a Democrat wins an election, these Republican legislatures will throw out the votes and install their choice rather than accede to the will of the voters. Only a very few of the insurrectionist pawns who attacked the Capitol will ever see serious jail time. And those at the top who orchestrated the coup effort will be emboldened to try it again—if their subversion of the democratic process is not sufficient to give them control of the country in 2024. In the meantime, they will continue their propaganda campaigns, including both the stolen election and Covid lies, to keep the fires of discontent and violence burning, using those who fall for those lies to support and complete a fascist takeover. Once the takeover is complete, democracy in this country will be done. Finished. Dead as a doornail, as Dickens wrote of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. But to paraphrase Scrooge’s question to the Ghost of Christmas Future: is this the shadow of the things that will be, or only of the things that may be? What the leaders and citizens of our nation do next or fail to do will decide whether that fascistic future becomes a foregone conclusion—or whether we as a nation can—even at this late date and by the skin of our teeth—create a different future, one that saves and strengthens our democracy. In our nation’s second, alternative future, President Biden will stop bending over backwards to avoid looking political. He will stop making mild speeches on the need for voting legislation and changing the filibuster to permit its passage. Instead, Biden will use his bully pulpit to pressure recalcitrant senators to vote for the needed change—and rally the public to assert pressure as well. Likewise, Attorney General Merrick Garland will stop avoiding investigations because they might be characterized as political by Trump backers. Instead, he will immediately begin investigation and prosecution of those implicated in plotting the January 6 coup attempt. Garland’s Justice Department will also institute lawsuits to challenge the many voter and electoral suppression laws without further delay. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema will end their hypocrisy—stop pretending to be for voting rights legislation while blocking the only path to its passage—and vote to end the filibuster, or at least to make voting rights an exception to it. The mainstream media will fully realize (some finally have) that the alleged neutrality of reporting “this side said” and “that side said” is no neutrality at all; that treating facts and lies as equal in reportage is a dereliction of duty. Refusing to take a side is taking the side of the liar. So, instead, the media will both expose and decry the moves to fascism at every opportunity. And they will beat the drum for facts as loudly and as widely as right-wing media outfits like Fox News and Newsmax shout their fear-and-hate-promoting propaganda. The most important element of this future is an informed and active citizenry. Most leaders, even fairly good ones, will not do what is needed unless the public pushes them. So, members of the public—whatever their party affiliation—simply must wake up, inform themselves, and call, lobby, and push our country’s leaders to take the actions necessary to combat fascism and preserve the universal right and ability to vote and have one’s vote be counted. Which future will we the people choose? Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, has referred to this as the “great political clash of our time.” Given the rush of at least 14 states to restrict the vote or change who counts the vote, Waldman has said that the important question is whether the Democrats have the political will to stop it. Harvard political scientist Daniel Ziblatt has opined, “We often think that what we should be waiting for is fascists and communists marching in the streets, but…things can be both legal and antidemocratic at the same time. Politicians use the letter of the law to subvert the spirit of the law.” Referencing the view of University of California, Irvine, School of Law professor Richard L. Hasen, an expert in election law, the New York Times wrote in September that the 2024 presidential election “could be a bloodless coup executed not by rioters with nooses” but—as Hasen suggested--by “lawyers in fine suits.” It appears that those buying Trump’s Big Lie, have the urgent though false belief that liberals are attacking democracy, and that extreme measures—including violence—are justified. On the other hand, despite all the evidence of real threats, most of the public seems to lack a sense of urgency. And Democratic leaders, with few exceptions, are neither sounding the alarm nor taking action to combat the threats. As Democratic Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips told New York Times columnist Tom Friedman: “The absence of pragmatism among Democrats is as troubling as the absence of principle among Republicans.” Every small-d democrat had better find that sense of pragmatism double-quick and push the country’s Democratic leaders to action. Political columnist Jessie Seigel had a long career as a government attorney in which she honed her analytic skills. She has also twice received an Artist’s Fellowship from the Washington, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities for her fiction, and has been a finalist for a number of literary awards. In addition, Seigel is an associate editor at the Potomac Review, a reviewer for The Washington Independent Review of Books, and a dabbler in political cartoons at Daily Kos. Of this balance in her work between the analytic and the imaginative, Seigel jokes, “I guess my right and left brains are well-balanced.” More on and from Seigel can be found at The Adventurous Writer, https://www.jessieseigel.com.