COVID-19: Who Could Have Ever Imagined Such A Disaster?

March 29, 2020

Having learned two very important pieces of information regarding the COVID-19 virus pandemic since my post last week, that further supports my argument that this administration is the most ill-prepared and least capable of containing the coronavirus that is devastating many parts of the nation and planet, I must update my rant.

From January through August 2019, this administration conducted a military-style exercise with the objective being to determine the nation’s readiness to handle a pandemic caused by a viral infection. Led by the Department Of Health And Human Services, involving at least twelve federal agencies (among them the Pentagon and the NSC) and twelve states, the exercise was carried out over four phases. Crimson Contagion, the name of both the exercise and hypothetical virus, began in China, just like COVID-19.

Sadly, the results of this exercise are eerily similar to what is being reported daily by the media, among them lack of vital medical equipment and supplies, ranging from medications and N95 respirators to ventilators, soon became a major problem. The end results were nearly eight million Americans hospitalized and half a million dead.

Another interesting fact is that this nation has something called the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), an emergency inventory agency, part of the Center Of Disease Control And Prevention (CDC). The $8 billion secretive inventory is stored in warehouses strategically located throughout the country, and contains everything from pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to three different types of ventilators (Covidien LP10, Vyaire LTV1200 & Zoll). We are told that four thousand ventilators have been shipped to New York from the Stockpile, but that’s it? All day and all night, medical personal around the country are on television begging for medical supplies, especially N95 respirators, face shields and gowns.

Four-star admiral Brett Giroir of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps, while also serving as Assistant Secretary Of Health and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has said New York has everything it needs to fight the virus. However, New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily plea for more than the four thousand ventilators that are said to be on the way suggests otherwise. I have a personal stake in this as my daughter is a nurse, however, these brave people are putting their lives, and their families as well, on the line and America, the richest country in the world cannot provide them something as simple and cheap as N95 respirators?

Until Friday, this administration kept saying there is no need to enact the Defense Production Act Of 1950, which gives a president the right to force corporations to start manufacturing needed supplies, that Big Business has taken it upon themselves to do so. The president changed his mind Friday, when he announced that he is requiring General Motors to start producing ventilators. Judging by his comments toward GM CEO Mary Barra, not to mention there are ten US companies that manufacture ventilators, this seems more an action of spite, than one of necessity, especially since GM has to retool one of its factories before beginning production. Three American companies are in the top ten in the world in manufacturing ventilators, #1 Becton Dickinson, #7 General Electric Healthcare and #9 ResMed.

According to the SNS’s official web-site, their mission statement is “Organized for scalable response to a variety of public health threats, the repository contains enough supplies to respond to multiple large-scale emergencies simultaneously.” Judging by the constant begging for medical supplies, the Strategic National Stockpile is failing dreadfully at its mission. The SNS seemingly cannot provide enough supplies in the event of a single large-scale emergency, let alone multiple ones simultaneously.

Some people might say you should never criticize a president at a time of disaster, however, when I hear this president say no one could ever imagine a pandemic such as COVID-19 coming to America, as he did during this past Thursday’s press briefing (one of the items the Obama administration warned the incoming administration about seven days before transfer of power was a viral pandemic), not to mention the other lies being told every single day, it is my duty to speak up.

As the father of a nurse, it is my moral obligation to speak truth to power.

Steven H. Spring
Earth

 

Note: the following is my original post;

March 21, 2020

As an American, I find this administration’s preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic appalling. As the father of a daughter who is a nurse, I find this nation’s lack of basic medical Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), such as face masks and shields disgusting.

How is it that China built two mobile hospitals (a total of sixteen hundred beds) in ten days, and yet we cannot provide enough N95 face masks or virus tests, telling medical personnel that they should use bandanas to cover their mouth and nose, only weeks into the virus coming ashore? Or that, in a pinch re-use their PPEs. How is this possible?

Why is it that this administration had nearly three months’ notice of the pending viral attack, but it seems more and more likely that it is the most ill-prepared (pardon the pun) and least capable of containing it? Maybe we should create some sort of government agency to handle such extreme circumstances. Oh wait, we did. However, this administration shut down the National Security Council’s Global-Health-Security unit (created by the Obama administration) and slashed Center For Disease Control And Prevention funding.

However, lets not place all blame on this administration. Does the health care industry, which is the most profitable industry in America, accept some responsibility as well. I’ve long said the health care industry should not be for-profit. My accounting degree from OSU reminds me that inventory cost money, not only the initial cost, but to store it as well. Just ask the Detroit auto industry, which found out the hard way. The Japanese standard is the just-in-time (JIT) method, eliminating costly inventory. This is evidenced by all the Japanese factories located throughout central Ohio in outlaying villages and towns, supplying Honda of America up in Marysville. This method works great when all is well, however when you throw a pandemic into the supply chain, problems arise, as we are desperately finding out.

America, and especially this administration, likes to pride itself with constant boasting of being the greatest nation of all-time, yet cannot provide paper face masks or cotton swabs to conduct testing. This is disgraceful.

Steven H. Spring
Earth

Chrysanthemums #336AR, 343CR & 352CR

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 28, 2020

Chrysanthemums, more commonly knows as Mums, are a member of the Asteraceae family of flowers. This flower is considered a hardy perennial, although many consider them only as a short-season, fall-planted annual, as they bloom in late summer and fall. There are forty known species and thousands of different varieties of Mums. Most species originally came from China, Japan, northern Africa and southern Europe, although China is thought to be the original starting point of the plant, dating there as far back as the fifteenth century, B.C., where the flowers have customarily been boiled to make a tea and also used medicinally to treat influenza. The plant has been grown in Japan since the eighth century. Over five hundred different varieties were known to exist by 1630. Chrysanthemums are considered to have been introduced in America in 1798, when Colonel John Stevens imported a variety known as Dark Purple from England. The plant is considered the death flower in Europe because of its widespread use on graves.

The word Chrysanthemum is a derivative of two Greek words, chrysos (meaning gold) and anthemon (meaning flower). This particular genus of flower at one time included many more species, but was divided into several different genera a few decades ago. The National Chrysanthemum Society recognizes thirteen different classes of flowering blooms of the plant, based on form and the shape of its petals, although there are only eight major types; anemone, cushion, decorative, pompom, single, spider, spoon and quill.

Chrysanthemums are divided into two basic groups, garden hardy and exhibition. Garden hardy are perennials capable of surviving winters in northern latitudes and produce a large quantity of small blooms. Exhibition varieties are not nearly as hardy and sturdy; usually require staking and being kept in a relatively cool, dry location over the winter, sometimes requiring the use of night-lights. In addition to its many different types of blooms, Mums come in a wide variety of colors, ranging not only of gold, but also white, yellow, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple. The plant also comes in an assortment of heights as well, ranging from a height of eighteen inches up to three feet tall, depending on the particular variety, growing conditions and whether they are pinched regularly during the growing season. Pinched plants will generate a smaller, bushier plant, producing many more blooms.

These plants can be planted either in the fall or in early spring. Those planted in the spring will produce a more vigorous flower. Mums prefer fertile, highly organic, well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. The plants should be spaced roughly eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, although some varieties might require spacing up to three feet. They can be fertilized once a month up through July. Mums particularly need plenty of water once they start blooming. Every two or three years, Chrysanthemums should be divided to invigorate their growth. If bought as a potted plant in the fall, as many people do, they should be planted at least six weeks if not more before the season’s first killing frost, although it seems that many who buy fall pots will throw the plant away after the frost kills the blooms, having never transplanted the flower into a garden.

If I am fortunate to have you view my photographs and you find the color saturation too much or the color schemes of the mats do not match either themselves or the photograph, please let me know via a comment. Being color-blind, what might look great to me might look like sh*t to everyone else!

Steven H. Spring
Earth

COVID-19

March 22, 2020

As an American, I find this administration’s preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic appalling. As the father of a daughter who is a nurse, I find this nation’s lack of basic medical Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), such as face masks and shields disgusting.

How is it that China built two mobile hospitals (a total of sixteen hundred beds) in ten days, and yet we cannot provide enough N95 face masks or virus tests, telling medical personnel that they should use bandanas to cover their mouth and nose, only weeks into the virus coming ashore? Or that, in a pinch re-use their PPEs. How is this possible?

Why is it that this administration had nearly three months’ notice of the pending viral attack, but it seems more and more likely that it is the most ill-prepared (pardon the pun) and least capable of containing it? Maybe we should create some sort of government agency to handle such extreme circumstances. Oh wait, we did. However, this administration shut down the National Security Council’s Global-Health-Security unit (created by the Obama administration) and slashed Center For Disease Control And Prevention funding.

However, lets not place all blame on this administration. Does the health care industry, which is the most profitable industry in America, accept some responsibility as well. I’ve long said the health care industry should not be for-profit. My accounting degree from OSU reminds me that inventory cost money, not only the initial cost, but to store it as well. Just ask the Detroit auto industry, which found out the hard way. The Japanese standard is the just-in-time (JIT) method, eliminating costly inventory. This is evidenced by all the Japanese factories located throughout central Ohio in outlaying villages and towns, supplying Honda of America up in Marysville. This method works great when all is well, however when you throw a pandemic into the supply chain, problems arise, as we are desperately finding out.

America, and especially this administration, likes to pride itself with constant boasting of being the greatest nation of all-time, yet cannot provide paper face masks or cotton swabs to conduct testing. This is disgraceful.

Steven H. Spring
Earth

Dahlias #682BR, 681BR, 675CR, 684BR & 686CR

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 21, 2020

Dahlias are a genus of bushy, tuberous perennial flowering plants that are native primarily to Mexico but also extending further down into Central America and Columbia. Spaniards discovered the flower in Mexico in 1525, where the indigenous population used the plant not only as a source for food, but also as medicine. With at least thirty-six known species, and thousands of different varieties, Dahlias, which is also its scientific name, are a member of the Asteraceae plant family, which includes related genera such as Cone Flowers, Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Marigolds, Sunflowers and Zinnias. Like other flowers in the Asteraceae family, Dahlias appear to be a single bloom, but in reality are made up of many individual flowers. Although this plant produces a gorgeous flower, its bloom does not generate a scent, thus it relies on its stunning colors to attract the insects required for pollination. Dahlias bloom from mid-summer up until your region’s first frost in the fall.

Dahlias should be planted around the middle of April through May, again depending on the region, when the threat of frost is no longer prevalent. The ground temperature should be at least sixty degrees. In much of the United States, these plants do not survive the winter, thus the tubers (fleshy roots similar to bulbs) need to be dug up every fall, and replanted each spring. Before the first frost of fall, these plants should be cut back to six inches. After digging up the tubers, shake off any soil, and then store in a frost-free place. Generally, forty to forty-five degrees is best suited for the tubers.

This plant requires eight to ten hours of direct or somewhat filtered sunlight each day, but especially love the morning sun. Less sun results in taller plants and less blooms. They thrive best in a cool, moist climate, while doing poorly in hot, humid weather. If your summer temperatures routinely exceed ninety degrees, these flowers should be planted in an area that receives some shade during the hottest part of the day. The flower thrives best in a rich, well-drained, slightly acidic, sandy soil. If your soil is too heavy or clayish, sand and/or peat moss can be added to lighten it. Dahlias are considered deer-resistant, though no plant is, in truth resistant to hungry deer. Dahlias are, however vulnerable to slug and snail damage.

With so many different varieties of Dahlias, the plant varies greatly not only in height, but also in the color, shape and size of the blooms. These flowers range in height from miniature six-inch plants to tree Dahlias that can grow more than fifteen feet tall. Larger plants will requiring staking. Colors range from white, yellow, orange, bronze, lavender and pink to red and purple, as well as dark red and dark purple. Blooms range in size from two inches up to twelve inches in diameter. Mature plants are as wide as they are tall. The large variety of blooms are due to the flowers being octoploid, meaning they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most other plants have only two.

The tubers should be planted horizontally four to six inches deep, spaced roughly two feet apart. After covering with soil, the tubers should not be watered, as it can lead to rotting. Do not water until the tubers start to spout. In addition, tubers should not be mulched, as mulching does not allow the soil to warm enough for the tubers to spout. Mulch can be applied once the tubers do spout. Young plants do not require much water, again too much watering leads to rotting. Mature plants should be watered only if rainfall is less than one inch a week. If you are like me, and live in a region with freezing temperatures during the winter months, Dahlias can be grown in containers, however these plants only do well in large containers, generally they need pots at least twelve inches in diameter per tuber. Dwarf Dahlias are best suited when using containers. You should use two parts top soil along with one part of potting soil that has not been chemically treated for weeds.

If I am fortunate to have you view my photographs and you find the color saturation too much or the color schemes of the mats do not match either themselves or the photograph, please let me know via a comment. Being color-blind, what might look great to me might look like sh*t to everyone else!

Steven H. Spring
Earth

Lilies #7487AR, 7489BR & 7643BR

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 14, 2020

Lilies, whose scientific name is Lilium, has more than one hundred gorgeous species in its family. However, there are many plants that have Lily in their common name; yet not all are true Lilies. A few examples of this misnomer are Day Lilies, Calla Lilies, Peace Lilies, Water Lilies and Lilies Of The Valley. True Lilies are mostly native throughout the temperate climate regions of the northern hemisphere of planet Earth, although their range can extend into the northern subtropics as well. This range extends across much of Europe, Asia, Japan and the Philippines and across southern Canada and throughout most of the United States.

There are a number of different sub-species of Lilies, such as Oriental, Asiatic, Trumpet, Martagon, Longiflorum, Candidum and several others. The most commonly grown are the Orientals and the Asiatics, especially for gardeners in more northern regions. Both the Oriental and Asiatic sub-species are hybrids. They are possibly my most favorite flower to photograph, as their design and colors makes it so easy to do so. Friends might think I am a little nuts when I tell them that they like having their picture taken, as they are so photogenic.

Asiatic Lilies, who gets its name because they are native to central and eastern Asia, are probably the easiest to grow, reproduce effortlessly and are very winter hardy. A healthy bulb can often double in size from one season to the next, and produces many smaller bulblets near the surface of the soil. Asiatics can reach heights up to six feet tall and have long, slim, glossy leaves, all the while producing flowers in a wide variety of colors, including white, pink, plum, yellow, orange and red. The one color in which they do not bloom is true blue. Blooming in June and July (depending on one’s region), the flowers produce no fragrance, unlike that of Orientals. Another distinguishing difference between the two is its petals. Whereas Asiatics have smooth edges, Orientals are rough.

Oriental Lilies, native to Japan, are a little harder to grow and tend to reproduce much more slowly, mainly by bulblets sprouting near the surface of the soil. They look somewhat like a football when they first surface from the soil, rather pointy, and its leaves hugging the stem tightly. Their deep green leaves are wider, further apart and less numerous than those of the Asiatics, which first come into sight similar to an artichoke in appearance. Orientals are usually taller than Asiatics, reaching a height up to eight feet tall. Because of their height, many refer to them as Tree Lilies.

Orientals tend to bloom in pastel shades of white, yellow and pink, although some such as Stargazers and Starfighters produce very deep pink blooms. One more characteristic difference between the two types is that Orientals often will be rimmed with a different color, or having two or three colors, whereas the Asiatics most often have just a single color, although there are some exceptions. This sub-specie of Lilies also blooms after Asiatics, usually in August and September, again depending on your region. Other sub-species, such as Trumpets, bloom even later, so it is possible to have Lilies blooming all summer long by planting different varieties.

Most Lilies are very easy to grow. They are not especially particular about soil neither type nor pH level. Their only requirement is a well-draining soil. Lilies grow best in full sun; however, they may thrive in partial sun as well. An interesting fact about this plant is that most Lily bulbs have very thick roots that have the ability to pull the bulb down into the soil at a depth that is most optimum for their continued survival.

If I am fortunate to have you view my photographs and you find the color saturation too much or the color schemes of the mats do not match either themselves or the photograph, please let me know via a comment. Being color-blind, what might look great to me might look like sh*t to everyone else!

Steven H. Spring
Earth

OSU v Le Mans

March 10, 2020

Watching the Matt Damon ~ Christian Bale movie Ford v Ferrari Sunday night, while in the kitchen getting something to drink, I heard marching band-type music playing what sounded like a very familiar song. As the movie told the real life story of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles’ attempt to build a racecar and win the 24 Hours Of Le Mans for the Ford Motor Company, though I couldn’t see the television, I figured the men had arrived at race day. But, why the heck were the French playing Script Ohio?

Well, it turns out the music behind Script Ohio was written by Frenchmen Paul Cezano and Jean Robert Planquette in 1870. The military march started as a poem written by Cezano entitled Le Regiment de Sambre et Meuse, in honor of his countrymen’s heroic effort in defeat during the Franco ~ Prussian War, with the music added by Planquette.

Who knew?

Steven H. Spring
OSU, Class of ‘87

Lilies #7477AR, 7451BR, 7463BR & 7446CR

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 7, 2020

Lilies, whose scientific name is Lilium, has more than one hundred gorgeous species in its family. However, there are many plants that have Lily in their common name; yet not all are true Lilies. A few examples of this misnomer are Day Lilies, Calla Lilies, Peace Lilies, Water Lilies and Lilies Of The Valley. True Lilies are mostly native throughout the temperate climate regions of the northern hemisphere of planet Earth, although their range can extend into the northern subtropics as well. This range extends across much of Europe, Asia, Japan and the Philippines and across southern Canada and throughout most of the United States.

There are a number of different sub-species of Lilies, such as Oriental, Asiatic, Trumpet, Martagon, Longiflorum, Candidum and several others. The most commonly grown are the Orientals and the Asiatics, especially for gardeners in more northern regions. Both the Oriental and Asiatic sub-species are hybrids. They are possibly my most favorite flower to photograph, as their design and colors makes it so easy to do so. Friends might think I am a little nuts when I tell them that they like having their picture taken, as they are so photogenic.

Asiatic Lilies, who gets its name because they are native to central and eastern Asia, are probably the easiest to grow, reproduce effortlessly and are very winter hardy. A healthy bulb can often double in size from one season to the next, and produces many smaller bulblets near the surface of the soil. Asiatics can reach heights up to six feet tall and have long, slim, glossy leaves, all the while producing flowers in a wide variety of colors, including white, pink, plum, yellow, orange and red. The one color in which they do not bloom is true blue. Blooming in June and July (depending on one’s region), the flowers produce no fragrance, unlike that of Orientals. Another distinguishing difference between the two is its petals. Whereas Asiatics have smooth edges, Orientals are rough.

Oriental Lilies, native to Japan, are a little harder to grow and tend to reproduce much more slowly, mainly by bulblets sprouting near the surface of the soil. They look somewhat like a football when they first surface from the soil, rather pointy, and its leaves hugging the stem tightly. Their deep green leaves are wider, further apart and less numerous than those of the Asiatics, which first come into sight similar to an artichoke in appearance. Orientals are usually taller than Asiatics, reaching a height up to eight feet tall. Because of their height, many refer to them as Tree Lilies.

Orientals tend to bloom in pastel shades of white, yellow and pink, although some such as Stargazers and Starfighters produce very deep pink blooms. One more characteristic difference between the two types is that Orientals often will be rimmed with a different color, or having two or three colors, whereas the Asiatics most often have just a single color, although there are some exceptions. This sub-specie of Lilies also blooms after Asiatics, usually in August and September, again depending on your region. Other sub-species, such as Trumpets, bloom even later, so it is possible to have Lilies blooming all summer long by planting different varieties.

Most Lilies are very easy to grow. They are not especially particular about soil neither type nor pH level. Their only requirement is a well-draining soil. Lilies grow best in full sun; however, they may thrive in partial sun as well. An interesting fact about this plant is that most Lily bulbs have very thick roots that have the ability to pull the bulb down into the soil at a depth that is most optimum for their continued survival.

If I am fortunate to have you view my photographs and you find the color saturation too much or the color schemes of the mats do not match either themselves or the photograph, please let me know via a comment. Being color-blind, what might look great to me might look like sh*t to everyone else!

Steven H. Spring
Earth