A misnomer?

According to Merriam Webster, the word “defund” is a transitive verb defined as “to withdraw funding from.”  The web site dictionary.com provides two definitions, namely

1.     to withdraw financial support from, especially as an instrument of legislative control: Many university programs were defunded by the recent government cutbacks.

2.     to deplete the financial resources of: The cost of the lawsuit defunded the company's operating budget.

There have been many calls in recent days in communities across America to defund the police. But that action seems to me to be a misnomer. Fully defunding the police – essentially abolishing police departments - would appear to be a poor decision. Unfortunately, crime does not disappear simply because we will it to do so.

Having said that, there is little question that police departments are being called on to do many things that could be more effectively, even optimally, handled by different sorts of public agencies, those that are more specifically designed and staffed to handle various social problems. But this does not make for a convenient catchphrase or sound bite.

The New York Times has an interesting article, embedded in which is a good discussion of the issue.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/what-does-defund-police-mean.html

I found this in an article in Fortune magazine:

So, what do people mean when they say ‘defund the police’?

Defunding the police is shorthand for a divest and invest model: divesting money from local and state police budgets and reinvesting it into communities, mental health services, and social service programs.

https://fortune.com/2020/06/08/defund-the-police-what-does-it-mean-protests-george-floyd

I guess “divest and invest” just does not make for a catchy slogan. But at the same time, clear and precise language may be exactly what we need to begin to tackle the problem. No matter how you express it, there is no time like the present to reflect and act on the things we can do to improve the lives of every American.

Stay safe and well.

Love,

Rebecca

 

So much and yet so little to say

This has been a very difficult week for our country. We remain in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that, despite some tentative resumption of life in some parts of the country, feels endless. Over 100,000 Americans have lost their lives in less than three months, and unemployment is nearly as high as during The Great Depression of the 1930s.

And then last week we were shocked to watch video of a white police officer in Minneapolis whose arrest of George Floyd, a black man, went horribly awry. The officer kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while the suspect was handcuffed and lying face down, saying “I can’t breathe.” All this occurred while three other officers involved in the arrest either assisted the arresting officer or prevented onlookers from intervening. By the time an ambulance arrived, Mr. Floyd was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. What had Mr. Floyd allegedly done? He had attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a market. While police said that he resisted arrest (and it is not clear to me why it took four police officers to handle this), he was clearly unarmed and no immediate threat to the arresting officers.

This incident has resulted in massive demonstrations all over the country as well as in some major European cities, some of whom who have had similar reports of overzealous policing of their own in recent years. The fact that these enormous crowds of people have been so moved to come out during a pandemic is a clear indication of just how heartbreaking this incident, clearly not the first in recent years, truly is.

I have stayed away from discussions of politics on this blog, but it would be reassuring if we had a President who could at least pretend to be compassionate about all the suffering in our country right now. The coming pandemic was clearly recognized late last year and early this year by many health experts, and it is clear that many of the deaths could have been avoided had our senior government officials taken appropriate action. This has been done quite effectively in other countries, resulting in far lower rates of death from the disease, and because it started in Asia, and then spread to Europe before crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, we had a chance to act in time to have kept better control here. But we did not.

Rather than doing everything that could have been done to lessen the spread of COVID-19, our government is now trying to use brute force to prevent even peaceful protests in support of the black community during this painful and difficult time. Something seems to be terribly awry here.

I have gotten through two fairly serious bouts with cancer during the past eight years, but now I am truly worried for the future. We can only pray that our leaders will have the wisdom to solve these problems.

Take care and stay safe,

Love,

Rebecca

More on coyotes

Thanks to all of you who wrote about coyotes, which are apparently more commonly seen in New York and other cities than I had imagined. I found this on nycgovparks.org:

Living With Coyotes in New York City

Be Coyote Smart

Courtesy of Nathan Payne/NYC Parks

Coyotes are common throughout New York State, including urban areas. Recent sightings confirm that coyotes live in New York City and are active in the Bronx.

Seeing a coyote for the first time can be an exhilarating or an alarming experience. If you see a coyote, do not panic.  Most coyotes are not dangerous to people. Nationwide, only a handful of coyote bites are reported each year.

Recognizing a Coyote

Coyotes are canines, which means that they are members of the same genus as wolves and domesticated dogs. In general, coyotes appear "sleeker" than domesticated dogs, with a flatter forehead and a more pointed snout. Coyotes appear to have longer legs than domesticated dogs, while dogs appear to have deeper chests. Also, they have very different tracks. Coyote tracks are more elongated, and they place their front and back paws in alignment when they walk.

Five Easy Tips for Coexisting with Coyotes

1.       Do Not Feed Coyotes. Keeping coyotes wild is the key to coexistence. Their life and your safety depend upon coyotes remaining naturally wary of people.

2.       Remove Attractants. Store food, pet food, and garbage in animal proof containers. Do not leave food or garbage behind in a park.

3.       Supervise Pets. Walk dogs on a leash and keep cats inside for safety.

4.       Keep Coyotes Wary. If you are approached, act big and make loud noises until the coyote retreats.

5.       Appreciate Coyotes. From a distance. Stay at least 150 feet (45 meters) or more from the animal.

When to Report a Coyote Sighting

Most coyotes are not dangerous to people. If you spot an aggressive or fearless coyote, report it immediately to on-site golf course or Parks personnel. In case of a medical emergency, such as a bite from or physical contact with a coyote, please call 911.

Coyote Facts

·        Coyotes are not strictly nocturnal.  They may be observed during the day, but are generally more active after sunset and at night.

·        You may see and hear coyotes more during mating season (January - March) and when the young are dispersing from family groups (October - January). 

·        Coyotes eat what is prevalent and easy to find, shifting their diet to what is seasonally or locally available, including rodents, birds, vegetation, insects and carrion. 

·        Coyotes are naturally wary of people but can habituate to the food sources we provide and our presence.

As long as we are “living with” coyotes in New York City, I suppose we should welcome them to stay here.

Stay safe and well.

Love,

Rebecca

Something else to fear

The local news here in New York reported – including a video – that a coyote was seen in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. They gave the location where the animal was spotted as Netherland Avenue near West 231^st Street, frighteningly close to our home. It turns out that this has been going on for some days now, but this was the first we heard of it. Yikes!

Coyote Caught On Camera Roaming Through The Bronx: 

Just what we needed, something else to fear. Take care!!!

Love,

Rebecca

Just call "me"

When did the word “me” become forbidden? At least once a day someone who should know better uses “myself” when “me” is appropriate. Here is an example from a political campaign, posted by someone widely regarded as a bright and articulate fellow (emphasis mine):

This interview format will be a great way to hear what’s on your mind and share ideas from both (the candidate) and myself -- it should be a whole lot of fun.

If he were talking to us, wouldn’t he just invite us to share ideas from “both Joe and me?”

Here is some information I found:

What does me mean? Me is a personal pronoun that refers to one’s own self. Specifically, it is an objective pronoun. Me takes the function of an object in sentences. For example,

·        “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were talking to me,” said the woman at the bar.

·        “Give me that ax!” bellowed the quartermaster.

·        “That jerk punched me in the face; he deserved what I did to him,” the man told the police officer.

·        Ten members of the Ukrainian secret service came looking for me last Friday.

Many people confuse the pronouns I and me. I, of course, is a subject pronoun, while me is an object pronoun. 

What does myself mean? Myself is also a pronoun that refers to the speaker, although it is a different kind of pronoun than me. Myself is a reflexive pronoun, meaning the speaker or writer would use it self-referentially. In other words, myself is used when the speaker both performs and receives the verb’s action. For example,

·        “I like to describe myself as an introvert, who has extroverted tendencies as well,” explained Mary.

·        I care for myself by running every morning, avoiding unhealthy foods, and getting plenty of sleep at night.

·        “I hurt myself falling down the stairs,” said Joel.

Myself can also be used intensively, like in these examples,

·        “I, myself, like a little sugar in my coffee from time to time,” said the wizened old cartographer.

·        “Why would I pay someone to build a shed for me when I could do it myself?” asked the amateur carpenter.

I am happy to have any of you weigh in and share your thoughts on this with me!

All this reminded me of the 1965 Petula Clark song, “Call Me,” later recorded by numerous other artists including Helen Reddy and Shirley Bassey. It is clear that “Call Myself” would not have worked here!

Love,

Rebecca

Definitely NOT an emergency

We are still adjusting to the challenges of being largely cooped up here at home. Fortunately, more and more stores are offering on-line ordering and delivery, so neither of us has set foot in an actual store for many months and have no plans to do so.

Before Passover, we did not make our annual visit to Skyview Wine and Spirits, one of the largest purveyors of kosher wines in New York if not the entire United States. But over Shabbat it occurred to us that maybe, like everyplace else, they were now doing delivery. And sure enough, it turns out that the store is not open to the public: they are only doing delivery! So, we went through the recommended list of moderately priced wines in the New York Jewish Week 2020 kosher wine guide and picked out a bunch and put them in a cart, and placed an order. Within minutes, we received a call to inform us that one of the wines is sold out, but the rest of our order will be delivered this afternoon!

Speaking with the gentleman on the phone, I had the feeling that he was treating this as some sort of an emergency, and it occurred to me that at this point, sadly, for many people, an ample supply of nice wines may well feel like an emergency.

That reminded me of a funny incident that happened many years ago, when Dina was a senior in high school. In preparation for her going off to college, we had gotten her a credit card, with instructions that it could be used for emergencies (remember, back then, most things were bought in stores). Shortly after giving her the card, Dina came home with a pair of DocMarten boots she had bought with the credit card, explaining that she “urgently” needed those boots. We have often referred to that “shoe emergency” as one of our especially endearing memories of those years.

At the end of my last post, I wrote about Noah suggesting that Barry “put Nana on pause.” Barry had a somewhat different take on that remark: after these months of only seeing our faces and hearing our voices on-line, perhaps we no longer seem quite real to Noah, sort of like the character Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) in the 2013 movie “her” (definitely worth seeing if you never did).  I am sure that there have been many times over the years when family, friends, and co-workers wished it were that easy.

These are strange times, indeed. Just do your best to stay well!

Love,

Rebecca

Taking a pause

For many months now, we have been having “reading time” with our two youngest grandchildren, Julia (6) and Noah (3½). We have downloaded a bunch of books (we are always looking for new additions) that we share on Kindle accounts on our respective computers.

Yesterday, I was reading a book to Noah when he apparently wanted to retrieve the snack he had been eating before the call, so he piped up and said “Sabba, put Nana on pause.”

It seems like this is the story of our lives – everything is “on pause.” It is not a term any of us would have ever expected to hear from a young child just a few months ago!

Stay safe and healthy!

Love,

Rebecca