Livestreams have allowed people with compromised immune systems or out-of-town family members and friends to safely attend funerals during the coronavirus pandemic.

St. Louis-area funeral homes started offering to livestream services in April as capacity limits and social distancing reduced the number of people who could attend services.

Funeral directors now say the technology will become a permanent fixture in the industry.

“It's a regular part of our repertoire now,” said Dan Flynn, general manager of Jay B Smith Funeral Homes in south county.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/coronavirus/2020-11-25/funeral-homes-invest-more-in-livestreamed-services-but-its-slowly-catching-on

George Zsidisin studied political science and music in college. But he also participated in the Army ROTC, and after serving as a quartermaster of logistics in the military as a young man, he strayed from his initial academic interests. He reentered civilian life equipped with a different skill set, one he soon put to use in the world of supply chain management and research.

The supply chain is an aspect of life many people take entirely for granted — except when local stores run out of, say, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and food staples. But it’s a critical system that, even before 2020, has often meant the difference between life and death.

And if you ask Zsidisin, who now spends much of his time instructing aspiring supply chain professionals, he’ll tell you the job security in the industry is also a plus.

“People will always need stuff,” he said. “So I figured if I could get into a field where there’s always going to be a demand for it, well, that makes sense to me.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2020-11-25/umsl-supply-chain-expert-reflects-on-industry-possibilities-lessons-of-2020

Epidemiologists at St Louis University say the rate of new coronavirus cases significantly decreased in St. Louis and St. Louis County after government officials began requiring people to wear masks in public.

The findings come from a preliminary study in which researchers studied coronavirus cases in St. Louis and St. Louis County and compared the data to that of St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties, which did not require masks.

Before St. Louis and St Louis County began requiring face coverings in July, the rates of new cases in all the counties were similar.

But three weeks after the city and county began requiring masks, their rate of new infections was 44% lower than those of the other counties, researchers said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/coronavirus/2020-11-27/slu-study-shows-st-louis-st-louis-county-mask-mandates-slowed-coronavirus-infections

Fort Leonard Wood is moving forward with plans for holiday leave for its soldiers, despite concerns about the coronavirus and travel.

The two weeks in December known as block leave provides a rare opportunity for entry-training soldiers to leave the post and see their families. It will go on as planned but with new precautions.

Brig. Gen. James Bonner, commander at Fort Leonard Wood, said the leave is more important than ever this year.

“The operational tempo of our team in 2020 makes block leave vital to the well-being of our people. We must take care of the physical, mental and spiritual health of our military, civilians and families,” Bonner said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2020-11-29/soldiers-in-training-at-fort-leonard-wood-will-get-holiday-leave-despite-coronavirus-concerns

The United States has never delayed a presidential election. But there was one instance in which some wondered if the country should: when the nation was embroiled in the Civil War.

The 1864 election was the second U.S. presidential election to take place during wartime (the first was during the War of 1812). Still, it wasn’t the logistics of carrying out a wartime election that made some people want to postpone it. Rather, it was the fact that by the spring of 1864, the Union had no clear path to victory, and many feared President Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t win reelection.

Today, conventional wisdom holds that incumbent presidential candidates are more likely to win reelection, especially during wartime. Franklin Delano Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term during World War II, and Richard Nixon delayed Vietnam peace talks because he thought prolonging the Vietnam War would help his reelection chances in 1972 (and indeed, he won a second term). Yet in 1864, this wasn’t a common assumption—the eight presidents directly preceding Lincoln had each served one term or less.

Lincoln’s main weakness as a candidate was that the Union’s war against the Confederacy wasn’t going well. By the spring of 1864, the Civil War had been going on for three years with no end in sight, and many voters (i.e., white men ages 21 and up) were starting to get war-weary. Lincoln agreed with his advisors that his chances for winning reelection looked grim, but he disagreed with those who suggested he delay the election.

https://www.history.com/news/civil-war-presidential-election-abraham-lincoln

It left a stain on his record................................

Celebrate 🎉 Safely!

But, I don’t gat around “mulch” anymore.............................

Celebrate 🎉 Safely!

The holiday was just my wife and myself instead of the large family gathering at her brother’s. We had the traditional meal which we fixed for ourselves and it was a nice relaxing day, it was enjoyable preparing, cooking and the food tasted much better.

Thanksgiving with the family is nice, but a quiet one at home wasn’t bad at all.