FRONT YARD OF THE MAIN HOUSE WITH SERVANT QUARTERS BY THE SIDE AT THE END OF THE LONG DRIVEWAY. SOME PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS SITE, I DO NOT OWN. HOWEVER, I HAVE NO INTENTION IN INFRINGING ON YOUR COPYRIGHTS.
I renamed one of my blogs, Becoming American this year. This was inspired by a vblog named Becoming Filipino by Kyle Jennermann from Canada.
This is one of my widely read blogs with more than 847,900 views as of this writing date. Goals for 2021-To attain more than 1 Million Views:
This week I renamed one of my blogs-Life in the US and in the Philippines:1960 to the Present to: Becoming American. This
change of title is inspired by one of the most widely read video blogs
(Vlog) about the Philippines by Kyle (Kulas) Jennermann, Becoming Filipino. https://www.facebook.com/becomingfilipino
BecomingFilipino
is an adventure. It
is the journey of a 26 year old Canadian trying to “Become Filipino”
through travel, experience, and sharing happiness. Kyle has travel
extensively in almost all parts of the Philippines since 2014.
Three
of the several hundreds of videos about his Philippines adventures that
Kyle has posted in his vlogs are from his experiences in Marinduque- Our second home.
Kyle
had posted five other blogs about Marinduque. Two videos are about the
Moriones and Heritage Houses in Boac and the other one is the
underground river cave in Santa Cruz.
Here are my six other blogs and total views as of this writing date.
The Intellectual Migrant-A Biography-Total Reader Views as of this Writing Date: 819,073.
Snowbirds in the Philippines-Total Reader Views as of this writing date:36,966.
Marinduque-My Island Paradise-Total Reader Views as of this Writing Date: 492,458.
I Left My Heart in Marinduque ( not in San Francisco-Total Reader Views: 148,261.
Chateau Du Mer Beach House and Conference Hall-Total Reader Views: 329,257
Kyle had also several videos about Iloilo-my province of birth. Here are three of them
The above videos reminds me of my childhood and teenage years- riding an albino carabao, eating raw sugar cane, seafood dishes (oysters), mango shakes and other Ilonggo delicacies.
Meanwhile, enjoy this photo-My PC Monitor of CDM Main House in Marinduque at Christmas.
and playing mahjong at Christmas Day with Family and Grand Children
Current
Living Ex-Presidents as of this Date 12/29/2020. Trump will join this
group after Jan 20, 2021 perhaps not willingly and certainly a sore
Loser by not conceding his defeat.
Lame Duck President Trump is rank the #1 worst President of the US based on the CBS presidential historians survey. Historians evaluated them based on 10 qualities of presidential leadership,
including economic management, international relations, crisis
leadership, public persuasion skills and whether they pursued equal
justice for all.
To Trump supporters and cult followers this
is probably a surprise and a fake survey. I have seen FaceBook comments
stating that Trump is the best President in spite of his mismanaging
and poor leadership in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and his attempt to
destroy democracy by not conceding and accept his defeat with dignity.
In this posting I will list only the top Twelve of Forty-Five. For the complete listing visit the website below.
1. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
Lincoln’s
first-place standing in the C-SPAN survey is due to high ratings across
the board, but historians hold him in highest esteem for crisis
leadership.
He led the country through one of its most trying
periods, the Civil War, and in 1863 signed the Emancipation Proclamation
freeing the slaves.
2. George Washington (1789-1797)
The
nation’s first president ranked above all others for moral authority,
economic management, and overall performance within the context of his
times.
Washington fought hard for the Constitution, feeling that
the Articles of Confederation were not functioning well for the country.
He was disappointed to see the country becoming more politically
divided toward the end of his first term, and set a precedent
by choosing to retire after his second.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Historians
laud Franklin D. Roosevelt for his skills at public persuasion, ranking
him first among all presidents in that category. He also ranked #1 in
handling of foreign relations.
FDR assumed the presidency during
the worst of the Great Depression, but assured the American people: “The
only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He also led the U.S.
through the perilous years of World War II.
4. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1901-1909)
Theodore Roosevelt ranked highly for public persuasion.
Just
42 when he became the youngest president in the nation’s history, he
had the excitement and energy to convince Congress to pass progressive
reforms and a strong foreign policy -- exemplified by his motto, “Speak
softly and carry a big stick.” An avid outdoorsman, he oversaw the
expansion of America’s national parks.
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Eisenhower
jumped from 9th place in the rankings in 2000 to 5th place in 2017,
largely due to an increasingly favorable view of his crisis leadership.
Eisenhower’s
energies were largely devoted to easing the tensions of the Cold War.
He obtained a truce after years of war in Korea, desegregated the U.S.
armed forces, and sent federal troops to enforce a court order
desegregating public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.
6. Harry Truman (1945-1953)
Truman wins praise from historians for his crisis leadership.
After
V-E Day, when Japan refused to surrender, he ordered atomic bombs to be
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, finally ending World War II in the
Pacific. Shortly thereafter, Truman watched the signing of the charter
of the United Nations, established to preserve peace.
7. Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)
Jefferson was ranked highest for his vision and agenda setting.
He
was the the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and
during his presidency he acquired the Louisiana Territory, vastly
expanding the size of the country, and slashed the national debt by a
third.
8. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Historians
credit Kennedy most for his skills in public persuasion and his vision.
He also rates well for crisis management and handling international
relations.
He stood up to the Soviets and successfully defused the
Cuban Missile Crisis, vowed to put a man on the moon, and pushed for
progress on civil rights. He was assassinated after barely a thousand
days in office.
9. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Regan’s
ranking in the C-SPAN survey has risen consistently since 2000, largely
due to more positive views of his economic management and crisis
leadership. He also scored extremely highly for public persuasion skills
and setting the national agenda.
By working with Congress, Reagan
was able to pass legislation that sped economic growth and strengthened
national defense, advancing his vision of “peace through strength” in
the years leading up to the end of the Cold War.
10. Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)
Johnson tops the charts for his efforts in pursuing equal justice for all Americans.
Taking
office after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson secured enactment
of a landmark civil rights bill. He urged the country “to build a great
society, a place where the meaning of man’s life matches the marvels of
man’s labor,” which became his agenda, resulting in Medicare for the
elderly, increased aid for education and anti-poverty programs.
11. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Wilson rated most highly for his vision and ability to set an agenda.
He
moved many pieces of important legislation through Congress, and in
1917 convinced Congress that America could no longer remain neutral in
World War I.
12. Barack Obama (2009-2017)
Obama
debuted in 12th place on C-SPAN's list. Presidential historians rated
him highly for pursuing equal justice and for his skills at public
persuasion.
His signature domestic policy accomplishment,
the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was unpopular with
Republicans but extended health insurance coverage to 20 million more
Americans. His administration helped guide the country through the great
recession and rescued the U.S. auto industry.
Historians in the C-SPAN survey gave him weaker marks for his dealings with Congress and international relations.
The other modern presidents in their ranking are as follows:
Clinton (15), Bush H.W( 20), Ford (25), Carter(26), Nixon (28) and Bush W.( 33).
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON
(AP) — The most improbable of presidents, Donald Trump reshaped the
office and shattered its centuries-old norms and traditions while
dominating the national discourse like no one before.
Trump downplays impact of cyberattack, questions Russia involvement
Trump,
governing by whim and tweet, deepened the nation’s racial and cultural
divides and undermined faith in its institutions. His legacy: a
tumultuous four years that were marked by his impeachment, failures
during the worst pandemic in a century and his refusal to accept defeat.
He
smashed conceptions about how presidents behave and communicate,
offering unvarnished thoughts and policy declarations alike, pulling
back the curtain for the American people while enthralling supporters
and unnerving foes — and sometimes allies — both at home and abroad.
While
the nation would be hard pressed to elect another figure as disruptive
as Trump, it remains to be seen how much of his imprint on the office
itself, occupied by only 44 other men, will be indelible. Already it
shadows the work of his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who framed
his candidacy as a repudiation of Trump, offering himself as an
antidote to the chaos and dissent of the past four years while vowing to
restore dignity to the Oval Office.
“For
all four years, this is someone who at every opportunity tried to
stretch presidential power beyond the limits of the law,” said
presidential historian Michael Beschloss. “He altered the presidency in
many ways, but many of them can be changed back almost overnight by a
president who wants to make the point that there is a change.”
Trump's
most enduring legacy may be his use of the trappings of the presidency
to erode Americans’ views of the institutions of their own government. For complete details visit:
My attendance at a virtual Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at the Saint
Peter Basilica in Rome celebrated by Pope Francis the other night
reminded me of the following article that I received in my FaceBook
messenger a few months ago.
It hinted on some of the nationalities, race and gender, sexuality and appearance of Jesus. Curious? Read On!
Meanwhile From Wikipedia: The Race and Appearance of Jesus has been a topic of discussion since the days of early Christianity. Various theories about the race of Jesus have been proposed and debated. By the Middle Ages,
a number of documents, generally of unknown or questionable origin, had
been composed and were circulating with details of the appearance of
Jesus. Now these documents are mostly considered forgeries.
A wide range of depictions have appeared over the two millennia since Jesus's death, often influenced by cultural settings, political circumstances and theological contexts. The depiction of Jesus
in art of the first Christian centuries gradually standardized his
appearance with a short beard. These images are often based on second-
or third-hand interpretations of spurious sources, and are generally
historically inaccurate.
And here's the article I received in My FaceBook Messenger a few months ago: Enjoy and be sure to smile!
There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He didn't get a fair trial.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Father's business.
2. He lived at home until he was 33.
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin, and his Mother was sure He was God.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with His hands.
2. He had wine with His meals.
3. He used olive oil.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:
1. He never cut His hair.
2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian:
1. He was at peace with nature.
2. He ate a lot of fish.
3. He talked about the Great Spirit.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.
But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a Woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was virtually no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it.
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was still work to do.
________________
My Response to the Message in FaceBook:
Like it. How about a list that Jesus was a Filipino?
Photo Credit: NY Daily News
Can you write three proofs that Jesus could have been a Filipino ( not seriously, of course) . Here's mine
1.
He ate with his hands. 2. He kiss his relatives on the cheek upon
entering the room and 3. He was always late for most of the events he
was suppose to attend.
Related Post: Read in the Internet: Jesus was Gay*
1. He surrounds himself with 12 men, he called his Disciples
2. He loves wearing flowing robes and linen garments and running naked
3. He never married( remain celibate) and had no known girl friends
Ditas Christmas Lights this Year- at the Fabulous 40's Neighborhood of East Sacramento
This
year after a Christmas Eve Dinner at Ditas House in East Sacramento,
David and I had a short drive enjoying the Christmas Lights of the
Fabulous 40's Neighborhood of East Sacramento. This year due to Covid-19
there are more cars than people ( walking) enjoying the Christmas
lights. Here's three videos highlighting the Christmas lights.
Car Tour and Christmas Music
The Fabulous Forties neighborhood is part of the East Sacramento district. President Ronald Reagan lived at 1341 45th Street while serving most of his term as Governor of California.
The "Fab '40s" is the historic terminus of a once extensive streetcar
network that covered nearly all the historic neighborhoods of the city.
Forty-sixth street at J Street was the turnaround point for the J Street
Line making it one of the widest streets in East Sacramento.
The lots
between 38th and 47th Streets and bordered by J Street and Folsom
Boulevard are among the largest in East Sacramento, creating the
concentration of larger houses that gave rise to the area's name. Up
until the Great Depression, the grand homes of the "Fab '40s" were
considered to be the modern day equivalent of a suburban mansion. Now
they are considered architecturally spectacular large to mid-sized
houses in a very pricey location.
It is now Christmas in the Philippines. Here in the US it is
Christmas Eve. Ditas, David and I are staying home. We plan on cooking
Ox Tails Kare Kare and have a ZOOM Get Together of Relatives along with
Carenna in the Netherlands at 4PM Pacific time. We hope you can joined
us virtually this afternoon.
Meanwhile enjoy Part 14-the end of the series on Macrine J Katague Celebration of life via her favorite music . Here are four of Macrine's favorite Christmas songs both in Tagalog and English.
Josh Groban - O Holy Night
Himig Singers -Payapang Daigdig ( Peaceful World)
Pasko Na Sinta Ko ( Its Christmas Now, My Love)-Valenciano-Guitar
Vienna Boys Choir- Silent Night in German
This
song Macrine and I sang in Tagalog during our mid-night Christmas mass
concert here in our local catholic church in 2005. I will never forget
how she encouraged me to sing duet with her for the whole congregation
to hear and enjoy.
Tahimik na Gabi
Tahimik na gabi; Banal na gabi
Lahat ay kalmado; lahat maliwanag
Sa Birheng Ina at kaniyang Anak
Banal na Sanggol na mahinhing humihinga
Natutulog na kapayapaan
Na parang sa langit ang dama
Tahimik na gabi; Banal na gabi
Mga pastol; naroon sa sabsaban
Mga papuri ay maririnig
Mula sa mga anghel ng langit
Si Kristo ay ipinanganak
Tagapag-ligtas natin Siya
Tahimik na gabi; Banal na gabi
Anak ng Diyos; ilaw ng pag-ibig
Liwanag nagmumula sa Iyong mukha
Ay nagsisilaw ng pag-babasbas
Hesus, Panginoon
Sa Iyong pagkapanganak
May You Rest in Peace, my love (Pangga)!
I Heard your voice in the Wind Today
Here's the special video during her 40th day anniversary!
This Part 13 out of 14 on the series, Macrine J. Katague, Celebration of Life via her favorite music.
Macrine
also loved classical guitar music. In this series I am featuring
Malaguena and Spanish Romance- two of Macrine's favorite pieces.
"Malagueña" (Spanish pronunciation: [malaˈɣeɲa], from Málaga) is a song by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. It was originally the sixth movement of Lecuona's Suite AndalucÃa (1933), to which he added lyrics in Spanish. The song has since become a popular, jazz, marching band, and drum corps standard and has been provided with lyrics in several languages. In general terms Malagueñas are a flamenco dance style from Málaga in the southeast Spain (see Malagueñas (flamenco style)).
The
melody that forms the basis of "Malagueña" was not of Lecuona's
invention. It can be heard in 19th century American composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk's
solo piano composition "Souvenirs d'Andalousie." Based on Gottschalk's
international renown, it is reasonable to assume Lecuona heard it and
either wittingly or unwittingly co-opted it in composing his most famous
piece. Further research is required to determine if Gottshalk's
composition and the melody popularized as "Malagueña" is itself a based
on a folkloric Spanish tune.
The authorship and origin of this
famous piece have always been subject to widespread speculation.
However, this solo guitar piece has been attributed to a host of
musicians - Narciso Yepes, Vicente Gómez, Miguel Llobet, Francisco
Tárrega, David del Castillo, and Antonio Rubira, to name a few.
This sustained uncertainty regarding
its genesis has led to the incorporation of the word “anonymous/anónimo”
into its name. The authorship conundrum is instigated by three primary
reasons - the lack any concrete claim, the persistent desire to
circumvent copyright fees, and the publishing companies’ inherent lust
to claim lucrative copyright of this renowned guitar piece.
One of the early publications of the
piece is attributed to Antonio Rubira, a Spanish guitarist. This
version, titled “Estudio para Guitarra” was published in Argentina by
J.A. Medina e Hijo somewhere between 1913 and 1925. IsaÃas Sávio,
another composer and guitarist, has also cited Antonio Rubira as the
author in his work “Romance de Amor.” Sávio further mentioned how the
work became famous in Buenos Aires and attracted further attention from
local publishers. Ricordi, an Argentinian publishing company, currently
attributes Antonio Rubira as the author of the piece.
Meanwhile enjoy the following photo from my album
My
crystal animal collections-reminds me of pleasant memories of our
travels abroad when Macrine(RIP) and I were still young from the 1980's
to early 2000's.
My turtle nite light guide me to the Bathroom in the middle of the Night
Winter Soltice Celebration attracts thousands at Stonehenge-Photo by CNN.
Just a reminder today, December 21 is the Winter Soltice
here in the November Hemisphere. Today is the day with the shortest
daylight and longest night of the year. Here's what Wikipedia says:
The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice
occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the
Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and
Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day with the
shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the Sun
is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. At the pole, there is continuous darkness or twilight around the winter solstice. Its opposite is the summer solstice. Also the Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn depending on the hemispheres winter solstice the sun goes 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight to the nadir.
The winter solstice occurs during the hemisphere's winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the December solstice (usually 21 or 22 December) and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice
(usually 20 or 21 June). Although the winter solstice itself lasts only
a moment, the term sometimes refers to the day on which it occurs.
Other names are the "extreme of winter" (Dongzhi), or the "shortest day". Since the 18th century, the term "midwinter"
has sometimes been used synonymously with the winter solstice, although
it carries other meanings as well. Traditionally, in many temperate
regions, the winter solstice is seen as the middle of winter, but today
in some countries and calendars, it is seen as the beginning of winter.
From the New York Times dated 12/20/2020: Tomorrow is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest, darkest night of a long, dark year.
This winter’s darkness is as literal as it is metaphorical,
with the catastrophic toll of Covid-19, and fear and dread for what is
to come. But as some faith and politics reporter writes, it also serves
as a reminder that for millenniums, “humans have turned to rituals and
stories to remind one another of hope and deeper truths.”
There is some solace for the darkness: On Monday night, Jupiter and Saturn will almost kiss in the night sky,
appearing as one bright planet. The last time they came this visibly
close to each other was in the year 1226. Go out and look southwest in
the hour after sunset.
Personal
Note: Let us celebrate this Day by accepting reality. If you are a
Trump supporter/cult follower, accept defeat with dignity. Rally to
President-Elect Biden call for unity to accelerate the Healing of the
Nation. May 2021 may a year of Unity and Healing!
Today, 4th Sunday of Advent, my 86th Birthday, I attended Catholic
Mass on line, that is On TV sponsored by Heart of the Nation.org.
Today's mass reminded me that a momentous event in US history has
occurred. This event is the election Of Joe Biden the second Roman
Catholic ever elected in the US. In case you have forgotten, the first
one was John Kennedy.
For the last year couple of years,
Macrine (RIP) and I had been attending Catholic Mass on TV. Two reasons:
Macrine's poor health since 2016 and the Covid-19 Lockdown in March
2020. Heart of the Nation broadcast on Television is my favorite
Channel. Here's today's mass.
Last week homily during mass discussed that year 2020 is called Annus Horribilis ( Horrible Year) and the coming year 2021 will be hopefully Annus Gratia ( Year of Favor( Grace).
I
really identified with the above homily, so it inspired me to search
for major events in 2020 that I considered horrible as follows:
1. The mishandling of covid-19 Pandemic by Trump
2. The Impeachment Hearings of Trump
3. Black Lives Matter Protest
4. The Beirut Explosion
5. Trump Tests Positive for Covid-19
For the Good news:
1. Joe Biden became the 46th president
of the United States on Nov. 7, defeating President Trump( with over 7 million popular votes) and with a
critical assist from his birth state, Pennsylvania, which delivered the
votes to propel him to victory and end one of the most contentious
elections in recent memory.
The
Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be administered in the US,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield
said Sunday.
The loading process of the first shipment of the
Pfizer vaccine has begun in the United States, with vaccines heading to
all 50 states.
Health experts are warning it's likely the US
won't see any meaningful, widespread impacts from vaccinations until
well into 2021.
In Asia, Japan and South Korea both reported their highest yet single-day rise in cases since the pandemic began.
Tomorrow, December 20 will be my 86th birthday. I Thank the
Lord for all His Blessings all these years! There will be no Party or
Family Get Together due to Covid-19. David and I will just order Lobster Dinner via Doordash*
My 80th Birthday Celebration and Family Get Together-Six Years Ago
I will be 86 years
old tomorrow, December 20. This is the season of winter and sunset of my life.
There will be no big celebration because we are still in the LOCKDOWN
mode due to Covid-19. However there will be recollections of my life
( see sites listed below for details). Here's a video ( poem) that I
can identify about the winter of my life.
This time of my life I will also call the Sunset of My Life. Here's another video about Sunsets that reminds me of my eight decades and six years of my life.
Here's one of my favorite poems on aging by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ‘Youth and Age’.
When I was young?—Ah, woful When!
Ah! for the change ’twixt Now and Then!
This breathing house not built with hands,
This body that does me grievous wrong,
O’er aery cliffs and glittering sands,
How lightly then it flashed along:—
Like those trim skiffs, unknown of yore,
On winding lakes and rivers wide,
That ask no aid of sail or oar,
That fear no spite of wind or tide!
Nought cared this body for wind or weather
When Youth and I lived in’t together …
‘You’re only as old as you feel’ might be a rough paraphrase of the
main sentiment driving this poem, by one of English literature’s leading
Romantic poets.
Here's a short article on the Afterglows of the Sunset of our Lives
I
gave myself an advance birthday gift today. I purchase on line two
decorative nite lights( a Cross) and small Christmas tree from Lampeez. I
am enjoying these two purchases very, very much. I also purchased
Lampeez lights as my Christmas Gifts for Carenna, Ditas, Dodie and Dinah
as listed in the bottom page of this article.
Lampeez
is the pioneer of 3D LED Lamp with best quality & largest
collection of optical illusion lamps. Use it as a night light or home
decor, your choice!
Lampeez
is a combination of art and technology that creates an optical illusion
and plays tricks on the eyes by creating a 3D effect hence called the
LED Illusion Lamp
The Cross 3D LED Illusion Lamp is a combination of art and technology
that creates an optical 3D illusion and plays tricks on the eyes. From
afar, you will see the design, but as you get up close, you see a thin
acrylic glass sheet that's completely flat. It's bound to dazzle and
impress your guests while always lighting up the room and your lives.
This playful product combines man made fibers with natural materials
and produced using both machines and artisan handwork. Perfect for
displaying in your bedroom, living room, office, as a night lamp or any
way you want to use it.
Features
8 Changeable color modes including Cyan, Blue, Green, Red, White,
Yellow and Purple as well as a flashing mode that displays all colors
Touch button to easily change color mode
Energy efficient long life LED bulbs
Safe to touch. Does not overheat
For other products see the following site in Facebook:
The 3D Head of a Cat-My Christmas Gift to Dinah this year
This guitar is my Christmas gift to Dodie this year
There
are numerous selections from arts, animals or landmarks. The cost
varied from $39.99 to $59.99 depending on the size. It is a good
Christmas gift to someone who has everything.
Meanwhile enjoy these two original songs that Carenna wrote in 2018 for Vision 2020, California when she was only 15 years old.
This is Part 12 out of 14 on the Series Macrine J. Katague, Celebration of Life.
Macrine
also loved popular songs besides the classical piano music of her
teenaged and childhood years. Three of her favorite popular songs are Moon River, Sound of Silence and the Prayer.
Moon River is one song Macrine's memorized, so when we attend parties and someone ask her to sing-Moon River is the song of Choice
Simon and Garfunkel was her favorite duo, but I found this arrangement of the Sound of Silence by Pentatonix excellent
The Prayer- Lea Salonga and Josh Groban Duet-Asia Mall, Manila
Another version of Moon River -Choral
and last but not least is an instrumental arrangement of I'll be Seeing You
However,
the latest survey indicated that only about 65% of the US populations
are willing to be vaccinated once the supply is available. The rest do
not want the vaccine for some reasons or another, but particularly its
safety and unknown long term side effects. As a previous FDA
employee ( retired Chemistry Team Leader, Center of New Drugs), I have
no hesitation in being vaccinated when my turn in the priority list
comes.
Please note that the Pfizer vaccine was granted by FDA an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and not the Standard Approval for New Drugs. Do you know the differences between an EUA versus the standard/normal Approval? Here's a summary for your information.
EUAs and normal drug approvals may both result in new medical
products entering the market. However, these two
pathways serve very distinct goals and are based in distinct and different legal
authorities.
Standard Approval for Marketing
Approval of a new drug or biologic is a long and rigorous process
intended to ensure that a product is safe, effective and made to
appropriate quality standards. A typical process for approval takes
years, and involves pre-clinical testing to ensure that a product is
safe for use in humans and is unlikely to cause any adverse effects.
This testing may take place using acceptable in silico models
or testing in animals. After pre-clinical testing is complete, a company
typically initiatives clinical testing in humans by filing an
Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
Different phases of clinical
trials generally seek to generate evidence that a product is generally
safe (Phase 1), that it is safe and effective in a larger population of
patients (Phase 2), and that it provides evidence that it is safe and
effective in a sufficient amount of patients to support approval (Phase
3). Phase 3 trials are sometimes known as “pivotal” trials, since their
success or failure is pivotal to the success (or failure) of a product.
The FDA requires that products show “substantial evidence” of their
safety and efficacy, though it often approves drugs using evidence from
small numbers of patients as well.
EUA Issuance
In contrast, EUAs typically rely on a much lower standard of evidence
to support authorization. They are also not used outside of declared
emergency situations
The triggering mechanism to use an EUA is the declaration of a public
health emergency by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247(d)). The Secretary must then separately determine that the circumstances justifying an EUA exists. A recent amendment under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPRA)
expanded and streamlined the Secretary’s authority to enable EUAs on
the basis of a potential public health emergency that poses a risk to
national security. Once these conditions have been met, the FDA then has
the ability to enact EUAs under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics
Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3).
Once an authorization request has been prepared, a product sponsor
will then officially request authorization for the use of their
unapproved product. The FDA will consider all the available evidence and
make a determination based on the circumstances that the product “may
be effective” in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of the
condition—a significantly lower standard than marketing approval (i.e.,
“substantial evidence of safety and effectiveness”).
What are the benefits of an EUA?
Although an EUA is only in effect during the public health emergency, they are powerful tools to help meet emergency needs.
One of the primary benefits of an EUA—and one that does not apply
under the traditional approvals process—is a liability shield. To
incentivize private sector manufacturers of drugs and devices to act
under EUAs when an emergency has been declared, PAHPRA also added EUAs
to the definition of medical countermeasures. This amendment extended
the immunity from liability under the Public Readiness and Emergency
Preparedness (PREP) Act to EUAs.
Critically, an EUA can facilitate access to products on a
highly-accelerated basis, while also restricting its use outside of that
emergency situation. Review of EUAs generally only take weeks (and
sometimes less than that), as compared to the ordinary review timeline
which may take months or longer. During a global pandemic, time is of
the essence.
Finally, EUAs can be revoked at the discretion of the Secretary,
either because a product fails to meet the statutory criteria, or
because the circumstances of its authorization are no longer reasonable.
For example, a public health emergency may have concluded, or another
product may have been approved that is safer and more effective. In such
cases, the FDA may revoke the authorization, or may modify it (such as
to limit it for a smaller population of patients).
Where are EUAs being used?
No recent epidemic has generated a greater need for emergency
authorizations, nor the pressure for fast-tracking FDA approvals, like
COVID-19.
So far, more than 39 EUAs have been granted, with more than 30 of
those for diagnostic products. The fundamental challenges with
manufacturing and distribution of diagnostics has driven an unmatched
issuance of EUAs for a variety of tests, following FDA guidance that
allowed states to validate their own diagnostics.
While the law allows for a drug or biologic to be authorized under an
EUA, historical data demonstrates that this remains rare in practice.
There are several potential reasons for this, including manufacturer use
of Expanded Access and the time it takes to develop new drugs or
biologics. In many cases, an outbreak of a disease may be over by the
time a company’s product has sufficient evidence to support
authorization.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine phosphate have already been authorized for Emergency Use under the COVID-19 emergency, but only in a limited capacity.
What is the impact of the use of EUA on COVID-19?
The FDA’s unmatched use of EUA in the COVID-19 pandemic has been a
vital stop gap measure to accelerate testing. Between March 12 and April
8, the FDA issued 28 EUAs for diagnostic products—a rate of more than
one per day on average, and more than the combined EUAs issued for the
Zika, Ebola and MERS-CoV public health emergencies.
The incidence and prevalence of COVID-19, as well as the rate of
spread, are some of the most important pieces of information needed to
inform the allocation of fiscal, human and material resources.
Authorizing diagnostics for emergency use has allowed for wider
availability of testing with faster turnaround time. By dramatically
reducing the time from sample collection to results (a window that could
originally last up to 5 days when samples were being mailed to the
CDC), products authorized for distribution under EUAs have helped public
health authorities and providers respond more quickly to the virus.
