How is everyone’s weekend going? When are we going to get past Covid Hysteria absurdity?
Just when we think we’ve rounded a corner, Lucy yanks the football away again.
Earlier this week, St. Viator High School, a private school in Arlington Heights, cancelled its first football game of the 2021 season.
The game was scheduled to be played Aug. 27 in Kenosha, WI against St. Joseph’s Academy. But Covid-related concerns forced the Lions to cancel the game. No one tested positive or got contact traced. The virus itself had nothing to do with it.
No, a perceived threat of the virus is the reason for St. Viator administrators for calling off the over-the-state line game.
Jason Kuffel, the school’s athletic director, in a Daily Herald article, cited keeping the school ‘safe’ and calling off the game a ‘prudent’ decision based on current public health guidelines for traveling out of state.
Smart people—and Kuffel is one, an excellent athletic director by all accounts—are turning dopey over Covid. Or in this case, the threat of Covid.
I don’t get it. I just don’t get it as the calendar today reads August 22, 2021.
Let’s move on and proceed with the Six.
I wrote about the Mask Wars this week in The Kerr Report. It’s happening all over the country—incidents involving angry parents and frustrated administrators, tasked with enforcing irresponsible mask mandates. With everyone holding a camera in their pocket, these - at times - violent skirmishes are being caught on video for all to see. As long as the weather remains good in the Midwest, we’ll see more and more of these exchanges. NPR with a broad strokes piece on the national Mask Wars.
Afghanistan: This is Actually Happening.
The only story keeping Covid and masks off the front pages and ‘A’ block of newscasts: escalating tensions in Afghanistan. President Biden’s decision to withdrawal and the Taliban taking control has dominated news cycles all this past week. This article from Politico takes readers behind the scenes with the Biden Administration over a five-day timeline as they scrambled to deal with the ramifications of the disastrous events following Biden’s decision.
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ In Real Life.
Most readers of the Six have at least heard of the long-running HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or are fans of the program. When I saw this story trending on Twitter earlier this week, my first thought was how it read like a scene from the hilarious show. Only it actually happened: Larry David, star of ‘Curb’ runs into famous lawyer and television pundit Alan Dershowitz at a Martha’s Vineyard grocery store. They have a confrontation. For real, not for the show. Somehow, this incident will make the next season of ‘Curb’ one way or another.
Whiplash For the Music Concert Industry.
So music concerts and festivals are back this summer. Large scale events such as Lollapalooza (which I attended) were held with much success. But with the latest mutation of Covid rearing its ugly head, late summer is seeing a pullback with some tours. What’s the fall season look like? The NY Times takes a look.
Floating On A Log, Down By The River.
The most bizarre story I saw this week. On a river in Tennessee, a naked man is spotted floating on a log. He refuses multiple attempts at rescue. Finally, he submits to assistance from authorities. A local news station captures the rescue in the video I’ve linked to here. There’s not sound until about the 1:00 mark, then the naked man is shown and the rescue attempt begins.
I can’t close out the Six this week without a piece of wild animal video! This one in Utah. A a petting zoo, one of the establishments ‘gator handlers’ got bitten by an alligator and well, all hell breaks loose. It all happens with a small group of onlookers behind protective glass. The good news, according to the story, is how the handler is ‘doing well and in recovery.’ Watch the video at about the :20 mark…crazy stuff.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com