Between the Newsletters Blog

September 2021

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September 2, 2021

Hello AACP Blog readers.

We got our August newsletter sent just in time again. If you don’t get the newsletter by email, have a look at it with this link.

I would like to add some things to the newsletter editor’s message.

First of all, if our newsletter at times comes off as oblivious to the world around us, that doesn’t mean we don’t care. The news tends to highlight all the bad things happening around us – there are so many people that are suffering and in need.

Sometimes I hear things on the news that gets me a little upset – like when I heard some person angrily expressing his view that mandates on mask wearing were infringing on “our” freedoms. I don’t want to make assumptions, but I’m guessing that this person is all for defending liberties such as gun ownership and defending our borders from terrorist and outsiders. Why isn’t he for the defense of our bodies from invading viruses?

According to Wikipedia, 2361 Americans died in the war in Afghanistan (source) and 2977 people died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack (source). That comes to a total of 5338 deaths.

The CDC reports that in the seven days from August 25 to August 31, 2021, 6669 people in America have lost their lives from COVID-19 – in total through the whole pandemic 638,689.

I’m not sure what it would take for some people to change their minds in favor of masks and COVID vaccinations, but we really need to find it. Here’s an interesting short story I heard on the radio program “The Takeaway” on “How to Talk to a Science Denier.” Please have a listen and be ready for whenever you get the chance to try to convince someone about masking, vaccinating, and the realities of climate change.

Here’s another interesting radio story from the program Freakonomics - The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism.

 Okay, until I write again - take care and hope you keep reading, caring, and working towards make the world a better place.

Leonard Chan