Posted on 12/05/2020 6:58:35 AM PST by Kaslin
Two AP headlines in the 1 DEC Richmond, Va. newspaper just prepared us for a ruined Christmas: "Travel at Thanksgiving likely to cause a big surge of the coronavirus" and "Fearing post-Thanksgiving cases, officials order tough restrictions." It appears that our new normal is here to stay.
Is there really a second wave of COVID deaths occurring in the European Union (E.U.), United Kingdom (U.K.), and U.S. to justify this? The answer was found in the latest COVID-19 death rate trends in an interactive chart from Our World in Data.
The second surge is now obvious. This data source uses a seven-day moving average of daily deaths per million people to make it easier to directly compare per capita death trends regardless of population differences. Sweden (a part of the E.U.) was included only because it alone shunned severe lockdowns and mask mandates in hopes that inaction would hasten the achievement of herd immunity and thereby help avoid a second surge. Unfortunately, Sweden's hopes seem dashed.
Most European countries imposed much harsher lockdowns than those in the U.S., where individual states and localities made widely different decisions. This may partially explain why U.S. death rates never dropped as low as those in Europe. Additionally, U.S. deaths from COVID are inflated due to including deaths with COVID.
The science says extended lockdowns will only temporarily delay the spread of the virus. It is like playing slow-motion whack-a-mole. As soon as previously uninfected people re-emerge from hiding, the cycle repeats until herd immunity is achieved either naturally or from a vaccine. A vaccine is preferable because it minimizes hospitalizations and deaths. Thanks in part to Trump's Operation Warp Speed, vaccines should become available in the U.S. before the new year.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Our surge is being blamed on Thanksgiving travel, but the other countries experiencing surges don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so what gives?
Surge of what exactly? Hysteria?
Another thing to consider is the vaccine in the United States was delayed for political reasons, so as to not aid in the re-election of President Donald Trump.
Summer is over and people are not outside as much in the northern hemisphere, so we are sharing more air. This is behaving just like the seasonal flu in that respect.
I’m seeing more and more “I Will Not Comply” T-shirts every day on people in my area ....
It would be a good motto regarding tyrannical CovidChestCold-related restrictions.
Exactly. I asked Freeper ‘Mom MD’, who lives and works in my area who is seeing valid increased cases. She said it is simply that time of the year with indoors and other factors. The wife also is seeing it in her facilities.
We’ve all been wearing the stupid obedience snot rags on our faces and ‘social distancing’. They said that would do it, but it didn’t, and it won’t. Viruses don’t follow stupid rules like that.
There is no getting away from the virus. Everyone has been exposed and will continue to be exposed.
Yea Biden won and Covid fell out of the news. Trump challenged the results and we have more shutdowns and cancel Christmas.
Look at Sweden how they flattened the curve. NO MASKS!
Hysteria?? That’s an understatement!
funny.. how the protests are never blamed for any of the surges....
interesting.
Sigh. Let’s go over this again....THERE WAS NO FIRST WAVE. THERE’S NO SECOND WAVE.
ITS ABOUT CONTROL AND NOTHING ELSE
I noticed that too, so what gives is "Bullshit".
How many of these cases are false positives or misdiagnosed illnesses that aren’t covid? Let’s not forget that anything covid in the medical field is being incentivized. Take that away and the numbers would be much lower.
They are trying to fool with Mother Nature and she’s having none of it. /s
It is a virus it spreads...
If we tested everyone for the Asian Flu how many cases would there be????
If you have a stroke and you also have the virus...what did you die from???
My friends in medicine are telling me that there are now almost zero cases of the common cold or flu being reported. It’s a miracle!
The ego-based arrogance of any thought that humans can control any airborne-capable virus is the most egregious policy and commentary on the planet.
Go take a hand drill to the bottom of a pond. Now you are tasked with drilling a 1/2” perfectly DRY hole in the bottom. That’s the reality of what AIRBOURNE virus spread is about.
The traditions may be different, but the underlying sentiment of all these holidays is the same: it’s a chance to spend time with friends and family and reflect on what’s most important in life.
Canada
Canadians actually celebrated their version of Thanksgiving before the American holiday was established. The first Thanksgiving in Canada was reportedly celebrated in 1578 — 40 years before the first American holiday.
English explorer Martin Frobisher organized the celebration in Newfoundland, where he and his crew gave thanks for a successful voyage to North America.
Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving every year on the second Monday in October. In most parts of the country, workers automatically get the day off. But for Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s an optional holiday and some workers might not have the day off.
Because the holiday is on a Monday, it’s generally acceptable to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast at any point during the long weekend.
China
China celebrates their annual “Chung Chiu” Moon Festival, or the fall harvest, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar cycle of the year. On this day, Chinese families come together for a three-day feast that features a sweet delicacy called the mooncake. Mooncakes are round pastries that typically contain duck egg yolks, lotus seed paste, and sesame seeds. The yolk represents the full moon, and the cakes usually have the baker’s logo or insignia embossed on the top. Family and friends share mooncakes with one another, signifying unity and peace for the coming season.
Germany
Germany’s Thanksgiving equivalent is known as Erntedankfest, which translates to “harvest thanksgiving festival.” It is mostly celebrated by rural, religious groups, and is an opportunity for these farmland cultures to give thanks and honor their harvest. It is celebrated in larger cities too but is more of a church service and not much like America’s Thanksgiving. There also isn’t any officially designated day for the celebration, and festivity dates vary across the country. Usually, its celebrated in mid-September or October, but since 1972, the German Catholic Church recommends celebrating on the first Sunday in October. This is not strictly followed, however. The holiday isn’t just exclusive to Germany — most German-speaking countries also take part in the festivities, like Austria and Switzerland. Because it has religious elements, Erntedank is often sponsored by both Christian and Protestant churches. The celebrations often begin with a church service for both the larger and smaller cities. In cities, the service is followed by a parade and the presentation of the “harvest crown,” or Erntekrone, to a designated Harvest Queen. Churchgoers distribute leftover or surplus food to the poor. There are multiple church services throughout the day, and in the evening laternenumzüge or “lantern parades” are organized.
Grenada
The small island nation of Granada celebrates Thanksgiving annually on Oct. 25. The tradition began in 1983 to commemorate the American and Caribbean intervention in Grenada. Four years before the first-ever Grenadian Thanksgiving holiday, the country’s democratic government was overthrown in a coup led by an insurgent socialist dictatorship. The original coup leader, Maurice Bishop, was murdered due to an internal power struggle within the regime. This spun the country into a full-blown downward spiral of power struggle and violent chaos. Japan
On Nov. 23 every year in Japan, Labor Thanksgiving Day is observed. Not all Japanese citizens are guaranteed to have a day off work for the holiday, unlike Americans. But all government entities in Japan are closed on this day in celebration of the country’s industrial workers and progress. The origin of Japan’s Thanksgiving holiday actually dates back to the seventh century. The first record of the holiday can be found in ancient records from 678 A.D. It was originally known as Niinamesai, and the holiday celebrated the welcome of the harvest season. But as Japan progressed and evolved into an industrial country rather than an agrarian one, the celebrations switched from honoring farmers to honoring workers. This modern interpretation has been in practice since 1948. It came after the country expanded their Constitution following World War II. The new laws regarded workers’ rights and established fundamental human rights.
Norfolk Island
It may come as a shock to learn that the tiny remote island located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean celebrates Thanksgiving, but there is a great explanation as to why they do. Norfolk Island resident Tom Lloyd told NPR in an interview that their Thanksgiving holiday is “one of the biggest days on Norfolk Island.” The now-Australian territory was once a British penal colony and was later included as a British auxiliary settlement in 1786. Lloyd explained that the English Harvest Home festival was always celebrated on the island, but it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the Americanized version of the tradition came to the island. Because the island became a popular destination for whaling ships coming from the United States when an American trader named Isaac Robinson settled on Norfolk he brought with him the Thanksgiving tradition. Robinson eventually became Norfolk Island’s Registrar of Lands, as well as the first and only U.S. consul. Sometime in the 1890s, Robinson had the idea to dress one of the island’s churches up with Thanksgiving-style decorations.
All Saints Church in the capital of Kingston was dressed up by Robinson and three of his friends. It was fashioned out of palm trees and lemons. Robinson reportedly died the following year, but the tradition stuck with the community. It is celebrated on the last Wednesday in November every year.
S. Korea
Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday is known as Chuseok. The holiday is also known as Hangawi, which translates to the 15th day of the eighth month, the day that the holiday is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. It’s celebrated on the same day that the Chinese and Vietnamese harvest festivals are. Chuseok commemorates the first day that the full harvest moon appears, similar to other ancient harvest festivities from around the world. Families come together to welcome the harvest season and to spend some quality time with one another. Much like American Thanksgiving, there are specific foods that are consumed during Chuseok. One of the most important foods is a rice cake known as songpyeon. The rice cake’s dough is made using finely ground, new rice, and filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, or other delights. It’s then molded into a small ball.
Liberia
Thanksgiving in Liberia is celebrated on the first Thursday of November each year. It is almost identical to the United States’ version of Thanksgiving — aside from the day it’s celebrated. Although it might not make immediate sense as to why an African country might celebrate an American-style Thanksgiving, that is because Liberia’s traditions actually stem directly from American customs. The country of Liberia was founded as a colony of and for freed slaves in 1822. It was established for those free slaves who wanted more freedom and equality than the United States could offer.
Liberia’s capital of Monrovia was named after President James Monroe, who supported the creation of Liberia for freed black slaves. The free slaves that did choose to relocate to Liberia brought a lot of American traditions with them, and one of those traditions was the Thanksgiving holiday. Of course, Liberians put their own spin on the American traditions. Families get together and eat dinner consisting of chicken, green bean casserole, and mashed cassavas, which are a vegetable similar to potatoes. But Liberians like their food to be spicy, so different seasonings are added to give their dishes a kick. The Netherlands
The Dutch version of Thanksgiving is also directly related to the holiday we celebrate in the United States. When most people think of the origin of Thanksgiving in the U.S., they think of the British Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower. But the English Pilgrims weren’t the only ones who lept across the pond. Dutch Pilgrims joined their English counterparts on the journey. The Speedwell ship left the city of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1620 and sailed to Southampton, England. There the vessel picked up the English Pilgrims and they traveled together to the Americas.
That connection to the Speedwell ship’s departure is still very strong in Leiden, which is why they celebrate American Thanksgiving on the same exact day. The United Kingdom
Seeing as the U.S. and the U.K. have a pretty turbulent past, it might not make much sense for the English to celebrate a holiday that has become such a cornerstone of American culture. But as it turns out, Britons are in fact embracing American Thanksgiving. As of 2014, it was recorded that one in six Brits partake in Thanksgiving festivities. Some people celebrate because they experienced the holiday while abroad in the U.S. and fell in love with the traditions, and others celebrate because they’re expats and want to keep the tradition alive. The holiday is unofficially dubbed “Brits-giving.”
Brazil
Brazil celebrates their Thanksgiving holiday on the same day that Americans do, on the last Thursday in November. The holiday is called Dia de Ação de Graças, and apparently, many of its festivities were inspired by American traditions. The unconfirmed story of how Brazil’s Thanksgiving came to be, says that the country’s ambassador to the U.S. went on a trip to the States in November, sometime in the 1940s. He happened to be there to witness the way Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and loved the tradition. The ambassador came back to Brazil and proposed that they create their own version of the holiday. Brazil’s Thanksgiving also has a religious element to it, whereas Thanksgiving in the States is specifically a nondenominational holiday.
Barbados
Like many of the countries included in this roundup, Barbados’ answer to Thanksgiving comes in the form of a harvest festival. The Crop Over festival celebrates the end of the sugarcane harvest season. Beginning in June, Barbadians and tourists that travel to experience the festivities celebrate for weeks. The celebration lasts anywhere from six weeks to three months. Crop Over is a 300-year-old tradition that has its roots in the sugarcane plantations on the Caribbean island. Slaves that worked in those plantations began celebrating the end of the sugarcane harvest season, which signaled the end of their strenuous plantation labor.
Ghana
Similar to Barbados’ Crop Over festival, Ghana’s thanksgiving-style celebration is also centered around the harvest season.
The Homowo festival pays tribute to the endurance of the Ga tribe’s ancestors during a famine centuries ago. The Ga tribe settled on Ghana’s coast and legend has it that when they arrived in Ghana, there was no food available for them to eat. The soil wasn’t fertile and there was no rain for a long period of time. When the rain finally did return and the harvest was abundant, the Ga people celebrated the blessing of food with a huge and loud celebration. “Homowo” translates to “hooting at hunger,” which is exactly what the Ga people did when the long famine was finally over.Malaysia
Another country that celebrates Thanksgiving by way of honoring the harvest is Malaysia. They observe the Kaamatan harvest festival, which is celebrated in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It’s celebrated by the native ethnic Kadazan-Dusuns people for the month of May and culminates in a two-day public holiday that’s celebrated throughout the country. Rice is very important in the Kadazandusun communities, and as such rice is the main ingredient in the dishes served during the festival. Rice wines are also made and widely consumed.
Israel
As has probably become evident, most agriculture-based civilizations celebrate some form of a harvest festival whereupon the gift of food and life is celebrated. Israel has their own as well, and it’s known as Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacles. The celebration lasts for seven days and begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. When the celebration falls on the western calendar varies, but Sukkot typically happens sometime between the months of September and October. It comes five days after Yom Kippur— the Hebrew high holiday. In addition to the harvest, Sukkot also commemorates the protection that God bestowed upon the Jewish people when they left Egypt for Israel.
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