by Kurt Stolz

A resurgence of the coronavirus has once again placed life on hold for hundreds of millions of people across the globe.  With the holiday season upon us, government officials are trying to balance a desire to celebrate the season and allow some everyday activies with a need to stem the spread of the virus.
What you yourself do is wholly dependent on your comfort level and, while many are confident to …

What You Need to Know About President Biden’s Mask Mandate and Air Travel

by Anna Breuer

Masks are in the news this week, to say the very least.
Not only did several European countries ban cloth masks but President Joseph Biden promulgated a new rule requiring anyone on an airplane, train, bus, or at an airport as well as employees and visitors on federal property to wear a face mask.
The rules came in the form of two executive orders: One for lands and buildings controlled by the …

One Year Ago Today, the U.S. Recorded its First Case of the Coronavirus

by Jesse Sokolow

One year ago today, we ran a story with the headline, “Officials Confirm First Case of Coronavirus in U.S.”
The story stated that health officials had confirmed that a man in Washington State was the first case of the mysterious coronavirus in the United States.
It went on to say that the disease – it didn’t have a name at that point – had begun to appear in Wuhan, China, in the …

It’s 2021: Why Are We Still Using Cash?

by Jonathan Spira

The term “filthy rich” may in fact not be a misnomer: Paper money is notoriously dirty, practically plastered with germs.  The influenza virus can live on a five-dollar bill for up to 17 days.  Yet the warnings issued by researchers at the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic with respect to how the virus could be transmitted on currency didn’t worry me a bit.
It’s not because I wasn’t concerned about …

Great Winter Getaways for When We Resume Travel in 2021

by Kurt Stolz

It would be an understatement to say it’s been a rough year.  No sooner did the winter doldrums end than we got locked down at home for endless periods of a time.
With the start of distribution of several coronavirus vaccines, it’s a good time to start to think about planning an escape once it’s safe to resume travel.
Whether you seek fun in the sun or easy access to winter sports, …

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day: Here’s What’s Open and What’s Closed

by Paul Riegler

Today, Monday, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, a federal holiday.  King, a Baptist minister and activist, was a leader in in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He is widely recognized for having advanced civil rights through non-violent actions and civil disobedience.  King’s father, Martin Luther King Sr., was an early civil rights leader who survived his son’s death and …

Study Shows Which Car Windows to Roll Down to Keep Covid at Bay

by Paul Riegler

The interior of a passenger car represents an elevated risk of coronavirus transmission and drivers and passengers have long since been told to roll down the windows to keep aerosols and droplets at bay.
But which windows should one lower, especially if one doesn’t wish to have all four down?
A new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts and Brown University has the answer.
Noting that, even with proper mask wearing, …

I Will Not Be Silent

by Jonathan Spira

Over the past nine weeks, the capitals of the two countries I call home – Austria and the United States – experienced domestic terrorist attacks.
In the November 2nd attack in Vienna, it was a lone gunman, a 20-year-old Islamic terrorist who managed to kill four people and wound 23 others.  The attack was carried out in such a manner that the police originally believed that there were multiple shooters.
Some eight …