IF PINOCCHIO WAS PRESIDENT

It all started with a lie.

One of the first things every school kid in America learns is: George Washington, America's first president, never told a lie.

Well, of course, that's a lie in itself. When Washington died in 1799, Parson Mason Locke Weems, a moralist as well as an opportunist, felt that the people knew all about Washington's accomplishments as "the father of the new country," but not much about his personal life. With that goal in mind,

he became Washington's first biographer and added fiction to fact in his efforts to create a portrait of Washington as a role model for the fledgling country’s citizens. Thus, the creative story of little George chopping down his father's cherry tree and, when asked by his angry dad who chopped down my tree, the classic line was born: "I did, daddy. I cannot tell a lie."

While there is not much recorded of Washington's statements as president (there was no Washington Post at the time), you can be sure that one or two "untruths" or "exaggerations" popped up now and then. Because, let's face it, telling lies is in the DNA of every president or premier or prime minister in the world .  . . the Pinocchio syndrome. The tall tales may vary from simple false campaign promises to more serious attempts at deceptions, but, let's face it, they lie!  It's just a reality of life. I mean does anyone really believe anything people like Putin or Kim Jong Un say? 

Not that American presidents or other political leaders don't sometimes throw fuel on the fire. Sometimes it's a little spark. For example, even the man considered to be the finest American President, Abraham Lincoln ("Honest Abe") was caught in a fib or two. Lincoln's biggest lie was that he was willing to open peace negotiations with the Confederacy – knowing that much of his own party thought that only unconditional surrender by the South would settle the question of slavery. At one point, Lincoln wrote a note to his own party asserting – falsely – that there were “no peace commissioners” being sent to a conference with the Confederacy. In the end, all turned out well.

The fact is every president or head of state lies—at some point.  It’s the nature of politics and diplomacy. Sometimes, a president might convince himself that a lie is in the national interest. A president might lie to shield the public from damaging information that could undermine sensitive missions. A lie could be a way to protect intelligence vital to national security. Or a presidential falsehood could be inadvertent, the result of sloppy staff work or wishful thinking. It's the big lies that do all the harm. Like when President Putin says Russia has no designs on any other land, then sends troops into Ukraine.

In America, the gold ribbon for "The Greatest Lie" has to go to President Bill Clinton, whose rep was already tarnished by the Whitewater Scandal of the 1970s and 80s, when he was Governor of Arkansas, and he escaped jail time due to "insufficient evidence." Then, of course, as president, he made that

classic statement during an interview, "I experimented with marijuana a time or two, but I didn't inhale." The American people were so upset at something which was an obvious lie, that Clinton later came out and said he was "only joking" about not inhaling. But, wait a minute. The really big lie, The Gold Medal winner, is coming up. With a straight face, Clinton looked directly into the eyes of the world in 1998 and emphatically declared: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” Well, Clinton's rep, being already "stained" (pardon the pun) by his other blunders, led to him being only the second president in American history to be impeached.

Runner-up in The Great American Presidential Lie competition goes to Richard Nixon when he told the people "I am not a crook," in regard to the Watergate scandal. While history showed he may not have known of the actual break-in at the time, he did his damnedest to cover it up.

The fact is, all world leaders lie, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, China's Xi Jinping, and the list goes on. John Mearsheimer, author of the book Why Leaders Lie: The Truth About Lying in International Politics argues that leaders lie to foreign audiences as well as their own people because they think it is good for their country, or to cover up crimes being committed by the county's regime.

(Author's Note: Pinocchio is a carved wooden puppet by an Italian woodcarver named Geppetto.  He is notably characterized for his frequent tendency to lie, which causes his nose to grow.  If that were to happen in real life, The United Nations would need a much larger building to accommodate all those loooong noses.

https://www.louduro.com/

MEET THE LEGEND NAMED RALPH ZENGEN

The phrase, "He was a legend in his own time," may be one of the most overused, and, usually exaggerated,  expressions in history, but when it comes to a guy named Ralph Zengen, it's almost as if the words were coined expressly for him.

You see, I actually "heard" of Ralph before I even met him. We both grew up in Bayside, Queens, a New York City residential suburb in the 1950s, but since he was several years older, we did not meet until a few years later. In 1953, there was a terrible bully by the name of Pete Foresi stalking Bell Boulevard, Bayside's main street, picking on all the younger kids, myself included.  Although I was big for my age (actually fully grown already) I was only 13 at the time, and lacking the confidence that only comes with life's experiences, so I and other kids always kept an eye out for Pete, and would run upon sighting.

Suddenly, through the teenage grapevine, I heard those magic words: Hey, didya hear about . . . ?   No, what?  This guy, his name is Ralph, saw Pete Foresi picking on some kids and threw him through the plate glass window of Pete's Paint Store. Wow!  Pete the bully was never seen stalking the boulevard again.  As it happened just two years later I started "hanging out" with a bunch of guys at Dick's Candy Store on Bell and, lo and behold, one of them was Ralph Zengen, the legend of Bell, who had made it safe for younger kids.

Although I was younger than most of the guys, I was accepted into "The Crowd" with Ralph and Bobby Coppers and the others and we became friends for life.  In 1954 Ralph joined the U.S. Navy, and, after Boot Camp, was stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a stone's throw from Dick's, so "the crowd" remained intact with Ralph and the others. Even when he was later transferred to the New London Naval Base, in nearby Connecticut, Ralph, in his new 1958 V-8 Impala, cut the driving time down on the turnpike to less than two hours as he rushed back to Bayside on weekends to see his family and friends.

One night in November 1959, as he was heading back to New London on the Connecticut Turnpike after spending the weekend in Bayside, disaster struck – a disaster with a golden lining. Ralph was involved in a horrific traffic accident and was rushed to Yale Medical Center in New Haven. The hospital listed his condition "grave," but, of course, they didn't know who they were dealing with. With the strength and determination that always defined Ralph Zengen, and with the help of a cute little nursing student named Nancy Woods, he made a remarkably fast and complete recovery. When he eventually left the hospital, he took his nursing student with him, and, on September 17, 1960 Nancy Woods became Nancy Zengen, at a Connecticut wedding "invaded" (by invitation, of course) by the entire gang from Dick's, which left the local townfolk something to talk about for years to come.

Of course, the exploits of Ralph and the rest of us at Dick's Candy Store could all come under the heading of "teenage frivolity," but when it came to his country and the United States Navy, Ralph took things seriously, very seriously – and the legend continued.  

By the late 1950s and early 60s, when most of the crowd was being dragged reluctantly into adulthood, and the military, Ralph was already on his way to building a most honorable career in the Navy. Following his return to duty after his release from the hospital, Ralph, who had

chosen Cryptology as his rating specialty was stationed to a security base in Washington, DC. That's when he showed the brass he had "the right stuff."  Entering the service as an ordinary seaman, he flew through the ranks of petty officers until being awarded the insignia of Chief Warrant Officer, a fete seldom achieved.  Along the way, he collected numerous awards and medals for his service, including two Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medals, a Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal, a Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, a Navy Good Conduct Medal and a National Defense Service Medal.  The only way for the awards to stop was for Ralph to retire in 1980, after a more than admirable (pun intended) 26-years of service.

You might think compiling such a commendable military career would leave time for nothing else. You might think that, but you'd be wrong. About the only thing more important to Ralph than the Navy was his family – for which he achieved even more memorable "awards." You see, that cute nursing student he married in 1960 also had "the right stuff." Their 60-year marriage was commemorated with the birth of four daughters and five granddaughters. (As one daughter, Dawn, said: "I think having all girls was a "payback" for his early years!"). 

Early years, married years, military years. Ralph proved to be a legend in all three. But just days after Nancy and his 60^th anniversary, Ralph suffered a cardiac arrest which took his life. I think there was a sudden stillness around the world at that moment. I know there was one in mine. After the stillness, however, there was an avalanche of memories. Like our many reunions in Bayside throughout the years, and the time Bobby Coppers and I "dropped" in for a visit when he was stationed in Virginia. What'd we do after enjoying a wonderful dinner with Nancy and the rest of his family? Retire to his backyard to resume our wrestling match that began sometime in 1955.

Ralph, will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside so many other great men, such as General Douglas MacArthur, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Astronaut John Glenn – legends all.

Read more on the early "exploits of Ralph in my bio-novel coming-of-age story, "Be Bop A Lula." The character "Ox" is "loosely" based on Ralph. (www.louduro.com) 

 

MASKS OF THE MASSES

"Who was that masked man, anyway?"            

That was one of our favorite lines of our youth, usually asked by some awe-struck cowhand on The Lone Ranger TV show as the hero and his faithful companion, Tonto, rode off into the sunset. 

Of course, you have to be part of the "inspired generation" to remember that one, even though the Lone Ranger's mask was in the wrong place if a virus ever hit "the old west." Since then, when it came to wearing face masks throughout the years, most of us would think of Surgeons or Outlaws – until now.

As this new year began, no one could have imagined that in only a few months billions of people around the world would be covering most of their face with a mask, as the best way yet to avoid the dreaded Covid-19 virus, which is devastating almost every country in the world. Yet, there are still many people who refuse to put one on.

Why the hell not?

In the early days of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said healthy people didn’t need to wear face masks. But on April 3, the governments around the world issued a recommendation advising everyone to wear a cloth face mask or covering in public, as well as social distancing, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Naturally, there was some confusion—not helped by the fact that certain prominent public officials, as well as a handful of egotistical Hollywood stars thought their eminence was enough protection.

Guess what? It wasn't!

But, in general, some people still refuse to put on a mask or face covering when they leave the house, regardless of the rules in their local area. To be clear, we're talking about people who should be wearing a mask, per the CDC, which includes almost all healthy kids and adults.

Some of the unmasked renegades are getting called out on social media, which is a big help. However, with some individuals, nothing seems to work, as with the Florida woman who stood up at a public forum and declared, “I don’t wear a mask for the same reason I don’t wear underwear, things gotta breathe.”

If a man thinks he's too macho to wear a mask, or a woman thinks she's too pretty to cover her face, well that's their problems. As long as they stay away from us.

We're into face masks and social distancing in a big way – and we hope you are, too. Good friends are hard to find.

So, to paraphrase a famous quote: "Be all you can be – but be it with a

face mask."

 

 

BILINGUAL BLOG/ΔΙΓΛΩΣΣΟ ΜΠΛΟΓΚ

 

OUR ISLAND PARADISE

It was 1985 when we fled the turmoil of New York City to take up residence amidst the tranquility of this unique island of Crete, a fluorescent gem in the crown of Greece. Actually, it was more like a time-travel adventure – back to a simpler, slower way of life – to put it mildly. For example, there was only one TV station, more mules than cars, and when you hired someone to do a job, the worker said he would be there "avrio" – a word translated to "tomorrow" in Greek,  but in Cretan could mean "the next day or anytime within the next week or two." forget about "the new york minute! But we took to the new life, and never doubted our move across the Atlantic. But life happened – even on Crete. We now have 14 TV stations, including cable and Judge Judy, and our cars are causing the most road deaths, per capita, than any other place in Europe. Then, at the beginning of this year a couple of Chinese scientists created something called Covid-19 and our world changed again, and the stock in companies making paper face masks went bullish. Then, a few months ago Greece's huge, bullish neighbor, Τurkey, completely ignoring the consequences of other dictator-styled governments, decided it needed more territory. Now there are warships from several countries circling in the Aegean Sea, only miles from our place called Crete. Yes, a lot has changed since we stepped off the ferry onto these sandy shores some forty years ago, but we can still get the best plate of tsigariastó and the cuttlefish with fennel and olives is the best in Greece, and it can still take several weeks for the repairman to show up avrio.  But for us it's still our island paradise.

ΤΟ ΠΑΡΑΔΕΙΣΕΝΙΟ ΝΗΣΙ ΜΑΣ

Ήταν το 1985 όταν εγκαταλείψαμε το θόρυβο της Nέας Υόρκης για να εγκατασταθούμε εν μέσω της ηρεμίας αυτού του μοναδικού νησιού που ονομάζεται Κρήτη, ένα διαμάντι στο στέμμα της Ελλάδας. Στην πραγματικότητα, για εμάς ήταν περισσότερο μια περιπέτεια ταξιδιού γυρίζοντας πίσω στο χρόνο - πίσω σε έναν απλούστερο, πιο αργό πιο νωχελικό τρόπο ζωής. Για παράδειγμα, τότε υπήρχε μόνο ένας τηλεοπτικός σταθμός, περισσότερα γαϊδουράκια, λιγότερα αυτοκίνητα, και αν προσλάβατε κάποιον να κάνει μια δουλειά, ο εργάτης συνήθως έλεγε θα ξεκινήσω “αύριο” - μια λέξη που μεταφράζεται στην “ημέρα αμέσως μετά τη σημερινή” στα ελληνικά, αλλά στα κρητικά μπορούσε να σημαίνει “την επόμενη μέρα ή οποιαδήποτε στιγμή μέσα στην επόμενη εβδομάδα ή δύο”. Αλλά μας άρεσε η νέα μας ζωή, και δεν αμφισβητήσαμε ποτέ την απόφασή μας να διασχίσουμε τον ατλαντικό. Αλλά η ζωή (ο κόσμος γύρω μας) εξακολούθησε να αναπτύσσεται  - ακόμη και στην Κρήτη. Έχουμε τώρα 14 τηλεοπτικούς σταθμούς και αμέτρητους νησιώτικους και καλωδιακούς, και τα αυτοκίνητά μας προκαλούν τους περισσότερους θανάτους στους δρόμους μας, από οποιοδήποτε άλλο μέρος στην Ευρώπη. Στη συνέχεια, στις αρχές του τρέχοντος έτους μερικοί κινέζοι επιστήμονες δημιούργησαν κάτι που ονομάζεται Covid-19 και ο κόσμος μας άλλαξε ξανά, και οι μετοχές σε εταιρίες που φτιάχνουν μάσκες προσώπου έγιναν ανάρπαστες. Και, πριν από λίγους μήνες, ο “τρομακτικός” γείτονας της Ελλάδος, η Τουρκία,  αποφάσισε για μια φορά ακόμη ότι χρειάζεται να επεκτείνει τα σύνορά της και άρχισε – για μια ακόμη φορά -  ένα γεωστρατηγικό / πολιτικό «μπούλινγκ» αμφισβητώντας την κυριαρχία της Ελλάδας με αποτέλεσμα οι δυο χώρες να ερίζουν για εδάφη, πρόσφυγες και πρώτες ύλες. Και όλα αυτά διεξάγονται <πολύ κοντά> στη Κρήτη μας. Ναι, πολλά έχουν αλλάξει από τότε που ξεμπαρκάραμε στο όμορφο λιμάνι στο Ηράκλειο, πριν από 35 χρόνια, όμως, το αντικριστό και γενικά η κρητική κουζίνα είναι από τις καλύτερες στην Ελλάδα αν και ένας εργάτης ακόμα χρειάζεται πολλά <αύριο> για να εμφανιστεί. Αλλά για εμάς η Κρήτη είναι ακόμα ο παράδεισός μας.

 

TABOO TO TOPLESS SUNBATHING? THE BARE FACTS

Leave it to The French. When the whole world is talking about Covid-19, they change the subject, and the headlines, back to its country’s Number One invention – Topless Sunbathing.

It appears that a couple of local gendarmes at a popular beach in southern France ordered three females seeking an “all-over” tan to cover up following complaints by an "uncomfortable" family with children frolicking nearby. (The wife was "uncomfortable,” the kids were playing tag with the surf, and the husband was doing what most husbands do at the beach.)

“Non, non,” said the free-thinking interior minister of France who ensured that no one will be stripped of the right to sunbathe topless, which is perfectly legal in the country. He stressed that "freedom is a precious commodity." Right-on, minister!

Although local authorities can implement clothing rules in certain areas, topless bathing is legal in France and is allowed on the beach in question. My kind of place.  In fact, topless bathing is legal in many other parts of the world, too. For example, Barcelona confirms women can swim topless in all city pools.

Of course, men (and some women) gazing at a well-formed topless female body may stir up some impure thoughts, but, hey, that’s only a natural reaction, something I’ve been having since my first issue of Playboy and my first glimpse of Bridget Bardot in And God Created Women. But that’s another story.

Now, of course, this situation is almost strictly a “man’s” subject of concern, of course, since women can ogle topless men wherever and whenever they desire. Tell me about “equal rights, again). 

Unfortunately, the art of women going topless at beaches are on the decline, according to various polls . . . and for various reasons.  However, the fact is, ever since Brigitte Bardot took off her top on the French Riviera in the 1960s, the correlation between topless sunbathing and women's liberation has been entrenched in French culture as a sign of true equality. Many others followed suit and the breast and beach were reclaimed, and topless sunbathing reclaimed it place among top sightseeing attractions, along with Big Ben in London and the Empire State Building in New York. But, all good things come to an end, and topless sunbathing is now at an all-time low.  News that so few women are now going topless (just 2% of women under 35 said they did) seems extraordinary – and depressing. And you can blame that on so-called social media. Apparently, young attractive women in their 20s and 30s take off their tops less frequently because they are aware that they can end up bare-breasted on their own Facebook wall or, worse, someone’s YouTube video. Or much worse.

So, without question, the view along the seaside at beaches throughout the world, especially Crete, “ain’t what it used to be.” And no one can testify to that better than yours truly. When we moved here from New York City in 1985, every other young woman on the beach was topless. Apparently, there was a Greek law against it, but it was never enforced. Let me tell you, there was a time I burned up a small fortune in petrol riding up and down that 13- mile beachfront road near my house checking out just who was breaking the law – and some were breaking it more than others and should have gotten a “bigger” fine, if you follow my drift. Several times, I thought about making a “citizen’s arrest,” you know, going up to them and saying, “you’re busted!” But it never happened.

When my daughter, Cara, came for a visit in 2004, she almost caused several accidents – from the passenger seat, she would suddenly reach over and cover my eyes, telling me: “Daddy, don’t look!”

Well, for whatever reason, the Greek police started enforcing the law several years ago, and, well, I hardly ever drive along the beach road any longer – except to go to the beach, where I go swimming topless. 

COVID-19: CAN WE TAKE 2 MORE YEARS?

(Note: This blog posting is not meant to be a “news story,” as information concerning Covid-19 changes rapidly – practically by the hour. This posting is based on information at the time of its writing and is intended to point out the author’s concern.  Crete, where I live, was one of the safest places on the planet, while the virus was hitting many other areas. Now, as I’m writing this) I was just informed that Greece and Its islands experienced the largest increase in Covid-19 cases ever.)

As the dreaded Covid-19 virus continues its deadly attack in Europe, as well as other parts of the world, health officials are telling us we can expect two more years of wearing face masks and trying to keep people from entering our personal bubble.

 

But, as long as we have totally irresponsible people, those “two years” may be more deadly than ever, according to WHO officials, expressing dismay over the sharp increases in reported cases throughout the continent, including, of course, Greece, both on the mainland and its islands, including Crete. In August alone, Italy registered 845 new cases in just one day, its highest daily tally since last May, while France, continuing to ignore warnings by holding street parties, reported 4,700 fresh infections. Spain’s increases topped even those of France, and Germany is still trying to get complete numbers while examining its own resurgence.

 

These figures added urgency to the desperate bid to find a vaccine for the virus, which has infected more than 22 million and killed hundreds of thousands since it first emerged in China late last year. Russia announced on Thursday it was pushing forward with testing on more than 40,000 people of its candidate drug, known as Sputnik V, which has already been hailed by Russian officials as a success even as experts questioned the rigor of the testing regime.

In Greece, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection & Crisis Management, Nikos Hardalias recently announced stricter emergency measures. For example, now visitors coming from Malta are required to show proof of a Covid-19 negative molecular test (PCR) taken up to 72 hours prior to arriving in Greece.

Meanwhile, early this month Greece reported 151 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour reporting period, of which 12 are from incoming travellers. It was the third day in a row where the daily cases were over 150. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed, “We must reactivate our national vaccine, which is nothing more than our ‘philotimo’, and together we must follow the measures indicated by the experts and I am sure that if we do we will emerge victorious from this difficult battle as well.” And, as an attempt to encourage citizens to do the right thing, Mitsotakis has given local police increased power and has expanded its inspections.

A total of 2,042 violations have been confirmed in Greece since August 1, with an equal number of 150-euro fines. In the same time, 57 shops were shut by the police across the country, with 12 of these shut down on one day alone.

Some 138 inspections were carried out at Greek islands: Milos (34), Santorini (5), Naxos (8), Kea (10), Paros (16), Mikonos (21), Andros (11), Tinos (16) and Syros (8). Seven violations concerning the wearing of face masks were confirmed: 4 at Kea, 1 at Paros and 2 at Milos. A Briton was arrested for throwing a party at a villa and a bar manager was arrested there on noise pollution charges. Two bars were shut down at Paros (fined 3,000 euros each) and one at Naxos (fined 10,000 euros), both due to overcrowding. Meanwhile, Traffic Police carried out face mask checks on, where 15 violations were confirmed (14 by bus passengers and one by a taxi driver) and an equal number of fines of 150 euros were issued. A total of 13,736 inspections were carried out throughout the country in August, confirming 298 violations for non-use of face masks and non-observance of social distancing, with an equal number of 150-euro fines issued. 

In Crete, just two new infections were reported, which, according to officials, is due to both increased enforcement efforts and a greater effort by local shopkeepers and club owners to adhere to the regulations.  Many businesses, such as the Aquaworld Aquarium & Reptile Rescue Centre in Hersonissos, as well as the island’s many museums and archaeological sites, will not allow any visitors without a face mask, a rule which is strictly enforced.

In spite of all that has happened, Europe has suffered less harm than most other regions from the pandemic, which has hit the Americas harder than anywhere else. The United States continues to bear the brunt in health terms and is suffering grim economic fallout. The number of Americans filing claims for joblessness each week topped one million again in August. US officials said

On the plus side, several drugs are approaching the mass-testing phase, and countries around the world have been pre-ordering many millions of doses. The EU said it had concluded talks with a German pharmaceutical firm to secure 225 million doses of a potential vaccine -- he the fourth such agreement the bloc has reached.

However, while a vaccine still remains elusive, governments are left trying to control the spread through social-distancing measures, quarantines, travel bans and restrictions on businesses. AND FACE MASKS.

And only two years to go! Maybe.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT “THE VIRUS”

Since no one else is talking about this mysterious virus which is rapidly spreading across the world – and since there is nothing else to do while we hibernate in our home and office, we thought we’d write a few words to fill the gap. Sure, there are probably a few George Orwell or Michael Crichton wannabes pecking away at keyboards while we speak, but we would just like to make a point, or two, on something, in particular, that’s bothering the hell out of us. Of course, we’re referring to the “un-informed” or “miss-informed” (okay, let’s call a spade a spade – “fake news reporters”) with serious cases of writers’ diarrhea. For example, we’re fed up with these people telling us how bad conditions are in the United States, and why isn’t the American government (Trump) doing a better job in controlling the outbreak. Some substitute “America” for “China” because between these two countries there are over 150 million reported cases of the dreaded bug. Of course, these people, tapping made-up messages on their cell phones, don’t stop to think that the two biggies have a combined population of nearly two billion citizens.

(LATEST NEWS: Greece will start receiving 3 million doses of the potential Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca if it passes phase four of the clinical trial. These trials have reached phase three while phase four is expected to be completed in November.)

Well, our point is there is only one truly realistic way to measure the outbreak of the virus, and which countries have the most serious situations – and that’s on a per capita basis. How many cases per one million citizens certainly tells a more accurate story. And, in many cases, it’s these countries which are contributing the least in the world’s “fight” against the bug.

So, on this per capita basis, the most dangerous virus-stricken country is Switzerland! That’s right. That little land of lakes and cheese with holes, most famous for its armament of little red pocket knives, seems to be doing the least in controlling this horrid situation,

according to this recent chart prepared by leading researchers. As you can plainly see in the accompanying chart, the United States is 10th on the list and China is a distant 13th.

So, it stands to reason, the country that hasn’t fired a shot in anger since 1920, is in n-way neutral when it comes to spreading the virus. Countries like China, Great Britain, and the United States, with a combined total of well over 100,000 cases, are doing the most to combat this unseen enemy of the people, with all of its most prominent scientists working diligently on coming up with a vaccine.

Meanwhile, this so-called “second wave” of virus infections that the experts had predicted is looking more like a tsunami as many countries, including our precious Greece and its beautiful islands, including our own Crete, have reported the highest daily increase in infectious cases since the start of the pandemic and is on course to join the UK quarantine red list. Also, just a few other examples: Croatia has registered 151 new cases in the past 24 hours and it is thought numbers are rising because of eased rules on nightlife. And, officials in France are considering more restrictions as that country’s infection count has surged in recent weeks, which led to the UK re-imposing quarantine measures for Britons. France reported 3,310 new infections in a single day last Saturday, August 15, and the rate of positive tests has been growing and is now at 2.6%. And the beat goes on.

Those good old days. We remember when this medical disaster was in its early stages, Greece and Crete were considered the safest places on the planet, with the scale registering 0%. When other locations were reporting a continuous increase in virus cases, Crete, one of the first places to require social distancing and face masks remained at 0% for the longest time, Then, the tourist season began! Of course, those from virus-infected countries couldn’t wait to get out, and what safer place to visit than virus-free Crete. Along with their beach clothes, they packed up a bug or two. But the travelers are not solely to be blamed. Many locales have thrown caution to the wind totally disregarding “social distancing,” attending jam-packed street fairs and other holiday and religious celebrations even though the experts say the Coronavirus could travel five meters through the air. Among the new or re-issued, measures in Greece and the other islands is for restaurants and bars to close at midnight, causing the wrath of some saloon keepers.

“Everyone has come to eat their food, to entertain themselves, swim in the sea. At this moment, we are fooling them,” said one sea-front taverna owner from a nearby island. “We told them ‘come to Greece’ and Greece has shut down.”

Sure, businesses are suffering, and, in turn, the country is losing the sorely-needed tax dollar. But, more importantly, people are suffering even more – and dying. Is that the price we must pay for the greed of the shop keeper or business owner?0

As a long-time resident of Crete, we’re amazed at the attitude of these otherwise decent and friendly people. While Sofia and I, and our close friends Tony and Chris Bowes, and a handful of others, strictly adhere to any and all virus-related regulations, and will never enter a shop without a face mask, which supposed to be mandatory and carries with it a 150 Euro (about $190) fine if caught without one.

In a recent personal experience, I was making a purchase at one of my regular shops In Kokkini Hani, when a couple of “maskless” tourists came in, possible leaving an army of Coronaviruses in their path. I looked at the owner of the shop, who was standing protectively behind a thick glass wall, and said: “Why are you serving them without a mask.” Her reply was: "Hey, what can I do? We can’t force them to wear the mask. If the police come by they’ll get a big fine.” To which I replied: “You could refuse to serve them, that’s what you could do! . . . what do I care about their fine if I’m restricted to the virus ward at University Hospital!”

Ah, greedy people . . . that extra sale . . . the curse of the world, always and forever. But, in this case, we take it personally!

(Author’s Note: Covid-19 is rapidly changing. At the time of this writing, all of the above is based on personal experience and up-to-the-minute research).