Tag Archives: CoronavirusLockdown

Books, Entertainment

Summer Books to Mark a Most Unusual Adventure and Unexpected Circumstance

A Summer to remember for unanticipated reasons

Summer 2020 will be one that many will have never ever experienced in their lifetime. You can even say, it will be “one for the books” (pun intended). With many stay at home orders set to extend into the summer months, picking up a new book and reading is one of the many things we can do to pass the time and can be both entertaining and ensure you are staying safe.  Below is a list compiled of high reviewed and new releases that are currently available or soon to be available to enjoy.

If you want to see more details or purchase the titles have clickable links: Stay safe and happy reading. 

All Adults Here by Emma Straub 

Click to buy “All Adults Here” and at the same time
help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

Astrid’s youngest son is drifting and unfocused, making parenting mistakes of his own. Her daughter is pregnant yet struggling to give up her own adolescence. And her eldest seems to measure his adult life according to standards no one else shares.

But who gets to decide, so many years later, which long-ago lapses were the ones that mattered?

Who decides which apologies really count? It might be that only Astrid’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter and her new friend really understand the courage it takes to tell the truth to the people you love the most.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time–she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media–so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer,

Daphne is rightfully speechless. Drue was always the one who had everything–except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song: Click to see “Big Summer”.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle 

Click to buy “Untamed” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live.

It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is. Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley 

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body…On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed: Click to see “The Guest List”.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Click to buy “The Vanishing Half” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities.

Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

The novella is a form King has returned to over and over again in the course of his amazing career, and many have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption). Like Four Past Midnight, Different Seasons, and most recently Full Dark, No Stars, If It Bleeds is a uniquely satisfying collection of longer short fiction by an incomparably gifted writer: Click to see “If It Bleeds”.

Read More: Books to Luxuriate in While Practicing Preventative Isolation from covid-19

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Click to buy “The Dutch House” and at the same time
help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together.

Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation–awkward but electrifying–something life changing begins. Also a Hulu original series available to stream now: Click to see “Normal People”.

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe

Click to buy “The Hilarious World of Depression” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

Inspired by the immediate success of the podcast, Moe has written a remarkable investigation of the disease, part memoir of his own journey, part treasure trove of laugh-out-loud stories and insights drawn from years of interviews with some of the most brilliant minds facing similar challenges.

Throughout the course of this powerful narrative, depression’s universal themes come to light, among them, struggles with identity, lack of understanding of the symptoms, the challenges of work-life, self-medicating, the fallout of the disease in the lives of our loved ones, the tragedy of suicide, and the hereditary aspects of the disease.

Read More: 4 Best Diets: Dash, Mediterranean, Fast and more for Safe and Effective Weight Loss

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way: Click to see “The Only Good Indians”.

Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino 

Click to buy “Parakeet” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

A novel that does justice to the hectic confusion of becoming a woman today, Parakeet asks and begins to answer the essential questions. How do our memories make, cage, and free us? How do we honor our experiences and still become our strongest, truest selves?

Who are we responsible for, what do we owe them, and how do we allow them to change? Urgent, strange, warm-hearted, and sly, Parakeet is ribboned with joy, fear, and an inextricable thread of real love. It is a startling, unforgettable, life-embracing exploration of self and connection.

Love by Roddy Doyle

Davy and Joe were drinking pals back in their Dublin youth. Davy rarely sees Joe for a pint anymore–maybe one or two when Davy comes over from England to check on his elderly father. But tonight Davy’s father is dying in the hospice, and Joe has a secret that will lead the two on a bender back to the haunts of their youth: Click to see “Love”.

A Burning by Megha Majumdar

Click to buy “A Burning” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party, and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan’s fall.

Lovely-an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor–has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear. Taut, symphonic, propulsive, and riveting from its opening lines, A Burning has the force of an epic while being so masterfully compressed it can be read in a single sitting.

Majumdar writes with dazzling assurance at a breakneck pace on complex themes that read here as the components of a thriller: class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning toward extremism. An extraordinary debut.

Find more books of fiction, Esoteric Spirituality, Health and Dieting and on many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac or subscribe to our newsletter.

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.

Books, Coronavirus, Entertainment

“Wuhan Diary” reveals inside accounts of Coronavirus Lockdown During the Peak

Groundbreaking and unvarnished look at what really transpired

A new book set for release on May 15th, 2020 comes from one of China’s most acclaimed and decorated writers and is a powerful first-person account of life in Wuhan during the peak of COVID-19 outbreak.

It is unclear if and when a physical book will be available for purchase, but for the moment, it is most It is unclear if and when a physical book will be available for purchase, but for the moment, it is becoming available in audiobook and e-book format

Synopsis from the publisher, HarperCollins :

On January 25, 2020, after the central government imposed a lockdown in Wuhan, acclaimed Chinese writer Fang Fang began publishing an online diary. The writer used a pen name rather than her birth name as she wanted to be a “witness” rather than be cast as a critic for or against the Chinese government and how the pandemic was handled.

In the days and weeks that followed, Fang Fang’s nightly postings gave voice to the fears, frustrations, anger, and hope of millions of her fellow citizens, reflecting on the psychological impact of forced isolation, the role of the internet as both community lifeline and source of misinformation, and most tragically, the lives of neighbors and friends taken by the deadly virus. 

A fascinating eyewitness account of events as they unfold, “Wuhan Diary” captures the challenges of daily life and the changing moods and emotions of being quarantined without reliable information. Fang Fang finds solace in small domestic comforts and is inspired by the courage of friends, health professionals and volunteers, as well as the resilience and perseverance of Wuhan’s nine million residents. But, by claiming the writer´s duty to record she also speaks out against social injustice, abuse of power, and other problems which impeded the response to the epidemic and gets herself embroiled in online controversies because of it.

As Fang Fang documents the beginning of the global health crisis in real time, we are able to identify patterns and mistakes that many of the countries dealing with the novel coronavirus have later repeated. She reminds us that, in the face of the new virus, the plight of the citizens of Wuhan is also that of citizens everywhere. As Fang Fang writes: “The virus is the common enemy of humankind; that is a lesson for all humanity. The only way we can conquer this virus and free ourselves from its grip is for all members of humankind to work together.” 

Blending the intimate and the epic, the profound and the quotidian, Wuhan Diary is a remarkable record of an extraordinary time.

Click to buy “Wuhan Diary” and at the same
time help Lynxotic and all Independent Local Bookstores

Find books on Pandemics, Sustainable Energy, Esoteric Spirituality and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac or subscribe to our newsletter.

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.

Business, Coronavirus

A Bully with a “Nice” Promise is Still just a Bully: Big tech Behemoth Plays Coronavirus Card

Not long ago it was a pledge of billions for the climate crisis, now $4 billion for “safety”. Where are the audited accounts?

Above: Photo Collage / Lynxotic

Funny thing about promises made by politicians and owners of public companies. Although truth will eventually come out due to public access to accounting, these are often so far in the future that virtually anything can be promised today with no need for a specific plan or transparent numbers to back them up.

On May 3rd, in a dramatic “you may want to sit down” moment Jeff Bezos announced that the company he runs, and is the principal shareholder of, would take all of the $4 billion in expected 2nd quarter operating profit and “invest” it in “COVID-related” costs:

“Under normal circumstances, in this coming Q2, we’d expect to make some $4 billion or more in operating profit. But these aren’t normal circumstances. Instead, we expect to spend the entirety of that $4 billion, and perhaps a bit more, on COVID-related expenses getting products to customers and keeping employees safe.”

Now those who follow Amazon news might remember that in February the online retail giant’s owner pledged $10 billion as a “donation” toward battling climate change, under the moniker “Bezos Earth Fund”.

Read more: “Deadliest Enemy” for Deep Background on Pandemics and the Danger of a Second Wave

Even as these ego boosting promises are helping with the image of this company, often otherwise described as “the grim reaper” in the press for its murderous behavior toward any potential competition, a cursory look beneath the surface quickly yields another story. The announcement on Friday suspiciously coincided with fallout from a WSJ article alleging that false information was given in testimony relating to Amazon’s well known extreme competitive behavior against its own so-called marketplace sellers. On the same day as the “generous” promise came to light the WSJ published a follow up piece indicating that Bezos has been “asked” to testify before Congress and to clarify what appears to be an attempted cover-up of the well known practice.

A long history of incredibly consistent behavior points to something lurking beneath the headlines

While we are digging into the weeds here it’s important to note that both the promised, not yet existent, $4 billion and the “pledge” to set up the “Bezos Earth Fund” are not binding in any way, but simply vague promises. It will be months and likely years before any solid information could come out as to just what the various monies will be spent on, if at all.

For example, Amazon has made it well known that it intends to take its “Grim Reaper” show to the health care industry in an attempt to cause the same kind of carnage that it achieved in the book retail and publishing industries, not to mention Diapers and countless other product categories. Who’s to stop this push into a new area to conquer from being funded by this “generous promise” of $4 billion even while stating that all of Q2 profit will be used for “protecting employees as this crisis continues”. Who will prevent that from happening? Yes, you have it right, no one.

Read more: ’Blowout’ by Rachel Maddow: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth

Meanwhile, even as these lovely pledges and promises get the digital ink equivalent of a small ocean, the usual slash, burn and pillage continues in plain sight. Many of those same digital outlets crowing about the generosity of the great emperor of Amazon’s promise, just had their business models turned to something more suited to a cremation urn than the daily news shelf. Amazon Affiliate payments to media outlets, a mainstay keeping many news organizations afloat (barely) were suddenly slashed up to 80% this week. So, in other words, a huge constituency that created the success of the giant firm is once again being rewarded by almost certain financial collapse. Big surprise.

There are two that “win”: one is Amazon, second a bribed customer and all others are lured into a death trap

This warrants a deeper look into the process and train of thought that can be deduced from the recent facts, actions and events. Amazon’s income has exploded since the coronavirus crisis began; hence the anticipated $4 billion operating profit projection.

See DJI video promo

Warehouse workers ? A million allegedly working in almost sweatshop (or worse) conditions for slave wages. Do they benefit financially from this obscene windfall? Yes, they get, possibly, free masks. Perhaps a tiny pay raise for certain “teams”.

How about the marketplace sellers (you know the ones that Congress and the WSJ appear to believe have been systematically defrauded and cheated for decades) that generate nearly 60% of the gross income of the retail site? They will be rewarded with increased scrutiny, higher fees, higher costs and the usual brutal death camp treatment. Lower fees for the best among them? Never.

Ultimately, this charade is business as usual and par for the course from a company that did not get the nickname “Grim Reaper” for nothing. $14 billion for altruistic causes that represent selfless generosity towards others? That’s as likely as a Camel jumping through the eye of a needle.

full statement released by Amazon / Bezos:

From online shopping to AWS to Prime Video and Fire TV, the current crisis is demonstrating the adaptability and durability of Amazon’s business as never before, but it’s also the hardest time we’ve ever faced,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “We are inspired by all the essential workers we see doing their jobs—nurses and doctors, grocery store cashiers, police officers, and our own extraordinary frontline employees. The service we provide has never been more critical, and the people doing the frontline work—our employees and all the contractors throughout our supply chain—are counting on us to keep them safe as they do that work. We’re not going to let them down. Providing for customers and protecting employees as this crisis continues for more months is going to take skill, humility, invention, and money.

If you’re a shareowner in Amazon, you may want to take a seat, because we’re not thinking small. Under normal circumstances, in this coming Q2, we’d expect to make some $4 billion or more in operating profit. But these aren’t normal circumstances. Instead, we expect to spend the entirety of that $4 billion, and perhaps a bit more, on COVID-related expenses getting products to customers and keeping employees safe.

Read more: Dark Towers tells Deutsche Bank Story of Trump, post Bankruptcy yet Swimming in Loans

This includes investments in personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning of our facilities, less efficient process paths that better allow for effective social distancing, higher wages for hourly teams, and hundreds of millions to develop our own COVID-19 testing capabilities. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, and the best investment we can make is in the safety and well-being of our hundreds of thousands of employees. I’m confident that our long-term oriented shareowners will understand and embrace our approach, and that in fact they would expect no less.

Find books on Business, Sustainable Energy, Screenwriting and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac or subscribe to our newsletter.

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.

Breaking News

Novel Coronavirus Cases Exceed 1 Million Worldwide: US Leads

USA now at 237 Thousand Confirmed Cases and Rising

The death toll has passed 50,000 worldwide with Europe close behind the US in confirmed cases. While the increases could be partially due to accelerating testing, there is a clear pattern and the danger is unquestionable. More than 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week in the US.

The Democratic National Convention was postponed until mid-August due to concerns that the current situation will still be an issue in July, when the Milwaukee, Wisconsin located event was originally scheduled to take place.

There was an announcement that in China, the Henan province, with 600,000 residents was placed on lock-down, indicating that the temporary “victory” in the people’s republic was prematurely declared.

The lock-down was declared in Jia county, after a local hospital had reported a number of cases. According to the government, all but a few business have been closed temporally, for an indeterminate length of time.

Authorities are implementing curfew like measure due to fears that a second wave of cases may be in the early stages.

Economic issues and business paralysis is also a continued issue worldwide, including in China, Europe and the US. The overall view is still that containment must be first and at the same time balanced with economic recovery methods, stimulus and, eventually, a resumption of business activities.

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac

Find books on Coronavirus, Climate Change, Sustainable Energy and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.

Entertainment, Movies, Tech

Lions in Russia: Joke or Twitter Hoax is not the Worst idea, some say

Video
https://movietrailers.apple.com/movies/disney/the-lion-king-2018/the-lion-king-trailer-2_h1080p.mov
Original Teaser Trailer for “The Lion KIng”

Both Reuters and Newsweek have debunked the viral story that has been spreading around twitter and instagram about 800 lions (and 600 tigers) that were supposedly unleashed on the residential streets of Russia to help encourage people to stay in their houses and practice “social distancing”.

Reuters attributes the post as having originated at “Break Your Own News”, a web site known for generating fake news.

Apparently, the lion in the photo, a staged photo taken in South Africa in 2016, is named Columbus, and was “cast” in the role after having been on loan from a nearby lion park.

It’s odd that when things are the most serious funny things seem to stand out even more. As gallows humor or just a stray internet meme, various truths sometimes converge in an untruth that is nevertheless less apt for the current moment.

In this case there are various hooks that encourage virality. First the photo is fantastic and would be more than just hilarious if it were real. Secondly, who doesn’t believe that Putin would do this? He’s known to have done far worse, and his macho outdoorsman persona fits perfectly.

Then there is the current wave of stories about people, in particular young people, either dying or just looking really stupid after ignoring government orders to shelter in place and maintain social distance. The meme conjures fantasies of such rule breakers being mauled by lions and tigers for their stupidity, only in Russia, of course.

Taking it to a whole other level, the tweet below imagines Donald Trump (from a parody account, of course) congratulating his good friend on the brilliant and “bold steps”, bringing to mind his “bold” comments that he would “open the country” by Easter (April 19th), irregardless of the containment or continued spread of covid-19 a.k.a. the novel coronavirus.

We can just imagine that the amusement of this story could only be further enhanced by reading this highly recommended literary masterpiece: The Lion in Russia” which happens to be book 2 from the “Pussycat Death Squad Series” of kindle books. Happy self-isolating everyone. Feel free to comment and share!

You can buy this tile on Amazon or other, even more stimulating books, and at the same time help support Lynxotic and all independent bookstores.

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac

Find books on Lions, Coronavirus, Climate Change, Sustainable Energy and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.