Like everyone, I have been deluged with a tsunami of information about COVID-19. Each day the news delivers an endless Möbius strip of virus news, one day pretty much like the prior day but with slight differences. The cable opinion and media OpEd pieces hurling blame diatribes are the differences, and their onslaughts continue as if this were the normal response to a public health and economic catastrophe, teaching us at least two things: (1) there is no politician alive who will not seek a political advantage from a crisis, no matter how catastrophic (interesting opinion piece on that score here thanks to WDM) and (2) sadly, COVID-19 confirms what has been said for a few years now -- we have devolved into an unserious nation. We have a strong bipartisan preference for fixing responsibility and blame rather than fixing problems. Nero fiddled while Rome burned. In this country, our officials (and media siloed supporters) prefer simply to squabble while the systems begin to collapse. So, here we all are, more or less under house arrest. As a result, I have been thinking about how to pass the time and how I can make a modest positive and practical contribution to readers.. First, and most local, The Talbot Spy has been doing a splendid job of providing very useful or interesting information about what is going on here on the Eastern Shore. Have a look here. https://talbotspy.org/. They do a nice job with a good local focus. Second, less locally, the New York Times did a good piece a few days ago on the general topic of what to do while cooped up at home. Finally, I offer up my own curated selection of movies, binge-worthy series, and books all of which I heartily suggest are worthy of your attention. By the highly subjective standards of our household they are all either five-star or four-star. I start with movies, since these tend to be two hours or less and do not necessarily demand long-term attention or commitment. Here goes; fasten seat belts. ... Read More