"Biden National Vaccine Passports" - Postcard

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Biden National Vaccine Passports: "Multiple government agencies are engaged in conversations and planning, coordinated by the White House, as this kind of system will play a role in multiple aspects of life, including potentially the workforce, another senior administration official told CNN." (CNN March 29, 2021)

New York Governor Cuomo Announces Launch of Excelsior Pass: Excelsior Pass will "confirm an individual's recent negative PCR or antigen test result or proof of vaccination" via their medical records. (March 26, 2021)


Covid-19 Vaccination Side Effects (so far):

Bell's palsy

anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions)

blood clots

lack of blood platelets, death (immune thrombocytopenia)

entire body rash, then skin peeled off


Here in the US, the pharmaceutical companies are exempt from covid-19 vaccination lawsuits. It falls under a US government program that apparently rarely sides with consumers. "Because the vaccine is for a once-in-a-century virus and hasn't been approved for routine use, anyone who seeks compensation for a serious side effect will be directed to a little-known federal program that rarely sides with consumers." (USA Today)


United States (US) 1918 pandemic and covid-19 pandemic numbers comparison:

United States (US) 1918 pandemic numbers:

101,115,487 * 0.25 = 25,278,872 caught it (25 percent)
675,000 / 101,115,487 = 0.00667... died from it (0.667 percent)

United States (US) covid-19 pandemic numbers (as of Mar 31 2021):

30,213,759 / 328,239,523 = 0.092... (9.2 percent have caught it)
548,162 / 328,239,523 = 0.00167... (0.167 percent have died from it)

citation reference sources:

United States 1918 pandemic information:

25% of US caught it (total cases)
675,000 died (total deaths)

source:

https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/flu-pandemic-1918

US 1910 Census Data

1910 population: 101,115,487

source:

http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/36894832v1.zip

36894832v1ch02.pdf, page 22, 1910 population: 101,115,487


United States (US) covid-19 pandemic information (as of Mar 31 2021):

total cases: 30,213,759
total deaths: 548,162

source:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html

US 2019 Census Data

Population estimates, July 1, 2019, (V2019) 328,239,523

source:

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219


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My piece is a "cartoon" in the same vein as Charlie Hebdo cartoons. (Their "cartoon" offended me, but apparently some thought it was "funny" so, I too, can make cartoons that others might find offensive.) My piece is also free speech that is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Swan" - Photograph

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I took that photograph at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

"Lavender Pine Lady Poem" - Postcard

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This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "Lavender."

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"King Poseidon" - Postcard

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I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Medieval Celestial Alchemy" - Postcard

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I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Red Foxes" - Postcard

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This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "Foxes."

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Featured in the weekly sampler.

"Astronomy Astrolabe" - Postcard

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Happy Pi Day everyone! I took some poetic license with this, because it is more of an astronomy theme than a math theme, but everyone knows you can't have a circle without pi ( π ), so...

This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "only things using the first letter of your name => Anne => A".

astronomy - "the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

astrolabe - "a compact instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Animal Alphabet" - Postcard

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This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "only things using the first letter of your name => Anne => A".

A rhinoceros is an animal. The map shows part of Africa. The purple color on the alphabet is 0x915C83 Antique fuchsia.

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Angel Of Death" - Postcard

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This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "only things using the first letter of your name => Anne => A".

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

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Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ~ Ash Wednesday

'Cause you're a sky full of stars
I want to die in your arms
'Cause you get lighter
the more it gets dark
And I don't care
Go on and tear me apart

A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay

Sunlit Waterfall Aspetuck Chasm - Photograph

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I took those photographs on Poverty Hollow Road in Redding, CT this past week.

Waterfall Aspetuck Chasm - Photograph

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I took those photographs on Poverty Hollow Road in Redding, CT this past week.

Reservoir Swans, Canada Goose, Ducks - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir (where the reservoir aerator is) in Easton, CT this past week.

In some places, the water is still fully frozen over, but here, the ice has started to melt.

Morning Fog - Photograph

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I took those photographs of fog in my yard this past week.

"Kool Aid Sheep" - Postcard

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Divide and conquer works every time. The 1% keep getting richer while everyone else gets poorer.

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My piece is a "cartoon" in the same vein as Charlie Hebdo cartoons. (Their "cartoon" offended me, but apparently some thought it was "funny" so, I too, can make cartoons that others might find offensive.) My piece is also free speech that is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

American Robin - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir (where the reservoir aerator is) in Easton, CT this past week.

Seeing a robin is the harbinger of Spring, so I was happy to see a group of about six robins hopping around, in search of worms here.

Swans - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir (where the reservoir aerator is) in Easton, CT this past week.

In some places, the water is still fully frozen over, but here, the ice has started to melt.

Female Mergansers - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir (where the reservoir aerator is) in Easton, CT this past week.

In some places, the water is still fully frozen over, but here, the ice has started to melt.

I'm not sure if those females were the Common Merganser or the Red-breasted Merganser.

Possible Ring-necked Ducks - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir (where the reservoir aerator is) in Easton, CT this past week.

In some places, the water is still fully frozen over, but here, the ice has started to melt.

Birds At Reservoir, And Litter - Photograph

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I took those photographs at the reservoir in Easton, CT this past week.

I don't know when common decency and respect for other people's property ceased to matter to people on this planet, but discarding trash within feet of our public drinking water supply is high on the list of examples of how despicable humankind has become. There were two empty glass bottles of Heineken beer, a broken one, and the original carton they came in, littered here. To whoever did this: you are a cancer on this planet.

"Sun God" - Postcard

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By the end of February, the noticeably longer amounts of daylight (versus darkness) was a welcome sight. Each year, as the end of Winter approaches, the sun grows in prominence. This year, it occurred to me to wonder why Zeus, and not Apollo, was the most important God. Surely without the Sun, there would be no life, so the Sun God should be the pinnacle of all of the Gods, in mythology.

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Snail Mail Sun" - Postcard

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A few weeks ago, the Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "Snail Mail." I made two very similar pieces for it, but I preferred the red one that I made. I didn't post this one at the time, because I was unsure if I even liked it. Seeing it on its own, without being next to the red one, I decided that I do like it, so I'm posting it now.

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Time Machine" - Postcard

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This week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme was "Time Machine."

I spent a lot of time struggling with this theme, trying to make the actual machine, so I finally had to enforce my time limit rule and declare, "Pencils down!"

On an unrelated topic, next Sunday is Pi Day (3.14 => 3/14).

I created this using GIMP 2.10.22.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Decoupage Bird Napkin Wood Cigar Box - Photograph

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I made a decoupage bird box, using a wood cigar box.

I created this using a 3-ply paper napkin, which I separated to use only the ply with the image on it.

First, I tried to remove all of the cigar labels and underlying label glue that were on the box.

Then I painted the box with one coat of Apple Barrel Antique White matte acrylic paint (20505E) and let it dry. (Notes: (1) I left the box hardware on, and painted over it, but scraped it off somewhat, after the paint was dry. (2) Where the cigar labels had been, the paint didn't adhere as well as it did on the rest of the box. But I decided it added to the grunge / old / vintage effect look that I wanted, so I didn't do a second coat of paint.)

Next I used Liquitex Matte Gel as my decoupage medium, and put the napkin onto the box top, lid front and back edges, and lid box hardware. I used plastic wrap to press down on the napkin, and also used a brayer across the top of the plastic wrap that was on top of the napkin. (See: How To Decoupage with Paper Napkins (plastic wrap tip). )

When that was dry, I repeated the same step for the box sides, using leaf sections from the napkin.

When that was dry, I repeated the same step for the box front, using leaf sections from the napkin.

Note: For the sides and front, I cut out leaf sections from the napkin, experimented with how the layout of them should look first, before doing the actual decoupage step. Unlike the top, where the napkin fully covered the entire lid, the sides and front were only partially covered with napkin pieces. I applied the decoupage medium to the entire surface, carefully placed the napkin pieces onto it, then used the plastic wrap to press them down. The plastic wrap might have left "crackle" lines in the areas that were decoupage medium only, but I liked that effect.

Once that was dry, I applied one coat of Liquitex Gloss Gel as a sealer, because the napkin ink doesn't run when I use that. (Note: in the past, when I used Delta Ceramcoat Gloss Interior Varnish as the first coat of sealer, the ink in the napkin ran.) But due to the nature of the Liquitex product, the coat dries with brush strokes that could be felt, which I don't find desirable.

I did the second coat of sealer using Delta Ceramcoat Gloss Interior Varnish, which is more runny and less viscous than the Liquitex Gel, to get a smoother final finish.

Birds On Jetty - Photograph

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I took that photograph at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Canada Geese And White Wrought Iron Bench Upside Down In Water - Photograph

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I took those photographs at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

The Canada Geese didn't seem to pay much attention to this unexpected casualty of Winter. That iron bench can be seen here, when it was on the lawn.

Shorebird Possible Killdeer - Photograph

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I took those photographs at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Swan Couple - Photograph

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I took that photograph at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Birds Brant - Photograph

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I took that photograph at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Brown Bird On Ground - Photograph

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I took that photograph at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

Helicopter - Photograph

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I took those photographs at Southport Beach in Fairfield, CT this past week.

This helicopter first caught my attention when I heard it. When I looked at it, it looked a little unusual. It was very dark, like a charcoal grey or black. I think the wheels were retracted into the body, like an airplane, but I could be wrong. It had two four-bladed rotors (one large main one, and a smaller vertical mounted one on the tail). It also had two objects, one on each side, as well as a few other smaller objects, mounted on it. Any helicopter type identifications are welcome.