Rediscovered: Leonard Cohen lyrics of fighting with ‘brothers’ in Yom Kippur War and What's My Line? - Raymond Burr; Buddy Hackett [panel] (Jun 3, 1962) and 90 year old gives advice and YouTube blocks anti-vaccine content and Vaccinated travelers from abroad, including Canadians with mixed doses, can enter the U.S. starting Nov. 8. and Top virologist says Delta defeated, predicts 6+ months of COVID quiet for Israel
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
Published Oct. 15, 2021 Updated Oct. 16, 2021, 11:04 a.m. ET
International travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus who have been barred from entering the United States during the pandemic will be able to enter the country on Nov. 8, according to a White House official, marking an end to restrictions that had walled off tourists and relatives seeking to visit their families.
The specific date for when the Biden administration would lift travel restrictions for those traveling by air or hoping to cross the land border was previously unclear. The administration last month said it would be implementing a new system in which fully vaccinated foreigners who show proof of a negative coronavirus test would be able to fly to the United States in early November.
Earlier this week, administration officials said people hoping to enter from Mexico or Canada who are fully vaccinated would be able to cross at the same time. But thousands around the world eager to organize their travel plans were still left wondering what specific date they would be able to enter.
About this data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers people fully inoculated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Those who have received vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization, such as the AstraZeneca vaccine, would also be considered fully vaccinated, according to the C.D.C.
The C.D.C. also updated its guidelines on vaccine mixing, which is particularly relevant to Canada. At least 3.88 million Canadians have received mixed vaccine doses, according to media reports — and that number does not account for mixed doses administered in Quebec. The agency now considers full vaccination possible with mixed doses, so long as they are approved either by the F.D.A. or the W.H.O.
The new travel system also comes with stringent requirements.
Unvaccinated foreigners will be broadly barred from entering the United States, although the White House official said there will be limited exemptions, including for young children.
Those who were never banned from traveling across the land borders, including commercial drivers and students, will also need to show proof of vaccination when crossing starting in January, giving them some time to adjust to the new rules, officials said. Those crossing land borders will not need to show a coronavirus test.
Foreigners hoping to fly to the United States will need to show proof of vaccination before boarding and a negative coronavirus test within three days of entering.
Unvaccinated Americans traveling from overseas will need to test negative for the coronavirus one day before returning home and show proof that they have bought a test to take after arriving in the United States.
The U.S. Travel Association, an industry group, applauded the moves.
"The date is critically important for planning — for airlines, for travel-supported businesses, and for millions of travelers worldwide who will now advance plans to visit the United States once again," Roger Dow, the group's president, said in a statement. "Reopening to international visitors will provide a jolt to the economy and accelerate the return of travel-related jobs that were lost due to travel restrictions."
A spokeswoman for Airlines for America, another industry group, noted that even before the announcement of the date, airlines had seen an uptick in ticket sales to the United States from abroad.
"The full reopening of international travel is also critical to reviving economies around the globe, reinvigorating communities and supporting millions of jobs in the U.S. and abroad," Katherine Estep, the spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Top virologist says Delta defeated, predicts 6+ months of COVID quiet for Israel
New variants will be held at bay for now, says Rivka Abulafia-Lapid, whose optimism comes as number of new serious COVID cases per day almost halves over two weeks
Israel has defeated the Delta variant of the coronavirus and can expect six to eight months of COVID quiet, according to a leading virologist.
Dr. Rivka Abulafia-Lapid told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the fourth wave is coming to an end, that Delta is highly unlikely to generate another wave, and that the strong spread of a new variant is improbable.
This is mostly due to the allocation of booster shots across age groups in Israel, which, given the functioning of the immune system, are likely to deliver longer-lasting protection than the initial two shots, she said.
"My estimate is that once we have three vaccines, protection will last for a year," said Abulafia-Lapid, a senior doctor at Hadassah Medical Center and part of the Hebrew University's faculty. "There should be good memory in the body for around a year that can fight off COVID infection in many cases."
She was slightly more conservative in predicting how long the boosters will protect the broader public — including those who have not had a booster shot — and said that she expects them to keep existing variants under control and prevent the wide spread of other variants for around six to eight months.
"We should expect new variants, but not now because populations are vaccinated well," she said.
Abulafia-Lapid, who is an immunologist as well as a virologist, based her predictions on the performance of vaccines for other diseases. She said: "With the initial shot you give the immune system a 'first teaching,' giving it the memory to fight a specific virus. With the second shot you 'remind,' and the third time the effect of the shot is even stronger."
She gave the example of the human papillomavirus vaccine, which is given in Israel at birth, at two months and at six months; the hepatitis B vaccine, which is given at birth, one month and six months; and the rotavirus vaccine, which is given at two months, four months and 18 months. In each of these cases the third shot confers long-lasting protection, she said.
The drop in coronavirus cases in recent weeks is now allowing hospitals to breathe easier, as they witness a sharp decrease in serious cases. The number of new serious COVID cases per day in Israel has almost halved over the last two weeks — from just over 60 two weeks ago to 32 on Sunday.
A medic processes a COVID test sample in Jerusalem on September 26, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Deaths have fallen from a seven-day average of 25 a month ago to 13 now, and the number of active cases, 25,127, is less than a third of what it was in mid-September.
Dr. Yael Paran, deputy head of epidemiology at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, shared Abulafia-Lapid's optimism that the fourth wave is over and Delta vanquished.
"I think we're seeing the end of the fourth surge, and it's the result of three million taking a booster," she said, adding: "This is a decrease that we believe will continue."
She said that the effect of the boosters has been gradual, and is now convincing. "We saw the progression each time that boosters were offered to a new age group," she said. "Two to three weeks later the number of infections dropped, and then the number of hospitalizations decreased."
Ending a wave of infection and defeating a specific variant aren't synonymous, and a specific variant can inflict two or more waves. But Paran thinks, like Abulafia-Lapid, the the fact Delta spread is slowing despite its highly contagious nature suggests that Israel has created an effective buffer against the variant.
the timing of the decrease is a relief, as flu season is close and there has been concern about a possible twindemic effect, if a COVID wave and a spate of flu cases hit together.
Abulafia-Lapid said that she expects the fight against COVID to become an ongoing part of life and regular boosters, every six or twelve months, to become part of routine. "It's going to be like flu and every year we're going to have shots against specific strains that we anticipate ahead of time," she said.
The Three Musketeers at the Kotel
YouTube blocks anti vaccine content
Prominent accounts associated with anti-vaccine activists Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Joseph Mercola also reportedly specifically targeted
YouTube on Wednesday announced that it would be blocking anti-vaccine content.
The Washington Post also cited YouTube's Vice President Of Global Trust and Safety Matt Halprin as saying that several prominent accounts would be blocked. These would include the Children's Health Defense, chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Dr. Joseph Mercola.
The company wrote in a blog post that content "that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed."
"This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them. Our policies not only cover specific routine immunizations like for measles or Hepatitis B, but also apply to general statements about vaccines."
YouTube asserted it had "consulted with local and international health organizations and experts in developing these policies. For example, our new guidance on vaccine side effects maps to public vaccine resources provided by health authorities and backed by medical consensus."
It added that there were "important exceptions to our new guidelines," noting, "we will continue to allow content about vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and historical vaccine successes or failures on YouTube. Personal testimonials relating to vaccines will also be allowed, so long as the video doesn't violate other Community Guidelines, or the channel doesn't show a pattern of promoting vaccine hesitancy."
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short – enjoy it.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7 Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.
16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger
19.. It's never too late to be happy. But it's all up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21 Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33 Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41 Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
What's My Line? - Raymond Burr; Buddy Hackett [panel] (Jun 3, 1962)
Rediscovered: Leonard Cohen lyrics of fighting with 'brothers' in Yom Kippur War
One verse of Cohen's song 'Lover, Lover, Lover,' written while he played for troops battling Egypt, deeply moved the soldiers who heard it, then mysteriously disappeared. Until now
Leonard Cohen performs for Israeli troops in the Sinai during the 1973 Yom Kippur War (Ron Ilan/ IDF archives)
When the Yom Kippur War broke out in the fall of 1973, legendary Canadian singer Leonard Cohen was moved to come to Israel to try and help the Jewish state, which was facing the most serious threat to its short existence.
Convinced by Israeli artists to join them and come down to the Sinai desert where the battle was raging against the invading Egyptian forces, Cohen went from base to base, playing concerts for the weary soldiers.
There, during a break between performances, he penned and performed what would become one of his most famous hits: 'Lover, Lover, Lover."
One particular verse in the song grabbed the attention of those who heard it, moved by the solidarity of the Jewish singer-poet: "I went down to the desert to help my brothers fight…," the verse began.
And yet when the song was released to the world, the lines had disappeared, leaving the soldiers to wonder what had become of that verse and, perhaps too, if something had changed regarding the manifest depth of Cohen's attachment to Israel.
Engraved in my heart
Now, nearly five decades later, Canadian-born Israeli writer Matti Friedman has rediscovered Cohen's original drafts while researching a book on Cohen's trip to Israel in a book newly published in Hebrew.
Israeli-Canadian author Matti Friedman (Screencapture/Channel 12)
"Who by Fire: War, Atonement, and the Resurrection of Leonard Cohen," comes out in English next March.
Cohen, who died in 2016 at the age of 82, was living on the Greek island of Hydra when the war broke out and had been suffering from an emotional and creative crisis at the time, even announcing he was quitting the music business, Friedman told Channel 12 in an interview.
The musician had played concerts in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1972, and now returned to Israel to show solidarity, but also to rediscover himself.
Israeli singer Oshik Levi said he met Cohen in Tel Aviv. Cohen had wanted to go and volunteer on a kibbutz, but Levi convinced him to join him, and other Israeli artists, in the Sinai entertaining troops.
It was then that Cohen wrote "Lover, Lover, Lover."
"We were doing six to eight concerts a day," said Levi. "He wrote it between two performances, he just took out a notepad and wrote the lyrics there and then."
At the end of the song was a line that he wrote about the soldiers we performed for," Levi said.
Another soldier, Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Shlomi Groner, recalls being deeply affected by the lines Cohen wrote.
Groner, who had briefly met Cohen before the war while working as an El Al security guard, recalled leading a force he had been commanding into a tank parking lot and suddenly seeing the singer.
"We came in desperate for fuel, ammunition, food, something to drink," he said. "Suddenly I heard the voice of God, Lennie himself," Groner told Channel 12, recounting how unassuming the singer was.
"Aah, it's you again," Cohen greeted him.
Leonard Cohen, center, performing with Israeli singer Matti Caspi, on guitar, for Ariel Sharon, with arms crossed, and other Israeli troops in the Sinai in 1973. (Courtesy of Maariv via JTA)
"Here was this guy from overseas, who came to us without a microphone, without airs and graces. He ate rations with us and slept in a sleeping bag," Groner said.
"And then I heard for the very first time 'Lover, lover lover come back to me.' He wrote those lines about us, he called us 'brothers,'" Groner recounted. "It was a wonderful verse, he repeated it a few times, made some small changes."
"Those words became engraved in my heart," Groner said.
Disappeared
But the bond Groner felt dissipated when he discovered those lines that had so touched him had been removed from the song.
"About a year after the war, I was driving along when I heard the chorus 'Lover, Lover, Lover,' and I turned up the volume and I heard the legendary song," he said. "I was overwhelmed, I pulled over and listened, waiting for that line, waiting for 'brothers.' And the song ended without it; the lines had disappeared."
