The First Electrocution

But the blood was continuing to ooze from Kemmler’s small finger wound. His heart still had to be beating. The physicians around the limp figure recoiled as one yelled in horror, “Great God! He is alive!” Another ordered, “Turn on the current.” “See, he breathes,” gasped a third. When Dr. Southwick and the others whirled around at these cries, they saw that Kemmler’s body was still limp, but his chest was heaving up and down. He seemed to be struggling for breath, and foam was seeping horribly from his masked mouth hole. “For God’s sake, kill him and have it over!” screamed one witness. The Associated Press reporter fainted on the wood floor, and several men carried him to a bench, where they fanned him. Durston had turned chalk white. He fumbled and reattached the scalp electrode. As the current flowed anew and Kemmler again went horribly rigid, “an awful odor began to permeate the death chamber.” Kemmler’s hair and skin were being visibly singed. A blue flame played briefly behind his neck. His clothes caught fire, but one of the doctors quickly extinguished them. “The stench,” reported the Times, “was unbearable.” After several minutes, the current was turned off, and as purple spots mottled Kemmler’s hands, arms, and neck, the doctors again declared him dead. The room reeked of burned meat and feces. The nauseated witnesses signed the death warrant for Warden Durston and then trailed out into the stone corridors, silent, shaken, several sick, the Erie County sheriff so distraught that tears trickled down his face. Three hours later, when the doctors had sufficiently recovered to perform an autopsy, they found that rigor mortis had stiffened Kemmler into a permanent sitting position. Examination of the body showed scorch marks wherever the electrodes and buckles touched the body. Kemmler had been “roasted” as well as a piece of overdone meat. Once the autopsy was complete and numerous organs removed, Kemmler’s baked corpse was taken and buried at night in the prison courtyard with great quantities of quicklime to dissolve all ultimate traces.

From Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World

End of Story Translation

End of story = Capítulo cerrado.

Spanish, obviously.

New Orleans

A beignet is just a small ojaldra. Discuss.

On an Island

I’m on an island. The only land border was closed on March 6. The airport closed then as well. Basically, we’ve been shut-off from the outside world. If there is any place where the virus should have been easy to get under control, it’s here. Yet the number of active cases hovers around 3000 or so. The airport re-opened eventually with limited flights, but entry to foreigners was restricted, passengers could transit onwards only. Arrivals have not been the steady source of new infections.

It should be easy to get the Sickness under control here. In China they had a rigorously enforced lockdown for six weeks or so and since May everything has returned to normal. At least on this island we could be past this—but people don’t and won’t behave. 

Politicizing everything doesn’t help either.

The virus is wildly inconsistent in its effects on people For most people, they don’t even know that they have it. I have a friend in New York–mild headaches, loss of taste and smell. Went to the doctor, told him don’t worry. A few days later, headaches gone, senses returning. If it were me, I would have figured, OK, I have headaches today, part of life. Sense of taste/smell, must have been something I ate. Nothing here to go to the doctor about. 

Three years ago I had the “regular” flu, despite getting a shot. I was sick for a week, and I mean, “maybe I should make a will sick.” Fever, fatigue, even unexplained bleeding from the mouth. After a week started to come out of it, though I missed the big boss’ annual party and I think this contributed to my losing a job. 

There is no question that the virus kills mostly only those over 80. But even there it is inconsistent. My aunt lives in Clifton, Illinois, in a home in the middle of a cornfield, one hour from the nearest town. She came down with the Sickness and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. A few days later she was released. She is 95 years old. 

On the other hand, there are many reports of younger people not making it. No one knows why. I think we should have gone the Sweden route, used common sense and not locked down. We still have not. It is not easy to leave this island because so many countries have stopped issuing visitor visas. Lockdowns are a fact. I’m not happy with that, but they exist. I only hope this will be all over soon. But everyone says, “two months.”

On another island, at Mallory Square in Key West people gather to watch the sun go down. It’s a party atmosphere that has been a Key West tradition for longer than anyone can remember. There are mimes and street performers including a lion tamer TBA who puts house cats, rather than big cats, through their paces. There is a popcorn vendor who sells freshly popped popcorn. There is a sign on his stand which says, “Free Popcorn Tomorrow.” Except that the sign never changes.

Our sign could read, “Two More Months.” Except that like the popcorn sign, the Covid-19 sign never changes.

Steve Bannon Arrest

The arrest was made by US Postal Inspectors, one of the most professional of all federal law enforcement agencies. If you look, you will see that while the FBI has had rogue agents, rogue directors and has gone rogue itself (see, COINTELPRO) the Postal Inspection Service has not suffered such political blows.

Bannon is charged with mail fraud; one of the easiest federal crimes to prove. In practice,

• tell a lie
• lick a stamp

Are the two elements of the crime. Bannon has a lot to worry about.

Death in Laos

The Laotian hazmat squad shows up to take away the coffin carrying the infected body.

Average Age of Covid-19 Deaths

Average age of Covid-19 death is 82 years.

tessst

kielbasa rump short ribs buffalo. Ribeye t-bone chuck chicken burgdoggen tail prosciutto pastrami turducken pork belly pancetta alcatra. Jowl prosciutto pancetta, venison meatball pork belly capicola frankfurter. Shank bacon short loin chicken picanha chislic, filet mignon biltong tri-tip shankle kielbasa leberkas.

Boudin drumstick tongue pork, pig shoulder chicken. Pig buffalo jerky, picanha bacon salami brisket ham hock turkey sausage pancetta hamburger short ribs drumstick. Pastrami picanha meatloaf drumstick pork belly biltong jerky pork loin shoulder ball tip ham hock t-bone. Fatback capicola cow leberkas flank spare ribs corned beef tenderloin biltong meatball chuck meatloaf sausage. Tenderloin strip steak kevin turducken rump, cow boudin shank kielbasa chicken salami. Andouille strip steak chislic turkey bresaola picanha shank porchetta cupim.

Pork kielbasa ball tip ribeye buffalo t-bone. Kielbasa tri-tip meatball jerky tongue. Swine filet mignon ribeye jowl turkey pancetta strip steak. Doner burgdoggen capicola salami tongue tail ribeye pork belly t-bone prosciutto fatback pork bacon. Tri-tip filet mignon ribeye flank venison ground round prosciutto doner frankfurter pork pig rump pork belly.

Pressure on Saudi Arabia?

The WSJ claims that the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia puts pressure on Saudi Arabia to do the same. The WSJ clearly does not understand Saudi Arabia.

#ksa #saudiarabia #uae2020 #israel

Test of Logging Version Marsedit

Bacon ipsum dolor amet filet mignon boudin swine porchetta rump turkey, t-bone beef ribs. Pork loin pancetta andouille brisket turkey ham. Salami meatloaf shoulder cow sirloin turducken picanha tongue boudin tail pork loin cupim frankfurter. Tenderloin salami drumstick ham hock leberkas doner, boudin pastrami ribeye alcatra chuck pancetta pig cupim. Tongue alcatra salami tri-tip corned beef turkey pig buffalo prosciutto ribeye.

Boudin brisket salami, biltong turducken pancetta porchetta buffalo tongue flank. Cow pastrami porchetta biltong, picanha short loin short ribs cupim bresaola landjaeger. Pork meatloaf tongue burgdoggen turducken tenderloin. Capicola jerky t-bone corned beef, swine chislic shank. Turducken pastrami meatloaf fatback filet mignon picanha pork andouille. Ground round chislic fatback hamburger shankle tail boudin jowl. Turducken t-bone andouille ham hock, chuck hamburger shankle capicola beef frankfurter pancetta flank beef ribs sausage picanha.

Picanha venison porchetta, meatloaf pork chop landjaeger beef ribs. Pork belly short ribs ham hamburger frankfurter, sausage pork loin rump leberkas filet mignon ground round. Ribeye meatloaf burgdoggen spare ribs sausage. Landjaeger drumstick tri-tip meatball picanha, chuck meatloaf jerky. Jerky porchetta salami tri-tip pancetta beef.