Like in much of the nation, there have been anti-police violence protests in Hartford.  Here, they have been peaceful.  Yesterday, local police halted traffic to enable the marchers to pass safely through the streets. 

When the protesters blocked both lanes of the Interstate highway that runs east west through the city, they were joined by state police officers, who allowed them to demonstrate without interference.  Some officers joined hands with their fellow citizens. One officer took a knee in solidarity.

There were no arrests.  No one was hurt.

Police protests block I-84 in Hartford; Westfarms closes out of ‘abundance of caution’; Trump tells governors to crack down with arrests

In Bristol a smaller city to the west, a crowd of 200 condemned racism and police brutality, but made a point of thanking the local police who stood with them in solidarity.

At Bristol rally, Black Lives Matter protesters condemn police brutality – but thank Bristol police

We are a better nation united than we are divided. 

I am proud of my city and state.

Change is going to come from this.

I have heard many people say “I can’t breathe.”

Sometimes the people are full of it, other times they are dying.

I have also heard the response line, “You’re talking fine.”  I’ve heard EMS say it and I’ve heard police say it.

On May 25, 2020 , George Floyd said to officer Derek Chauvin, I can’t breathe.”

Officer Chauvin responded, “You’re talking fine.”

So he kept kneeling on George Floyd’s neck until George Floyd was quiet.

Today Derek Chauvin is facing a murder charge and George Floyd is dead.  If I am on the jury, I am voting guilty.

But just sending Derek Chauvin to prison is not going to right our world.

Unfortunately, there are other Derek Chauvin’s out there.  They are in police departments, they are in EMS, they are in our society.  There may be few, but they are there.  Listen to someone talk about people different from himself and ask yourself, what if that person was a cop, and if put in the same set of circumstances, would that person put his knee on a handcuffed man’s...

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This weekend saw extraordinary scenes in the USA. As men set off for space riots broke out across American cities. It has a striking symmetry to the tensions in America on the day in 1969 when Apollo 11 set off for the moon as Black Americans protested about racial injustice. Views captured by the famous poem of the time by Gil Scott Heron.  It is depressing so little has changed.

In August 2014 I wrote a blog for you about watching America respond to a series of black men die in incidents with the police whilst I was on holiday in the US.

The death of George Floyd was quite simply shocking and a horrific act by someone who is meant to uphold the law. It had no place in policing and a former officer has been charged with murder.

Over the years I have much contact with US policing. It is so very different to what we have in the UK.  There is no national approach. Specifically no common approach to the use of force. The best effort was one produced by the Police Foundation (a charity) and based...

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If you have Amazon Prime, until June 30, you watch all 24 lectures ( all about 30 minutes) of The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague by noted professor Dorsey Armstrong for free. The lectures are part of the Great Courses series.  Many years ago, I used to order these lectures on cassette tapes.  They are much fancier today and remain riveting.  The basic premise is this company goes around the country and finds the best college professors and signs them up to present lectures aimed at a common audience on their subjects of expertise.  While Black Death is free, for $7.99 a month you have access to their catalog via Amazon Prime.

Here are some of the things I have learned so far.

The Plague was called the Black Plague not because it turned people black, but because “Black” meant horrible.  The plague killed an estimated 50 million people, up to 60% of everyone living in Europe at the time.  Some people would wake up fine, feel badly at noon and be dead by five in the evening. 

In an ancient war, a Mongol army...

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I haven’t put an isolation gown on in three shifts.   I even forgot to put a surgical mask on when I got out of my fly car yesterday to go into the Subway to buy a cold drink. (I apologized to the clerk).

With the warm weather and the people back out on the streets, there is a different feel in the air.  SUMMERTIME!

And the state is reopening is a big way.  The governor just loosened restrictions on the size of gatherings from five to ten indoors and has allowed gatherings of up to 25 outdoors.  The barber shops are reopening on Monday!  Farewell to my hippie-do! Gyms are opening in three weeks.  Say goodbye to my quarantine flab! Most of the state colleges have announced they will be allowing students back on campus in the fall!  So long middle daughter!  It’s been nice having you home while it lasted! And the Indian casinos are opening this week!  (But no food buffets, sadly).

Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients continue to plummet.  They are now at less than a quarter of what they were at their March peak.  And...

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He is an old man with a stooped back, wearing tan work pants and shirt with his name on the right breast and his company’s name on the left.  He has gotten out of his old Pontiac, and wearing a face mask, walks toward us as we come out of the dialysis center with an old woman on our stretcher.  He nods to us respectfully, and then looks at the woman and says, “Pearl, Pearl, it’s your husband.  I love you, Pearl.”

She looks at him and says nothing.  Her eyes squint, trying to recognize him.  “Are you doing okay?  I just wanted to say hi and tell you I love.  I love you, Pearl.”

We see what is happening.  There are no visitors at the nursing home.  This is how he gets to see his wife.

“Take your time,” I say.

“I don’t want to hold you.”

“Go on.”

He focuses again on his wife, “You look pretty today,” he says.  “I just wanted to say, hi.  It’s me–George, your husband.  I love you Pearl.”

“Hello,” she says.  

“Are you doing okay?  You look nice. Pearl.”

“I’m doing okay,” she says.

“That’s...

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