Cartoonists slam Trump's many failures on Covid-19, take a look at Nov. 3 election

This cartoon from Tom Janssen at Cagle.com shows President Trump's reelection chances plummeting as the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise. 

This Guy Parsons cartoon portrays Trump as the Rodney Dangerfield of American politics, facing many empty seats in rabidly racist Tulsa, Okla., when he resumed holding campaign rallies.

"And then, like a miracle, it goes away!" Trump is quoted as saying of the coronavirus in this sendup by Steve Sack, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis Minn.

Two amazing "medical facts" explored in this cartoon by Monte Wolverton are 1) people who take a Covid-19 test are hypochondriacs and 2) social distancing and face masks cause herpes.

Tombstone makers are catering to victims of Covid-19 who refused to wear face mask, says cartoonist David Fitzsimmons of the Arizona Daily Star and Tuscon.com. "He fought to breathe free or die," one tombstone says (upper left).

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has shown a propensity to punish those investigating Trump, so cartoonist Steve Sack portrays the "Barr Code" as reading "Corrupt."

Freelance cartoonist Bob Englehart of PoliticalCartoons.com suggests statues of front-line pandemic heroes replace those that are being torn down because they represent racism.

Flying without a parachute is the wickedly satiric result of  passengers refusing to wear face masks on a commercial airliner, cartoonist Dave Granlund says.

You've heard of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the fictional forensic psychiatrist turned serial killer. So, cartoonist Kevin Siers of PoliticalCartoons.com slams justice ill-served by portraying Attorney General William Barr as Hannibarr Lecter, who says, "Justice is served with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

Award-winning cartoonist Jimmy Margulies lampoons Trump's touting of miracle cures for Covid-19, focusing on Roundup, the week killer linked to cancer and multimillion dollar settlements in numerous lawsuits. Margulies was the political cartoonist at The Record of Woodland Park for many years.

Trump is the embodiment of the coronavirus in this cartoon from J.D. Crowe. "The tests are making me look bad," he says while wearing a hat with the message, "America first in Covid Deaths."

In this cartoon by Rick McKee, the Grim Reaper tells a man complaining it's too hot to wear a mask: "It's not the heat, it's the stupidity." 

As the July Fourth weekend approaches, cartoonist Dave Granlund believes Americans could use a refresher course on the Declaration of Independence.

Croatian cartoonist Petar Pismestrovic shows Trump as a gunfighter dealing with two enemies -- the coronavirus and the election.

Steve Nease at PoliticalCartoons.com portrays Trump fanning the flames of racism by finding another way to blame the Covid-19 pandemic on China.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

Poor wild-salmon season in Alaska hasn't deprived me completely of this great fish

The more we learn about plastic and food the more we realize the health risk we face

SHOCKING: Consumer Reports magazine warns readers, "You may be consuming as much as a credit card's worth of plastic a week."

Factories destroy environment,

we ingest harmful chemicals

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- For more than a decade, we've been trying to limit our intake of the harmful antibiotics used to raise meat and poultry on America's factory farms.

And in recent years, we've been buying and eating far more pesticide-free organics -- thanks to lower prices at Whole Foods Market, and a growing selection of organic and non-GMO food and beverages at Costco Wholesale and ShopRite supermarkets.

But we were ignorant of the dangers posed by all of the plastic packages and wrapping much of that food comes in.

And we didn't know about the recycling scam perpetrated by the petrochemical companies that are building more plants -- usually near minority neighborhoods -- to poison the air, and churn out even more harmful plastic packaging.

How we end up eating plastic

In a special report, the June 2020 issue of Consumer Reports magazine tells readers how to limit their risk of consuming "as much as a credit card's worth of plastic a week."

"Scientists say we each may be ingesting" plastic "through contaminated food and water, to the likely detriment of our health."

Nearly a century ago, plastic was advertised as "The Material of a Thousand Uses," Consumer Reports says.

Today, plastic is found in "the plates we eat from, the straws we drink through, the furniture we sit on," toys, clothes, cars and even in life-saving medical equipment.

"And -- more than anywhere else -- plastic is in our packaging, encasing ... the food we eat and the beverages we drink," CR says.

"Cracking open a brand new plastic bottle or tearing a wrapper off a sandwich releases fragments of plastic that we might end up ingesting.

"Reliable research now shows that tiny bits of plastic -- called microplastics -- are in our food, drinking water, the air we breathe, and, yes, inside our bodies," the magazine reports.

These symbols on plastic -- called "chasing arrows" -- are familiar to anyone who tries to recycle. But the vast majority of plastic bottles and other containers end up in landfills or oceans. This chart is from the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Most plastic isn't recyclable

CR says that in the United States, 76 percent of plastic garbage goes into landfills, about 16 percent more more is burned -- fouling the air -- and 1 percent of that total goes into the oceans, breaks down and ends up in seafood.

CR's figure -- 76 percent -- apparently is taken from NOVA, the TV science documentary:

In a July 2017 report, NOVA said that 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic -- of the 8.3 billion metric tons created between 1950 and 2015 -- are out of use and "most of it is in landfill and nature."

"The very idea that recycling makes plastic use acceptable comes from plastic manufacturers," says Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who is quoted by Consumer Reports.

"The reason the public thinks recycling is the answer is that the plastic industry has spent 30 years on multimillion-dollar [advertising] campaigns [falsely] saying that," she says.

"That was absolutely the wrong message. The message should have been: Don't use so much plastic," Enck says.

Glass containers are recommended over plastic for storing and reheating food. (Photo is from RealSimple.com).

How to use less plastic

Consumer Reports lists 6 ways to cut back on using plastic:

• Drink tap water. Don't rely on bottled water.
• Don't microwave food in plastic containers or covered by plastic wrap. 
• Buy and store food in glass, silicone or foil, not in plastic that may contain harmful chemicals.
• Eat fresh food as much as possible. Don't rely on processed food wrapped in plastic.
• Vacuum regularly to avoid inhaling dust in your house that could be loaded with microplastics and chemicals that are found in plastic.
• Join forces with community level recycling groups or so-called zero-waste groups.

See: "Plastic Wars" from FRONTLINE ON PBS

Read: 2020 statistics on plastic in the ocean

Read: The best glass food storage containers

Tesla urges you to arbitrate any disputes, but then sabotages out-of-court process

The 2016 Model S 75D I bought from Tesla last November had dents, scratches and crude, mismatched touch-up paint on the lower bumper -- damage that wasn't shown in photos of the car sent to me by the electric-car maker. See photos below.

When I picked up the car at the Paramus, N.J., dealership, a delivery adviser said Tesla no longer repairs this kind of damage, which might have occurred when the car was transported by truck from storage in Newburgh, N.Y.

EV maker refuses to pay $500 fee,

ends my bid to get bumper repaired

Editor's note: A few weeks after I posted this, Tesla paid the arbitration fee and after more back and forth with a lawyer, the EV maker agreed to replace -- not just repair -- my front bumper for a payment of $500. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Tesla owners agree no other electric-car maker can match the stunning technology packed into their vehicles.

But most of us also agree few companies have such poor customer service.

The latest example is Tesla refusing to pay the $500 filing fee required when a customer submits a dispute to arbitration -- short-circuiting the out-of-court process.

I got the bad news last week in an email from the American Arbitration Association.

I had filed a request that Tesla repair damage to a used Model S I bought from the company website last November, and paid a $200 filing fee.

A Tesla-authorized body shop gave me an estimate of $5,000 for replacing the damaged front bumper, although I'd be happy with just repairs and repainting.

Now, my only recourse is to file a small claims case in the Civil Division of Superior Court, where the maximum recovery is $3,000.

Agreement to arbitrate

I got the idea to submit my dispute to arbitration from the Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement I received with my 2016 Model S 75D.

On Page 2, under "Agreement to Arbitrate," the company states, "Please carefully read this provision, which applies to any dispute between you and Tesla Inc. and its affiliates."

"If not resolved within 60 days, you agree that any dispute...will not be decided by a judge or jury, but instead by a single arbitrator in an arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules."

Victor Sasson v. Tesla Motors

On June 9, 2020, I got an email from the association, notifying me Tesla has not paid the $500 filing fee required of a business to cover the "costs of arbitration."

I was asked if I was willing to "advance the unpaid fees" so the case could proceed, but they turned out to total $4,400 -- a $500 filing fee, a $1,400 case-management fee and a $2,500 arbitrator's fee.

Fuggedaboutit!

In subsequent emails, I was told the $200 filing fee I paid wasn't refundable.

And "Pro Se Administrator No. 5" declined to say whether Tesla has shown a pattern of refusing to take part in arbitration by not paying the fee required of a business.

"That is private information," I was told.

NEW BUMPER: On Oct. 30, 2020, I picked up my Model S with a new bumper, painted to match my multi-coat red paint job. 

Read: You can do better 

than Tesla's offer on a trade-in

Manhattan was our oyster as we visited public sculptures in Harlem to the Battery

DUKE ELLINGTON: This memorial to the dapper jazz pianist and bandleader, above and below, is on Fifth Avenue and 110th Street in Manhattan, in the northeast corner of Central Park. It's 25 feet high.

GATEWAY TO HARLEM: Ellington is one of four African-Americans honored at Central Park North, along with Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass.

Opening up after the lockdown,

the city still is easy to navigate

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A list of public sculptures I hand-copied from a newspaper more than a decade ago has always tempted me, but Manhattan usually is so frenetic, I just transferred the piece of paper from one planner to another year after year.

Now, with the city just starting to emerge from the long lockdown designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, my wife and I decided Saturday seemed like a good time to go and see them.

The weather was sunny but cool, traffic was light; and we could stop, park and photograph them without a problem.

After we crossed the George Washington Bridge, we visited the sculptures from north to south.

Now, I'll be looking for an updated list of sculptures, monuments and statues to explore on a future trip into Manhattan.

KEITH HARING: This Crack is Wack mural was painted by artist Keith Haring on handball court walls in 1986, and was intended to send a serious anti-drug message to the community, according to the city Parks Department. Go to East 127th Street, Second Avenue and the Harlem River Drive.

I'M LATE, I'M LATE: This large bronze statue of Alice, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's classic book is in Central Park. Enter the park on Fifth Avenue near 76th Street, and ask for directions to the statue.

ROCKEFELLER CENTER: This mosaic, "Intelligence Awakening Mankind," is on the wall above the entrance to 1250 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue).

VENUS DE MILO: This sculpture by Jim Dine, on Sixth Avenue and 53rd Street, wasn't on our list, but I took a photo from the car as we drove away from the Rockefeller Center mosaic in the photo above.

GAY LIBERATION: Also on our list was the Stonewall Inn at 51-53 Christopher St., in Greenwich Village, where we saw an updated message from the Black Lives Matter movement.

LGBTQ: Stonewall Inn was a gay bar that was raided on June 28, 1969, but patrons and a crowd outside resisted. "This uprising catalyzed the LGBTQ civil rights movement, resulting in increased visibility for the community that continues to resonate in the struggle for equality," according to this plaque.

BUST OF SYLVETTE: Designed by Pablo Picasso and fabricated by Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, this massive stone sculpture is in the courtyard of 505 LaGuardia Place in Manhattan. 

UNDER WRAPS: Charging Bull, a bronze sculpture on Broadway, just north of Bowling Green in Manhattan's Financial District, has been covered to prevent any damage during Black Lives Matter demonstrations and protests, and was being guarded by several police officers on Saturday. They directed us to the statues in the photos below.

OUR FIRST PRESIDENT: This large bronze sculpture of George Washington is on a pedestal in front of Federal Hall at 26 Wall St., where he was sworn in as the first president of the United States in 1789. 

WOMEN'S DAY: The Fearless Girl Statue was moved to protect it during the protests. The statue, commissioned by an asset management company, was installed on March 7, 2017, the day before International Women's Day.

OUR LAST STOP: The Group of Four Trees at the Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza was our last stop before we drove home. The address is 28 Liberty St. in Manhattan.

ONE WAY: On the way to see Group of Four Trees, the navigation system in our Toyota Prius sent us down this "street" in the Financial District. Our Prius just fit.