WIRTW #593 (the “18 and life” edition)

17 years and 363 days ago, I married the love of my life. In two days, we'll celebrate our 18th anniversary.

The number 18 is significant. In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value. The number 10 is the letter Yod, and the number 8 is the letter Het. Het-Yod spells the word Chai (חי), which translates in English to "life." 

Chai is a perfect allegory for marriage. Life is not perfect, and neither is a marriage. Both have their ups and their downs. But, if you can find that someone with whom you not only enjoy the ups but can ride out the downs and come out the other side, you've done well. 

I've done very, very well. Happy 18 Colleen.

Here's what I read this week:

Coronavirus Update 8-26-21: Incentivizing Covid vaccinations through insurance-premium penalties for the unvaccinated

Delta Air Lines has decided to try a different approach to get as many of its employees vaccinated as possible. It's imposing a $200 charge for any unvaccinated employees on its health plan. Think of it as a smokers' penalty, but for the Covid vaccine.

NPR has the details:

Delta Air Lines will charge employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airline's top executive says is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $40,000.

Coronavirus Update 8-25-21: Inside the Five responds to John Mandel, and they are not happy

An update on Monday's post, about a Toledo-area brewery that got canceled over a tweet by Senate candidate John Mandel congratulating a sick employee for reporting to work. The restaurant is none too happy with ol' Joshy.

One of its owners made their position on sick employees very clear to Toledo's WTVG:

It is our policy for employees to inform all management before coming to work. As soon as we found out, we sent our employee home.

The correct response. Sick employees don't work, period, especially during a global pandemic of an airborne virus.

Coronavirus Update 8-24-21: FDA grants full approval to Pfizer Covid vaccine … but will it make any difference

Yesterday, the FDA granted full and final approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Calling the agency's approval "a pivotal moment" in the battle against Covid, FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said:

While this and other vaccines have met the FDA's rigorous scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine, the public can be confident that this vaccine meets the FDA's gold standard for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality that we require for an approved product.

Coronavirus Update 8-23-21: I’ll have a side of Covid with my burger, please

PERRYSBURG, OH — @InsideTheFive is a cool brewery started by two NFL vets. Great food and spirited waitresses!

Even though Brianne was sick today, she came to work because she knew they were short servers.

These are the type of American workers that make our country strong. pic.twitter.com/o0VFkDkjuo

— Josh Mandel (@JoshMandelOhio) August 20, 2021

That is perennial political loser and 2022 Senatorial candidate Josh Mandel tweeting in support of a local restaurant. 

WIRTW #592 (the “welcome back” edition)

Covid has taken a lot from us. One of the things it robbed from this space is its weekly "What I'm Reading This Week" ("WIRTW") feature. For 591 pre-Covid Fridays, I published a list of the best workplace-related things I read on the Internet that past week.

Today (and hopefully for every Friday from this point forward), I am delighted to bring this feature back from its pandemic slumber.

Here is the 592nd edition of What I Read This Week. 

Coronavirus Update 8-19-2021: The (Un)Healthy American, along with other more reputable organizations, help Americans dodge vaccine mandates

Meet Peggy Hall. She runs a website called The Healthy American. 

What is The Healthy American? For starters, it's a website that NewsGuard ranks 22.5/100 (a failing grade no matter how you slice it), for, among other sins and errors, publishing false and irresponsible misinformation about the Covid vaccine.