New reports based on infor-mation from the Iowa Depart-ment of Public Health suggest that current COVID-19 condi-tions may be worse than we’ve been led to believe. It appears some new cases and deaths have been backdated, making it difficult to know how current circumstances are playing out.
I continue to practice pre-ventive health measures, in-cluding:
• Wearing a mask
• Keeping distance from others in public places

You may have heard that Apple banned "Fortnight" last week.
It sounds crazy, but it's true. While those that currently have the game on their Apple device can continue to play the game, you can't update it nor can new players download it on to their mobile device.
How did this happen? Let's break down the situation here.
Let's say you're one of the who-knows-how-many

The financial system. Wow, now there's a catchy title. I doubt there could be a subject less interesting than that, yet have more impact on our daily lives.
To most of us a financial system would be working for a paycheck and then spending it. But in this complex and uneth-ical world, where the money goes and why, is a mystery and too much trouble to try to understand.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds re-leased the following open letter to the state of Iowa:

It's going to be a while before you can get your next MCU fix in the theaters, but if you really need some super-hero action there is an alternative.

You can only take so much vitamin D, so when we come in for the night, it's popcorn and a movie until Dawn falls asleep. We just have to sit around awhile. I am an infoholic but sometimes need a break, espe-cially these days where info is so sketchy.

What habits have you changed in recent months as you strive to stay safe and healthy? And what adjustments are your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors making?

To the editor:
The Sharing Shoppe in Sheffield opened a month ago to help people during this time with guidelines of wearing a mask. Because some people refused to do this, the Sharing Shoppe will be closed until further notice.

It's 3:00 p.m. on Monday and I still don't know what this column is about.
It's not that there isn't anything I don't have an opinion on to express over the next five hundred words or so. It's just that all of those opinions are related to COVID-19.

When the COVID-19 pandem-ic started in March, a variation on the phrase “In this togeth-er” was seen on almost every social media post, store win-dow or poster seen throughout town.
At first, that sense of unity was felt and compassion was abundant.

Last week should have been Comic-Con week, but even though the experience was limited to pre-produced Zoom calls in place of in-person panels that there was still plenty of news to break down.
Not much of it was good though, especially if you were hoping to go to the movies any time soon.

My sister and I moved to Newport Beach with Mom when I was 18. I made friends with some neighbor kids right away. Surfing was the thing. The waves were usually too small to have a really good time. So when somebody said, “Surf's up!” you went there like it was the first ripe tomato.

Last Tuesday night was the last Hampton Municipal Band concert of the summer. They played with half a band to allow “social distancing;” half a band that sounded like one and a half.

All week Facebook has been helpfully reminding me that there is no Comic-Con this year by posting my photos of conventions from years past. Thanks for that, Zuck.
The photos are almost bizarre to look at. A sea of densely packed people from all over the world where the only masks in sight belong to the cosplayers. It's hard to believe how quickly things can change.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over.
These numbers are a warning sign that the pandemic is getting worse – not better – in Iowa:
• Record high daily total of 769 new confirmed COVID-19 cases last weekend
• More than 35,000 con-firmed cases statewide
• More than 750 confirmed Iowa deaths from COVID-19