海角大神

Today鈥檚 stories include a look at how governors have stepped up during the crisis, how Britain鈥檚 pandemic battle is stirring a nation of volunteers, the effect on protest movements around the world, a survey of how small businesses on one Massachusetts street are tightening belts to survive, and a Good Friday essay on how a pastor of a 400-year-old church has learned new ways to minister.

Two weeks ago in this space I wrote about Chester, a foster beagle my family was about to take in to help him and us through the trials of sheltering in place. Chester sparked a lot of audience response, and so I鈥檓 happy to report today that he has fit right in to our menagerie. At this very moment he is patrolling the backyard with lead beagle Lucy, defending his new home against adversaries, real and imagined.聽

His bark ends in a kind of howl. He sleeps on one of my sons鈥� beds. He leans against your legs when he wants to be petted.

Animals are soothing in trying circumstances. In mid-March, after we all started working from home, a Monitor staffer created an internal Slack channel labeled 鈥減ets.鈥� Staffers can swap pictures and comments about their cats, dogs, and in at least one case, their hedgehog. Looking at others鈥� pets seems to foster a bit of togetherness.

And simple pleasures like that remain important in this serious time. Cat videos, for instance, may seem trivial, but they bring joy that cannot be denied. Even Werner Herzog, famed German film director and author, says he feels 鈥渞ejuvenated鈥� after watching them.聽

That brings us to the closing point: Have you watched ? Where, deadpan, he describes 鈥� invents really 鈥� and competitions between his Labradors? If you haven鈥檛 you must. They are A1 shut-in entertainment. Chester is a huge fan.