There are 8,464,739 cases of the coronavirus throughout the world. There are 2,189,056 cases here in the US. Globally, 453,290 people have died. 118,421 of those have died here.
A new model predicts that 200,000 people could be dead from the virus here in the United States by October, which could actually be an underestimate.
As states continue to reopen despite more and more cases are being reported, it is interesting to note that the White House's Coronavirus Task Force has not met since April 27th. Clearly the White House (and the president) want to ignore the problem and act like it does not exist.
The White House has also declined letting Dr. Anthony Fauci from being interviewed by a news channel.
VIRUS NEWS:
The CDC has broken down who is likely to get COVID 19.
It appears there is some questionable doings in the disbursement of virus relief money.
A European study links genes and blood types to severe coronavirus cases.
Israel has apparently invented a one-minute coronavirus breath test.
A woman in Colorado tested positive for the virus...then tested negative twice...and has tested positive for it again.
Researchers in England say a commonly available drug called dexamethasone reduced death in severely ill COVID 19 patients by about a third.
Moderna now says its virus vaccine will be ready in early 2021.
A report says that the first coronavirus vaccines may not stop people from getting sick, but should keep the virus from overwhelming the body.
Other researchers suggest an osteoporosis drug, Raloxifene, may be effective at battling the virus.
Despite the president's constant push for the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID 19, it has proven ineffective (even harmful) in several tests. The FDA revoked its authorization for use as an emergency drug to treat the virus. Not only does it not work, it also interferes with Remdesivir from working with COVID 19 patients.
Coronavirus antibodies may only last 2 or 3 months in the body after infection.
A new article cautions those with diabetes to be extra cautious during this time.
Another article emphasizes again that we are not in a second wave of virus cases...but still in the first wave.
Airline passengers who do not wear masks could have their flying privileges revoked. In addition, airlines have banned alcohol in an effort to keep masks on. A passenger on American Airlines was removed for not wearing a mask.
A maskless woman in a New York bagel shop was caught coughing on another customer on video.
Costco, Target and other stores are now relaxing their coronavirus safety protocols.
A 13-day-old baby in the UK, with no underlying health conditions, has died from the virus.
Tomorrow is the president's re-election rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma...with no social distancing and no masks required. Idiots...
A Mayo Clinic employee, after weeks of self-isolating, went out to a bar in Florida with a group of friends...and they all got infected.
The 2021 Oscars have been pushed back to late April due to the disruption of the pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn't believe that football season will happen this year.
The CDC has issued guidelines for beach goers who want to stay safe during the pandemic.
Many state governors are now passing the buck and having city mayors handle virus responsibilities.
Girl Scouts in Tennessee are having a hard time selling cookies during the pandemic.
AMC theaters are gearing up for a reopening.
A diner in New York became a go-to mecca during the pandemic with its old school approach to a night out.
A graduating class in New Hampshire got creative and held the ceremony on a ski lift.
STATES:
Ten states had big spikes in cases this week.
New Jersey is starting to reopen shopping malls, however movie theaters and food courts will remain closed.
On Monday it was reported that in Florida, both Saturday and Sunday saw more than 2,000 new cases of infection per day---as more beaches re-opened there. Monday featured 1,758 new cases. There were 2,783 cases reported on Tuesday alone. Wednesday had 2,610 new cases and a staggering 3,207 cases yesterday. Despite they exploding numbers, Governor DeSantis says the state is "not rolling back" to another shutdown. Several predict that Florida could be the next "hot spot" for the virus. The state is already experiencing a shortage of ICU beds.
Those in Pennsylvania are now required to wear masks out in public. There are 80,236 cases in the state.
Minnesota says it is on track to reopen schools in the fall. The state has had 1,344 deaths and a drop in hospitalizations.
Oklahoma reports a rise in new cases since reopening.
Missouri is seeing a spike in cases.
The University of Texas has announced that 13 of its football players have tested positive for the virus. The San Antonio area is reporting a jump in cases.
Idaho added in 111 new cases on Thursday, giving a new three-day total to 281.
Utah had 495 new cases reported yesterday.
Arizona had a record number of new confirmed cases yesterday with 2,519 reported. A sheriff in the state, who did not believe the virus warranted enforcing stay-at-home orders, has contracted the virus himself. While the governor has not yet issued an order requiring masks, he is no longer trying to block mayors from requiring them.
Washington state had 253 new cases as of Wednesday.
A church held services in defiance of stay-at-home orders in Oregon where 236 members of the congregation were infected with the virus. Wow!
GLOBAL:
Mexico bans workers from going to Canada during the pandemic.
Bejing, China is bringing back strict measures as a new outbreak of the virus emerged. Bejing has found heavy cases of the virus in its seafood and meat markets.
In Sweden, the country that refused to lock down, is seeing a huge death toll in their senior population. Citizens blame the government.
India is reporting a record spike in cases but has decided not to lock down the country again.
CALIFORNIA:
California set a new record on Wednesday, verifying 4,291 cases of the virus on that one day alone.
All Californians are now required to wear face masks when out in public. (Hooray! It is about time).
Orange County's hospitalization and death rates from the virus are now higher than San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. As the virus spreads in Orange County, several restaurants have had to close down again.
Despite the lockdown, the virus is still spreading rampantly among San Francisco's Hispanic population.
LOCAL:
Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom cited Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties as some of the most "concerning" in the state in regards to growing COVID 19 numbers.
Three people who work at Fresno State University tested positive for the virus on Monday.
Fresno Unified School District will be reopening on August 17.
Eight employees at a Merced County almond processing plant tested positive for the virus.
The Fresno branch of World Financial Group, an investment group, donated thousands of masks to local nursing homes.
Forestiere Underground Gardens has re-opened with safety precautions in place.
Visalia nursing home employees demand hazard pay.
Merced County will be entering Phase 3 of reopening starting today.
Eagle Mountain Casino is expected to re-open in July.
CREATIVITY:
Here is another FROZEN parody:
And another FROZEN parody:
And a HERCULES parody:
And an okay... Taylor Swift parody:
And, why not? Here's a take on Sonny & Cher:
The cast of the original GHOSTBUSTERS gets a Zoom reunion on another episode of REUNITED APART, all done for charity. (Give if you can):
And, why not? Here are several recent Jimmy Kimmel monologues:
The artist SHAG has released his 14th--and last--coronavirus coloring page:
MAIL:
My friend Walter lives in Colombia. He sent me some updates from there. His translated English isn't the best, but... He had been out of touch as he was just moving into a new apartment
"I'm good," he said. "The quarantine has not affected me. The only thing that affects me is that I couldn't invite my family.
"My mom got sick yesterday. I hope it's not a bad thing--headache and flu.
"Nobody wants to go to the hospitals here, because the doctors are killing people. That's what they say. It seems that they are paying for each case of coronavirus.
"People have gone for normal symptoms, for example, due to foot pain...and they say he died of COVID 19."
My friend Robby lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He sent me a quick note about what is going on there:
"We are okay," he said. "We are one of the healthiest states. Our rules are very strict here and it's keeping us very safe. We actually have few cases here. We were hardly in any danger. Our hospitals didn't fill up. Out east, near Philly, got hit hard. But Pittsburgh was locked up for 8 weeks. We couldn't move. In our houses. Finally, the last two weeks, we could leave our houses. People took it serious and the virus has pretty stayed away. But, I expect a surge in August. We will be in our houses again soon. I'm so proud of our Governor Wolfe. He didn't screw around. He pushed on rules. They weren't mandatory, but people took them seriously. It worked. We are surviving. Just like the
rest of the planet."
SHIRLEY:
I had another response about Shirley on the tortoise forum website on Monday morning. A long-time member named Karen wrote:
"She could just be old, but also there might be something else going on.
"I would start by picking her up and thoroughly inspecting every nook and cranny on her body. Feel all the soft skin places, and the underside of her carapace (top shell). Look for anything...bug bites, scrapes, bruises, a twig or burr, anything at all that doesn't seem right. Check the bottoms of her feet, and get a good look at her plastron (bottom shell). Nice and firm to touch? Any red or pink showing through the shell? How about her head? Any swellings? Look at her ear dimples. Any swelling there? Mouth OK? Any discharge from her nose? Does her breathing sound normal?
"Try to find a recent poop, of follow her til she does one. Is she straining? Is the poop normal looking? Take a stick and poke it open...any blood? Is it fibrous? Normal consistency?
"Do the same with a pee. Put her in a tub of warm water and most of the time they will pee and poop in the water. Any red in the pee? Any urates (white creamy stuff)? If so, is it gritty? Like toothpaste?
"Are there any new plants in her yard that you did not plant? Are you positive that every plant she can get to is safe for her?
"If you find nothing, consider taking her to a qualified exotics vet for blood work and an x-ray."
While I didn't poke and prod Shirley after reading that, I did try the warm bath approach. I added warm water to a plastic tub and set her in it for a while. Nothing. I took her out on the patio and set her in the sun. I got her food together and was amazed that she ate fairly well. After a while, she peed. It was the white urine tortoises are known for (which, as I understand it, is normal) as well as clear (showing she is hydrated).
She was outside for about an hour, more or less, before she wanted back in. She went back to her box, rustled around in there for a bit, then went to sleep.
She has been going out daily since, but every day it seems like she gets her day started later and later.
ornery or if Erich's departure upset her...but Tuesday evening, she decided to remodel her cardboard condo and install a back door.
On Wednesday morning, she was awake...but lurking just inside of her box. Perhaps she was embarrassed about tearing up her cardboard condo or she was just being nosy...
I did eventually get her to come out and go outside. She seems to have her spunk back, more or less.
ME:
There hasn't been much news with me. On Wednesday, I had a text from my mom, telling me to quickly check my porch or my mailbox. What the heck? There was a big box sitting on the porch. inside was a wonderful surprise. Apparently inspired by the GeekiTiki Leatherface tiki mug from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE that had Vye had sent me last week, Mom was curious to realize that non-tiki things could become tiki mugs...and decided to send me this uber-cool GeekiTiki Jason tiki mug from FRIDAY THE 13TH. Zowie! Thank you, Mom! What a groovy surprise-a-go-go!
Even though Erich had gone home on Tuesday and I was alone, I made the long drive back to Madera to go to the drive in again on Wednesday.
I am no fan of the aging process...but at the ripe old age of 55, I count as a "senior" at the drive in...so I only have to fork out $4 (instead of $10) for a ticket. Yes, it is LAME to go to the drive in alone... But it was better than sitting at home alone again.
I had gotten there super early--or so I had thought. There were already lots of cars there, with more coming filling in steadily until showtime.
I was at the second, smaller screen. But that was okay. I had a decent space and I found a working speaker.
Fresno used to have at least 6 drive ins that I remember. I only went to four of them (Starlite, Moon-glo, Woodward Park and the Sunnyside, which at one time was the "world's largest screen"). But I also remember we had the Sunset and the Motor In as well. They are all gone now. Leave it to Madera to have this lil' mom & pop place still up and running.
Although i was NOT hungry at all, I couldn't resist a return visit to the snack bar.
I took a photo of their sign for COVID 19 rules...
You are supposed to use your car radio for the sound. However, I don't know how to use mine properly. I tried to use the car radio...but the car just overruled me and turned it off after a few minutes to save the battery. Fortunately, the theater still have speakers and I found a working one. The little handle that holds the speaker in place was broken off, but I got it to stay put.
Ugh... I was so full, but I had a Coke, popcorn (in a snazzy ADDAMS FAMILY container) and a corn dog.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY was okay...but disappointing. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be.
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL was also just okay. I had seen the previous version (but have yet to see the original with Robin Williams). The best part about the previous film was Jack Black being a ditzy high school girl. That happened in this film, too...but only briefly and only towards the end. This film was okay--but nothing great. Seeing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson act as Danny DeVito was AWFUL.
Starting today, the theater will be showing IT and IT: CHAPTER TWO on one screen and AMERICAN GRAFFITI and JAWS on the other. I want to see both programs, but I am siding with the AMERICAN GRAFFITI and JAWS combo. I'm thinking about going next Wednesday. Whoo hoo.
After that, I am thinking of giving the drive in a break for a while. GREASE and FOOTLOOSE are coming the next week, but I just saw GREASE not too long ago, it's no fun going alone...and it's such a long haul there and back. Seeing JAWS on the big screen again will be a treat...but I'll wait for something new or different before I head back again.
Stay SAFE. Stay SHELTERED. Stay ALIVE.
CHEERS!
Continue to the next part HERE.
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