There are 5,249,155 cases of the coronavirus in the United States. There have been 167,113 deaths from it. On Monday, Florida reported 3,355 hospitalizations, a record for a single day. On Tuesday, the state broke its record for deaths with 276 in a single day. The US has had more fatalities in the last two weeks than it has since the pandemic began---and it is estimated the actual death toll is higher. One out of every 2,000 Americans alive at the start of the pandemic has now died from COVID 19. (350 million Americans divided by 167,113 dead is 2,094) As Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris said in a recent speech, one American dies from the virus every 80 seconds. UNREAL.
VIRUS NEWS:
Scientists say that the current pandemic is at least as deadly as the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
The COVID 19 death rate for black Americans is twice that as for white Americans, a report says.
Symptoms of COVID 19 can alert doctors to the severity of the cases.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why he is not sending his children back to school.
A reporter pressed a superintendent of a school in Georgia on making masks mandatory.
A whacked-out "Christian" mom went off on a school board meeting, wanting kids to go back to school 5 days a week without the mask requirement, which she claims is the "pagan ritual of satanic worshippers." (Or you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOxlmby1QuI&feature=emb_err_woyt and skip to the 53:55 mark)
A school nurse in Georgia quit over lack of protective precautions in place (Video does not match the article).
As Texas prepares to go back to school, testing in the state has mysteriously plummeted.
Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis rejected a plan for one county's school district (with nearly a quarter million students) to hold online classes for the first four weeks of school--despite the fact his state is under siege from the virus.
The Floridian governor also likened reopening schools to the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Three wide receivers at Florida State have spoken out about the lack of transparency in testing at the university.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has had 28 test positive.
Florida's COVID 19 cases have increased 137% in children in the last month.
Cases of coronavirus in children have risen 90% nationwide in the last month.
CNN has a report on what families are dealing with as schools in Georgia have reopened and all of the exposures and quarantines that have happened as a result.
Employees at a Florida high school were sent home after a coronavirus exposure there.
The virus has killed three people associated with another school in Florida.
A 47-year-old educator in Florida died from the virus recently.
A high school in Louisiana had to temporarily close when an employee tested positive for the virus.
New Hampshire has had some school-related infections and may switch to remote learning.
Two schools in Alabama switched to virtual learning after positive test results hit both schools.
The saga of a 5-year-old Florida boy's bought with COVID 19 (three trips to the emergency room and a hospitalization) have his family wanting to home school the kids this fall.
In Indiana, more than 200 students have been quarantined.
More than 800 are in quarantine now from a Georgia school district that doesn't require masks. Yet, Georgia's governor is saying that the school reopening is going well.
Despite the president's promise of a vaccine before election day, experts say there is no way that can happen safely.
Russia has approved a vaccine before it has even had a stage 3 clinical trial. Vladimir Putin insists it is safe and said even one of his daughters has received it. It is supposed to be available to other countries in November (Hmm.. What else amazingly happens in early November?) Scientists around the globe are very suspicious about the vaccine and what it promises.
Russia had offered to help with our vaccines. We said no.
In the race to develop a safe vaccination against the virus, here are where the top three contenders currently stand.
A small start up biotech company based on Long Island is ready to start phase 3 testing of its virus vaccine.
One test subject, who is a bartender in Las Vegas, shared what his experience with the prototype vaccine has been like.
Anti-vaxxers are spreading lies about the coronavirus vaccine on social media and the government has been slow to act.
The makers of the effective treatment drug, Remdesivir, came under fire for their sky-high pricing of the medicine.
Scientists at UC San Francisco have created a unique coronavirus-fighting mini-molecule.
Bill Gates says that even he would have never guessed the US virus response would have gone as poorly as it has. He also believes that the pandemic will end for developed countries in 2021.
Nationwide, testing has dropped 17% since the end of July.
A teenage worker was punched in the face by a man after the employee asked the man and his companion to wear a mask at a children's theme park in Pennsylvania.
It is now a felony offense to assault a retail worker enforcing the mask laws of Illinois.
A sheriff in Florida has ordered his deputies NOT to wear masks.
A judge in Philadelphia refuses to wear a mask in court.
The big 10-day biker rally in South Dakota kicked off with a large concert event with many groups, few (if any) face masks and no social distancing. The lead singer of the band Smash Mouth is quoted as saying, "We're all here together tonight. F__ that COVID s__." Let's see how long before the rally makes news again---for infections among the bikers.
Georgia has withdrawn its lawsuit against the mayor of Atlanta for her mask mandate.
Joe Biden says that all governors should mandate masks for the next three months.
A reporting glitch in Florida added roughly 8,000 more cases of the virus there.
A church in California held service for thousands against state orders.
Californians are currently flocking to Las Vegas...to get their hair done. Seriously!
Fewer people are seeking out hospital care over fears of catching COVID 19.
A father and son pair of doctors in Florida, each hospitalized on Father's Day with the virus, have died 5 weeks apart.
More than 900 healthcare workers have died from the virus...and the number is rising.
A 21-year-old Florida man had mild COVID-19 symptoms for a couple of weeks, thought he was better...then went into organ failure.
More and more coronavirus patients are reporting hair loss.
A Texas mom, who transmitted the virus to her then-unborn baby, had to wait nearly three weeks before being allowed to hold her for the first time.
Some men from Florida were arrested in Colombia for selling a fake COVID 19 cure that has killed at least 7 people.
In case you haven't notice that the virus hasn't "disappeared, like a miracle" when the weather got warmer, the World Health Organization has said that the coronavirus is unaffected by seasonal changes.
The president again decried mail-in balloting. This time he said it was a bigger threat to our democracy...then Russia (Especially since Russia wants him to win).
A Republican judge (appointed by Trump) in Pennsylvania has ordered the Trump campaign to turn over evidence of mail-in voter fraud that the president keeps decrying by today or admit they have none.
There is an investigation into Louis DeJoy, the Trump-appointed Post Master. "Cost-cutting" measures and the ousting of top postal officials combined with slower services have concerned many Democrats who fear that DeJoy was put there to thwart mail-in ballots during the pandemic.
New Jersey is adopting mail-in voting for the November election to prevent the spread of the virus.
Pennsylvania has requested an extension in counting mail in ballots due to the post office slow downs.
The postal service has removed some sorting machines ahead of the election.
Fresno County is taking extra safety measures for voters during the pandemic. (I, for one, will be dropping off my ballot personally in one of the secure drop boxes that will be available starting October 5, nearly a whole month before election day...)
Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were set for briefings on the virus yesterday.
With the Senate and the House of Representatives in a seeming stalemate over a new stimulus plan that could drag on for weeks (especially with the Republican-led Senate deciding to go on a summer vacation), the president signed some (Constitutionally questionable) executive orders. One of which was for weekly unemployment benefits ($400, down from $600) to continue. Florida's unemployment system is so broken and bad that law makers in that state are begging the governor to take what the president is offering.
With no help from a stymied Congress, a wave of evictions have started and people are losing their homes. There also will not be another stimulus check coming anytime soon.
A report says he is personally holding up coronavirus aid in an attempt to block the Democrats election funding.
Vice President Pence says that he doesn't think Democratic states, that have racked up tremendous deficits due to the pandemic, should not use relief money as a "bail out".
A pretty powerful article in Newsweek suggests that the president is giving free reign to billionaires to profit off of the pandemic.
The president, who doesn't seem to have any sort of handle on the pandemic, seems equally as clueless as the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, saying it probably ended World War II. Idiot...
The president held a coronavirus press conference on Tuesday and was all over the place with inaccurate information.
The president is almost phoning it in for these coronavirus briefings. It's the same script but a different day as this video illustrates:
The Centers for Disease Control issued a dire warning if virus precautions are not followed by fall.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he is not pleased with how things are going with the virus response.
Vice President nominee Kamala Harris blames Trump for the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in the US as he never took it seriously at the beginning.
On Wednesday, Trump introduced a doctor, who is frequently seen on Fox News, as an advisor for his coronavirus task force. Dr. Scott Atlas supports sending kids back to school among other things. A reporter broke down just how wrong Dr. Atlas is. Heaven help us...
This article points out that Trump's favorite talking points about the virus are not to be believed.
Vice President Pence claims the president created 8 million jobs over the last few months, more than Obama ever did. In reality, 22.2 million jobs were lost to the pandemic. These 9.3 million jobs were pre-existing when some businesses reopened. They were not "created" and that still leaves 13 million jobs in the hole.
Trump also has a plan (at last!) for the pandemic. It's a... tax cut for the rich. (HUH!?!)
A CEO has spent most of the year traveling. He is extremely safe when he does so. This is all of the safety precautions he takes to keep the virus at bay.
Mediterranean cruises, in the age of COVID 19, are starting up again.
The UK held its first-ever socially distant concert.
Frozen Brazilian chicken wings sold in China have tested positive for the virus.
Despite the chicken wing scare, here is why you shouldn't worry about getting the virus from food.
The virus has been found on surfaces in supermarkets, ATM machines and in LAX in Los Angeles County. If it's there...it can be anywhere in your world as well. Stay vigilant.
AMC Theaters plans to reopen August 20 with 15 cent movie tickets.
With Halloween out of the picture this year, Japan has come up with a socially distant and safe drive thru haunted house.
A jeweler has made a $1.5 million coronavirus mask.
GLOBAL:
There are 20,907,410 cases of the coronavirus in the world today. The number jumped from 10 million to 20 million in just six weeks. Global deaths have surpassed 750,000. Currently, there have been 755,612 deaths from it globally.
After 102 days of no cases, New Zealand reported 4 community transmitted cases and went back on virus restrictions. There were 13 new cases reported yesterday. The government thinks the cause of infection was freight.
Nigeria is having trouble getting testing done in 20 of its states.
Australia seems to be "flattening the curve" of cases it has seen in Victoria.
As Spain deals with a new, severe outbreak, many regions, including the Canary Islands, have banned smoking.
Argentina's death toll has blasted past 5,000 and counting.
Per capita, Colombia has had the deadliest outbreak in the world.
STATES:
Maine reported 19 new cases yesterday.
Massachusetts released very detailed information about the virus and where it is most prevalent in the state. The state had 321 new cases yesterday and 19 deaths.
Governor Cuomo says that New York has kept its case numbers low and has made testing a priority.
New Jersey had 699 new cases reported yesterday. A reporter suggested that on a recent trip to Six Flags Great Adventure in the state, the park had gotten lax on their virus precautions.
North Carolina discovered a major reporting error with its testing numbers. The state set record highs in three categories yesterday.
Yesterday, for the fifth day in a row, South Carolina saw less than 1,000 new cases of the virus.
Georgia had it's deadliest week with the virus as hundreds lost their lives.
Florida had 536,961 new cases of the virus on Monday. The state added 5,831 new cases on Tuesday. Wednesday had 8,109 new cases and 212 deaths. On Thursday the state tallied up another 6,236 cases and another 148 fatalities. Jeepers! Let's go to Disneyworld! NOT!
Ohio has more Level 3 hot spots.
Tennessee reported 118 new cases and 24 more deaths yesterday.
Alabama surpassed 100,000 cases on Wednesday. The state added 695 new cases yesterday.
Illinois had 1,834 new cases reported yesterday.
There were 697 new cases yesterday in Minnesota.
After receiving threats over virus concerns, South Dakota is planning on building a $400,000 wall around the governor's residence.
Several counties in Nebraska have seen upticks in virus numbers.
Texas has now surpassed 9,000 deaths from the virus. The governor said he is looking in to why they are getting such a high rate of positive test results.
Montana had 142 new cases yesterday.
Washington added 575 cases and 9 deaths on Monday. The state had 551 new cases and 8 deaths reported yesterday...and it also changed the way it reports negative testing.
At least 19 people who work in a mine in Alaska have tested positive.
At least 70 inmates and 7 correctional officers in a prison on Oahu in Hawaii have tested positive for the virus. There were 202 new cases on the island state reported on Wednesday.
CALIFORNIA:
Governor Newsom says the state has turned a corner in regards to the virus and is starting to show signs of improvement.
The state's public health director resigned unexpectedly on Monday evening in the midst of the pandemic.
Sacramento has been chosen for another Stage 3 vaccine test site with human volunteer subjects.
Three zip codes in Oakland have worse COVID 19 rates than Florida or Georgia.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula have been creating meals for anyone who needs one at a drive through event during the pandemic.
LOCAL:
As cases in the Central Valley continue to climb, a frustrated doctor shares an observation about people here no longer being scared of the virus as they were when the pandemic began...and that has caused a huge problem with infection rates.
Tulare County added 387 new cases on Monday.
Merced County reported 7 deaths and 724 new cases on Monday.
Fresno County is working on educating underserved communities within the county about the virus in an effort to curb the spread.
Merced County has come up with a plan to use $28.9 million in COVID relief funds.
With the school year starting here remotely, doctors still remind parents to keep their kid's immunization schedules up...so it doesn't lead to other epidemic outbreaks as we struggle through the pandemic.
A private school in Reedley had students return to campus. The County of Fresno ordered them to cease in-class education.
Central Unified welcomed students to a virtual school year recently.
Thousands of students in Merced started off the school year remotely.
Free Grab & Go lunches will be available to FUSD kids even during remote learning.
A Fresno County teen is trying to raise money for his father's funeral. His dad died from the virus.
The state strike team listened to virus concerns in Tulare County yesterday.
CREATIVITY:
I looked and found more of those clever Quarantine Barbies by Tonya Ruiz. (These, I think, really are the last ones -- so far.)
Here is another of actor Leslie Jordan vlogs about what he is doing in quarantine:
Here is another batch of amazingly on-point political ads:
MAIL:
I had the briefest of notes from my friend Eric in Costa Mesa, CA:
"Schools are starting here next week," he said. "I do not think this is a good idea!"
My friend Andrei in Italy (which is now relatively virus-free and back to normal) sent a quick note -- that had nothing to do with the virus at all -- but is still worrisome, especially since he did not elaborate:
"I'm okay," he said. "I had a leg injury at work. But I'm good."
My friend Troy in Mississippi also sent me a super quick note:
"There's lots of COVID around us and we, like everyone, know people sick and some who haven't made it."
Yikes!
SHIRLEY:
Shirley snoozed in her cardboard condo (aka cardboard box) all day Monday. I put her out Tuesday morning. For the longest time, she just sat on the slider's door mat and looked around the back yard.
She was only out about 2 hours or so --- but it was HOT! A little after noon, she had walked up to the sliding door and wanted back in. She trotted in happily...and went to the other side of the cabinet from her box, where I have the barrier set up to keep her out of the hallway and the rest of the house.
She finally got annoyed with the stool blocking her and went back to her box.
I left her home alone all day Wednesday, coming home to find she'd left me a surprise---she'd pooped on the floor again. SHIRLEY!!
I put her out Thursday morning. There was cloud cover, so it wasn't quite so hot. She ate well, walked around a bit, and eventually came to the door wanting in around 3:30. She went back to her box, pushed it around a bit, then went to sleep.
ME:
I never got that exit interview call from my (former) workplace on Monday. However, I did get an email later in the week asking if I was available for one for later today (Friday) at 9:30. It will be with the personnel worker I have been dealing with as well as the new manager of my department (that I have never met).
On Tuesday I saw my primary doctor, who extended my disability out with the Employment Development Department for another 4 months.
On Wednesday, it was time for a road trip. Erich was still here (He's staying through Sunday.) and I had been itching to go exploring--and yet do so in a safe manner. Years ago, believe it or not, I was a paranormal researcher for a local paranormal research group. It started as an article for the newspaper. One thing led to another and I was a member. I didn't stick with it long--maybe a year? I went to some interesting places with interesting stories about them...but never experienced anything myself.
One of the things I remembered being discussed at the tail end of my tenure with the group was a trip to a ghost town not too far from town. I had never heard of it before then and thought that would be a good candidate for a field trip during this time of the virus.
I looked up ghost towns online, but could not find any mention of that particular town (I couldn't remember the name--but did remember the approximate location). I did, however, see some other interesting places not too terribly far away. A road trip idea was born.
With Erich along for the ride, off we went. Our first stop wasn't a ghost town, really. It was just a town on the way I'd only visited once long ago. Our first stop was Mariposa.
Mariposa was the biggest and most vibrant place we visited, with a population of about 2,173 or so. There wasn't a lot open--which we knew going in. That wasn't the point anyway. We did walk along the block or so of the old section and then went to the other side of town to the visitor's center (which was open, amazingly). From there, we found out about some places to visit in town.
One place was the old county courthouse. Built in 1854, it is the oldest superior court west of the Mississippi that is (believe it or not) still in use. We thought we would just be getting pictures of the exterior...but before we knew it, a guard came out and said we could go in if we liked.
The courtroom is on the second floor. It was a little after noon when we were there. There was going to be a court in session in the afternoon, so we went upstairs to check it out first.
The court hadn't been updated all that much over the years. In fact, there was still an old fashioned wood burning stove up there.
Tape was used to insure some social distancing was in place.
I did notice that the 12 jury seats were not socially distant though. Perhaps whatever business was going on in the courtroom didn't require a jury?
Downstairs there are several historical maps and artifacts (including a beautiful old safe). One map from 1850 showed how California was divided up by counties. Fresno County (where I live) was nowhere to be seen...and Mariposa County was HUGE. Mariposa was eventually hacked apart piece by piece to make way for other counties.
From the courthouse, we traveled down the road a few more blocks and came to the old stone jail.
Further down the street, the road dead-ended in a parking lot for a church.
St. Joseph's is a Catholic church that dates back to 1862.
Directly behind the church is a cemetery.
One of the more interesting graves was this one. It looked like a bird house. There is a plaque on the inside, but it was impossibly hard to make out.
From the church, we headed to the Mariposa Historical Center. It was closed, of course. That is, the actual museum portion was closed. The "backyard" of the place was open and we investigated.
There is a blacksmith cabin. I'm not sure if it was a real one moved to the spot or (more likely) a recreation .
Just beyond the blacksmith shop there is an old stamp mill. Stamp mills were used in the gold rush to crush quartz rocks in search of gold within.
At first glance, this place looked like a house. It was actually the former headquarters of the Mariposa Gazette, a local newspaper started in 1854 that is still in print. The offices are now housed in a different building we'd seen along the main street of town.
I took a peek inside the Gazette building, but sadly there wasn't much to see.
Next to the Gazette is another house. This is the Counts' House. It was home to two county treasurers (that were father and son). The walls are lathe and plaster, but according to sign outside of the house, human hair was added into the plaster mixture. WEIRD.
From the Mariposa Historical Center, we headed off and were soon driving down a narrow two-lane road in the middle of nowhere. I don't think a single car passed us on this stretch of the trip. As we drove along, it was evident that wild fires had ravaged the area not so long ago.
Soon, we arrived in our second destination, Hornitos, CA. A lot of the town's earliest history is lost to time. Originally called Hornitas, the village was not initially a gold rush town. It was originally a Mexican settlement for Mexicans that were displaced from another settlement. When gold fever hit California, Hornitas was taken over by miners. A post office was erected in 1855 and Hornitas had its gender changed to Hornitos in 1877. The name means "little ovens" in Spanish. The graves for the early Mexican citizens were said to look like little ovens.
Hornitos is the most ghost town-like place we visited and it certainly was not a very big place. There truly were deserted and decaying houses in the town.
The current population (based on the 2010 census) is 75, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has dropped over the last decade.
Hornitos also has an old stone jail.
I was able to reach the high window and get a picture inside...but there was really nothing in there to see.
Of the things to see in Hornitos, the most famous is the remains of the Ghirardelli building.
Domenico/Domingo Ghiradelli, the famous chocolatier (Ghiradelli Chocolates) came to San Francisco in 1849 and opened a general store in Stockton. Later that year, he opened a second one in San Francisco, as well.
Ghiradelli spent time in the gold fields near Sonora and Jamestown. Although he opened his first chocolate company in 1852 (according to the Ghiradelli website), he decided to open a general store in Hornitos in 1856. From 1856 until 1859 the store was open and Ghiradelli was said to have worked there, perfecting his chocolate creations.
Almost directly across from the Ghiradelli ruins is the small town square.
Despite the cool, vintage sign that reads "Cafe", that corner of the building is empty.
There is a poster taped in the window that resembles an old wanted poster for the notorious outlaw Joaquin Murrieta, who apparently visited frequently and stayed in Hornitos.
On the left side of the square is a plain white building. It is the only viable bar in town. It is only open on the weekends usually. It is apparently closed for the duration of the pandemic now.
On the right side of the square is another cool, old building. It, too, seems to be empty. The only places in the square that looked occupied was a small junk shop (that was closed) and a tiny post office tucked into the corner.
There were many old and abandoned (?) buildings around the town.
This apparently was an old stagecoach station. It is now a gift shop on weekends, apparently.
This was another cool, old building with an old gas pump out front.
There was a cool, old barn with partial adobe walls.
One of the more famous ruins in town is this partial adobe doorway in a field.
At the entrance to town is this old stone wall. It was a short visit--but I found it very interesting. There is an old church somewhere in town. I had Erich with me, so I didn't want to waste time looking all over to find it. If any of the oven-like graves of the early Mexican settlers are still there, I didn't get to see them.
Off we went again. Soon we were entering our third and final destination for the day, Coulterville. When we arrived, instead of parking right away, Erich wanted to drive through the town. We went a few blocks and the town sort of petered out. I was looking for a place to turn around and was going to do so on a connecting street, but a car was coming up behind me. I just decided to turn and go down the street and turn around down there. As we approached the next corner, I spotted this cool old store. I pulled over to get a better look at it -- and some photos. There, next to the car, was a street sign. We were on the corner of Kow and Chinatown. Ha! Who knew there was a tiny Chinatown in Coulterville... and we just happened to stumble upon it by accident.
The Sun Sun Wo Co was built/opened in 1851. It operated until 1926. It was one of the earlier gold rush buildings and one of the oldest adobe structure of the era still standing. According to a plaque on the outside "The original shelves and counters are still in the store, and there is evidence that part of the office was used as an opium den." Zowie!
Back in the heart of town, we poked around. Everything was closed up, of course. This store no longer exists. It's just the shell. There is no longer a business inside.
The Hotel Jeffrey would have been wonderful to visit. It was closed also. I think I had read somewhere that there had been a fire inside not too long back.
We did find a small Mexican restaurant open (The Yosemite Gold Country Tacoeria) (Yes! Tacoeria... That's how they spelled it.). It was a bit pricey and bland---but it was all we could find. (Coulterville only has about 113 people in it.)
Across the highway is the Northern Mariposa County History Center, housed in the remains of Coulter's Hotel. A small train, Whistling Billy, sits on the grounds, but I am not sure of the significance.
You can only use your imagination to piece together what Coulter's Hotel was once like. (Although, to make it easier, I am sure the museum has photos of the place from back then.)
A peek in through the gates revealed a small courtyard with stairs leading to the museum's entrance.
And that was our day. We had a long, 2-hour ride home. It was brutal. The road between Coulterville and the next little town (Bear Valley) was twisty, turny mountain road with scarifying drops off the side. Once we hit Mariposa, we took a different route home and experienced the true center of California, the town of LeGrand (even though to little town of Northfork wrongly claims the title). As we passed through Le Grand, we had to wonder why the place exists... There is NOTHING there. Tiny Hornitos was much more interesting.
But, aside from time, a half of a tank of gas, and lunch, the day didn't really cost us anything and it was good to have a little adventure with very little human contact.
It has been a week now since out coast trip. So far, neither of us are sick. (Knock on wood!)
Later today, in addition to the exit interview, Erich and I are meeting Shookie at the drive in. She'll go in her own car to stay socially distant.
Monday, I will finally have my appointment with the new neurologist. Hopefully he will have some news for me about what I have. Whoo hoo! Answers are only days away (Hopefully!).
Stay SAFE. Stay SHELTERED. Stay ALIVE.
CHEERS!
Continue to the next part HERE.
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