The US has 5,869,032 cases of the virus. 180,844 people have died in this country as a result of the virus. During the Republican National Convention, they acted like the threat of the coronavirus was over. On Tuesday alone--the second night of the convention--1,147 people died from the virus. During the first two nights of the convention, more Americans died from the virus than died in 9/11.
VIRUS NEWS:
The CDC has changed their testing guidelines after allegedly getting pressure to do so from the top on down. The new guidelines say that those exposed to positive COVID 19 cases do NOT need to be tested. INSANE! Breaking news: The CDC appears to have walked back on that decision...but has not changed the information on their website to reflect this.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he was in surgery, under anesthesia, when the plans were discussed to reduce testing and he is concerned by this move.
California, Florida, Texas and other states say they will not follow those new testing guidelines (if they are still in fact the current guidelines).
Prisoners in a correctional facility in Yuma, Arizona were allegedly ordered to refuse COVID 19 testing to keep the number of infections in the jail and the state low.
Fox News is limiting its coverage of the pandemic (as we get closer to election day).
The World Health Organization is warning that the virus will only get worse and more wide spread as the weather gets cooler...
Presidunce Trump has been dismissive of coronavirus cases in children, saying they’re a ‘tiny fraction’ of the deaths.
The World Health Organization has warned that young people are becoming the main spreaders of the virus.
Nearly 9,000 children in Florida have tested positive in the two weeks since schools reopened.
More than 70,000 cases in children have been reported since the beginning of August.
A Christian school in Merced County, California has violated state order and started holding in-class education. The county's public health office is trying to stop them. The school held a protest rally recently in Fresno without social distancing and without wearing masks.
A cafeteria worker in a Virginia school has tested positive for the virus.
Two students at an elementary school in Virginia have tested positive.
A middle school in West Virgina had a positive case.
The governor of Arkansas announced that, with four days into the school year, they've had 222 cases so far.
Ohio had 1,244 new cases of the virus yesterday. The governor blames the uptick in cases on kids being back in school.
Betsy DeVos loses the first round against Michigan in coronavirus school funding lawsuit.
Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania resorted to going online with classes after reporting 90 cases of the virus on campus.
Several students at a small college in Kansas have contracted the virus.
Two North Carolina college campuses rank in the top 10 for the number of COVID cases.
This vintage newspaper headline is from the 1918 pandemic:
The University of Alabama reported 566 cases of the virus during the first week back in session. The university is also telling instructors to not tell the student population anything about those infected.
New York's Governor Cuomo has set a limit on the number of cases a university has before needing to cancel in-person classes.
A college freshman, who caught COVID 19 while living in the dorms, shared her story.
In Idaho, anti-maskers stormed the state's House of Representatives.
More than 100 cases so far in eight states have been linked to the maskless, non-socially distant Sturgis Rally. More than 61% of counties in the US have been visited by Sturgis participants, cell phone data shows.
Dozens of people, many without masks, were found in a gym operating illegally in New York that was busted by sheriffs.
A Kentucky man, accused of breaking Canada's COVID 19 rules, faces a fine of $569,000.
The governor in Iowa has closed down bars in several counties.
Trump accepted the Republican Party's re-nomination for president at the RNC...surrounded by a lot of non-socially distant, maskless admirers.
What a surprise (NOT!) to see this Trumper with her nose out...
A city in South Carolina was a hot spot for the virus. The city had a mask mandate put in place by the mayor and it is starting to see a turnaround.
A summer camp in Maine with 1,022 kids and staff present utilized extreme safety measures and only 3 people tested positive afterwards -- none of them deemed community spread-related..
This anti-masker "Karen" apparently went off when asked to wear a mask, got verbal and violent, and was physically kicked out of a store.
Dr. Anthony Fauci warns about rushing out a vaccine before it has been fully tested.
Johnson and Johnson say they will be starting late phase trials of their vaccine with up to 60,000 test subjects in September.
Pfizer indicates they may have their vaccine ready by October (right before the election, amazingly).
Russia is apparently readying the approval of a second vaccine.
How effective does a vaccine need to be to get "back to normal"? This report tells you.
New Jersey is looking for volunteers, especially minorities, for a vaccine test there.
Oregon Health and Science University dropped its massive coronavirus study because minorities didn’t sign up to be included in it.
Italy has begun testing a potential vaccine on human volunteers.
China has apparently been using a vaccine on key workers there since July.
The virus is more deadly for obese people...and the obese are less likely to see benefits from a vaccine.
Rapid testing exists. Why can't we get it? Hold the phone...the FDA just approved these.
A study shows that blood thinners reduce deaths of those suffering from COVID 19.
Mouthwashes are said to be a cheap tool to use against the virus (??).
An antiviral used to treat cats with coronavirus works on humans as well, a study finds.
A man was charged with selling pesticides as coronavirus-killing cleaning supplies.
As the coronavirus ravages Texas, nearly 50 residents in the state drank bleach to ward off the virus, no doubt based on the president's discussion of injecting disinfectants into the body. (Hopefully they remember that at election time...)
Get ready for more stupid people possibly ingesting things. Fox News has reported that a chemical in insect repellent could kill the virus (below the unrelated video). (God, I hope the presidunce doesn't start promoting this, too.)
A post office in Montana has had complaints about coronavirus concerns.
A woman in New York admitted to spitting on a postal employee, threatening to give him COVID 19.
Despite the pandemic, the Trump Administration's flunky is trashing the post office ahead of the presidential election in November in an effort to win and stop mail-in voting. Here is a look at the full problem.
Arizonians protested in support of the post office.
Hurricane Laura is complicating things for so many during this time of the virus. Some fear it may be a super spreader event.
For the second week in a row, Georgia is among the worst states in the nation in regards to COVID 19, yet the governor is defending his response.
An event in Boston in February is believed to have been a super spreader event, causing 20,000 infections.
Doctors are now seeing 'unexpected and dramatic' kidney damage from the virus.
A taxi driver in Florida thought the virus was a hoax...and then he lost his wife to the virus.
Two inseparable sisters, ages 40 and 44, died from the virus days apart.
Florida's COVID 19 isolation centers for seniors have been called into question over safety and other things.
Five COVID 19 survivors discussed their ordeals, and how some are still dealing with mental health issues.
The CDC offered its strongest evidence yet that the virus does spread on airplanes.
More than 500 visitors to Nevada (mostly to Las Vegas) have tested positive for the virus.
Europe is seeing surges in cases. Are tourists to blame?
A letter written during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic speaks volumes about keeping others safe times like we are experiencing now.
The White House and the House of Representatives seem to be at an impasse over the next virus relief bill.
President Trump's preferred virus relief package is detrimental to social security.
The New Yorker took a look at Vice President Pence's "big lie" about Trump and the coronavirus during the Republican National Convention.
Coronavirus relief group criticizes an advertisement in Montana's Senate race.
Why are we having such a hard time with COVID 19 data collection? This article explains.
Jared Kushner made a deal with Russia for ventilators in the early days of the pandemic. A report says everyone of them was faulty.
A report shows that most economically developed countries prefer a national response to COVID 19 (unlike us). Containing the virus could happen easily ---but people (and leaders) are too selfish to follow these simple steps.
Kamala Harris has slammed the president for his lack of action in treating the coronavirus outbreak.
A psychologist, in describing Trump's coronavirus response, says the president “is the most successful bio-terrorist in human history.”
Cats seem to be getting into social distancing as well. Ha!
GLOBAL:
The world has 24,454,344 confirmed cases of the virus in it. 831,615 people have died globally from the virus.
As cases continue to be on the rise again in France, Paris has mandated that masks be worn in all public places.
Germany is considering tough measures to beat a possible second wave there.
In the United Kingdom, some workers will be paid to stay at home in areas with high infection rates. The UK (along with the US) is at the bottom of rankings of how well governments met this pandemic.
In Italy, the pope will resume meeting with the faithful. Police were attacked in Rome for enforcing the mask rules. The return to school is being debated after a teacher tested positive.
In Cuba, Havana is setting up a curfew to try to control the virus.
In Colombia, deaths exceed 18,000. The country has turned to emergency ventilators to help with the cases. Despite the turmoil, they are still planning to end their quarantine in September and welcome international flights again.
STATES:
Maine reported 25 new cases yesterday.
Massachusetts added 365 new cases and 20 deaths yesterday. The state published a list of which communities had the highest number of outbreaks.
New Jersey's coronavirus public health state of emergency has been extended for another 30 days.
North Carolina reported 2,091 new cases on Thursday---the most cases it has had throughout August.
Florida has dropped to third place in its ranking as a hot spot with the virus.
Illinois clocked in with 1,707 new cases and 24 deaths yesterday.
Minnesota recorded 1,158 cases yesterday--the highest daily number yet, supposedly due to a backlog in getting tests processed.
South Dakota was up 343 new cases yesterday.
Colorado has posted an updated list of schools, restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses within the state with outbreaks.
Utah had 383 new cases of the virus yesterday.
There were 21 deaths yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were 20 deaths in Vegas the day before. The state, as a whole, had 30 deaths the day before that (with most of those in Las Vegas).
Washington had 542 new cases yesterday and 10 deaths.
Oregon supplies an updated list of 87 workplaces in the state with active outbreak cases. There were 212 new cases and 5 deaths reported yesterday.
A homeless shelter in Alaska had an outbreak...resulting in at least 61 cases.
The island of Oahu in Hawaii is shutting down for 2 weeks in an effort to stem the tide of virus cases.
CALIFORNIA:
Governor Newsom gave a virus update yesterday. The numbers here are still high, but are down slightly.
Orange County is hoping to reopen schools on September 6.
Amusement parks in Southern California are itching to reopen. The Disneyland Resort, which only had the hotels and Downtown Disney area open, is closing down again due to the pandemic.
LOCAL:
Fresno-area schools may be weeks away from reopening instead of months, one official says.
The Foster Farms plant in Merced has been closed down as a coronavirus outbreak seems to be spreading unchecked.
UC Merced has started out the school year remotely.
CREATIVITY:
Here is a great parody of a Cyndi Lauper song. It's Donald Trump in CRIME AFTER CRIME:
This is fun...It's THE PRESCHOOL APPRENTICE with mini-Donald Trump:
Putin appears at the RNC:
Here are some more political ads that are spot-on amazing!
My friend Linda in Castro Valley, CA sent me this picture. (!?!) Um...okay... Ha!
VINTAGE CREATIVITY:
Who doesn't like ABBA? I happened upon this little video. From 2004, it is ABBA: OUR LAST VIDEO EVER. It was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. Several ABBA hits are heard (including the Eurovision-winning WATERLOO) and there are three incarnations of the band. They appear in a puppet version, there is a quick vintage shot of them, and sharp-eyed viewers will find their 2004 visages popping up in cameos...as well as other cameos. Get you peepers ready. (Your ears are already ready, I'm sure):
MAIL:
I had a disturbing text from my friend Angel in Colombia:
"This morning, a car exploded inside the building where I live and the basement caught fire," he said. "At 4 a.m., they evacuated us all and the police came to investigate. They already let me into my apartment, but everything smells ugly."
I tried to contact him some more for clarification and to see how he was. He had sent these photos, the first of which seems to show smoke near the people.
It looks like everyone was okay and it sounds like the apartment building was spared.
Angel finally responded to my texts yesterday, which turned out to be his birthday! (Oops! I missed it. And I feel bad after reading his note.)
"Today I want to thank you for all the help you have given me in this time," he said. "Thank you for being by my side and guiding me.
"Today I am 28 years old and I wanted to tell you that I wish you the best, many successes and blessings. May God fill you with health and fortune .. and happy moments. I want to tell you that I will always be here for whatever you need. I love you very much and I hope you can always count on me."
He included these pictures of his birthday:
Later still, he wrote:
"A lot has happened. I'm with my family. The building is fine. Due to the situation, I think my parents will return to Venezuela. Colombia is very bad because of the virus, but we are fine. I no longer live in a luxurious place."
He included a short video. His mother (I think) is calling a cat. His brother (?) is leaning on a gate. There is a second cat and his little sister is talking (not seen) about... something. He often sends little moments like this. I don't understand them, but I appreciate them and I like peeking into my friend's world and seeing what it is like.
My friend Troy lives in Mississippi near Louisiana. I was concerned about him with Hurricane Laura heading that direction. He responded:
"We'll feel the storm here, though the worst of it will be about 120+ miles west of us," he said. "It's going to be very bad near the Louisiana/Texas border. Very bad. I'm sure there will be many people with desperate need over the next few days. I think emergency management will be up to the task, though the damage is going to be widespread in several states."
My former co-worker Karen at the hospital sent me this note:
"Time has passed all too quickly since I saw you last and I fear it will be much longer until I see you again," she said. "Hearing that you won't be returning has us all in a twitter. Please let us know what the doctors say and what will happen next. All of our fingers are crossed (quite a 'feet') that you'll find out soon a positive outcome. Stay strong."
SHIRLEY:
The poor air quality from all of the wildfires had, I think, Shirley spooked. She stayed in her little cardboard shack (just a cut off corner of a cardboard box) in the kitchen on the other side of the refrigerator. She had stayed there all weekend. I, the overly worried tortoise uncle (Yes, uncle..although Shirley could be older than me. Hmm...), was concerned. She wasn't eating or drinking and , although she moved, she didn't come out of the "shack."
On Tuesday, i made her food and moved her water over. I picked her up and set her down between the food and water. She just sat there. Eventually she had a little water and I let her be.
A few minutes later, I returned to the kitchen. Shirley had walked across the kitchen and into the dining room. She was by the sliding glass door and I thought she'd probably wanted out. I opened the door and called out to her, but she didn't seem interested. I left the door open a while, thinking she'd possibly turn around and go out after all. However, when I returned, she was approaching her box house, the cardboard condo. I moved her food and water over. She did drink for a long while...and then retired to her box for a few days.
On Wednesday, this was all I saw of her...just her head and one of her front feet through the back of the box.
By Thursday, I was very worried. She hadn't eaten in days. She also hadn't been out in days, either. So, I picked her up and put her by the door to see if she would go out. She just sat there and sat there.
I picked her up and moved her to the edge of the patio. I brought her food and stuck it in front of her. She walked up to it, maybe had a bite or two, then walked over it. She had hardly eaten anything. When she stopped again, I moved her plate in front of her again...and she finally ate. And she ate well.
However, less than two hours later, guess who was outside of the door wanting in. Yep, it was Shirley. When I discovered her, it was evident that she had come to the door looking for me and had given up when she didn't see me. She was heading away from the door when I saw her. I opened the door and called to her. I wish I had had my phone with me to film her making a big U-turn to come inside, but I had left it in another room. By the time I had returned, she was already on her way inside. Hopefully, I will catch her U-turn another time.
She trotted slowly over to the "shack", crawled inside, and went to sleep.
ME:
On Tuesday, I had to go back to my hematologist's office for labs and another 500 mls of bloodletting. O' the joy... When I got there, I was surprised to see the lobby / waiting area fuller than it had been since the pandemic hit.
Upstairs, the treatment area was fairly packed as well.
I did get my blood sucked out in record time. No, they cannot reuse my blood in blood banks or whatever. My hemochromatosis and polycythemia make it undesirable.
On the way home, I picked up some groceries...including a comb. Why a comb? It's getting to be haircut time again soon. If I'm going to have to cut my own hair again, I need a real comb. That giant purple novelty comb did not do the trick.
I spent several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday creating a couple of travel blog posts. It was just expansions of the trip I took a week or so ago to the some of the old gold rush towns. There are more photos and extended text with information -- but basically the same thing I posted here right after the excursion. You can check it out if you like. The Mariposa visit is HERE. The stop in Hornitos is HERE. The final destination, Coulterville, is HERE.
I hope to do another field trip like that fairly soon.
On Thursday, I had several errands to run. After picking up printer ink (GRR!) at Office Depot, I stopped at Lowe's to get filters for my AC unit. They were out. I did see these Halloween decorations, and that had me wondering if Halloween was even going to be possible this year or not. Hmm.
On the way back home, I took some shots of the outdoor nail salon....
...Coolhand Luke's parking lot dining room...
...the epically pathetic IHOP parking lot dining area...
...and Colton's Social House's parking lot dining area, with umbrellas and misters...for the win.
I stopped True Value Hardware, which had this set up for regulating the number of customers and making sure masks were in place.
I found some A/C filters there and I was a happy camper. Hooray!
Stay SAFE! Stay SHELTERED! Stay ALIVE!
CHEERS!
Continue to the next part HERE.
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