Saturday, August 21, 2021

August 21, 2021 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Poetry Day

 

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not August 21, 2021       

            CV World Cases: The CV pandemic across the planet continues on an increasing basis with cases now over 212 million at  212, 103,181 cases (211,481,696 yesterday); 17,934,067 of which are active, 194,169,114  closed with 189,733,602 recoveries (97.72% and 97.71% yesterday, and 4,435,512 deaths (2.28% and 2.29% yesterday) to continue the slow trend of increased cases with increased recovery percentages and decreased death percentages with some plateaus, dips, and rises.
            CV USA Cases: Total cases now over 38 million at 38,519,247 (38,383,135 yesterday)  with 7,411,400 active cases of which 23,274 are serious or critical, (21,492 yesterday and 8,599 on 3/25/2021) (now on a serious upswing due to Delta virus to .314 % of active cases and now a steady increase in the number of serious or critical cases to an decrease the reduction from the 29,271 peak on 12/31/2020 to 7,779, 31,107,847 closed, with 644,838 deaths (2.07% and 2.07% yesterday) and with 30,463,009 recoveries (97.93% and 97.93% yesterday). Our death rate percentage is no longer stuck at 2.08% since July 12, 2021 and now .21% lower than the world’s death rate.
             Standing: On a deaths per million population measure on a steady   but slow climb to 1935 the U.S. ranks behind Peru (5904 the new number 1 which has had a quantum leap in deaths previously unmatched which was a change in the classification to give Peru the a new method of reporting to have a fatality rate of 9.26% of total cases now; Hungary the new number 2 has had a huge continuing surge in deaths with the increase now slowing down and improving slightly to  3.77% of its closed cases have died (3119), aping Hungary in terms of increase in deaths Bulgaria (2681),   Brazil (2680) which has been hit with a rapid rise in deaths and cases and passed us and Italy, Argentina (2413),  Columbia newly added to the list  (2410),   Belgium (2174), Italy (2133), and Poland (1993), and slightly better than Mexico (1932),  the UK which we just passed on the 18th  (1927),  Chile (1896), Romania (1802), Ecuador newly added to list (1782), Spain (1777), Portugal (1735), France (1731), Bolivia (1541),  Sweden (1438) that never closed its economy down like we did, and Switzerland (1254). 
              Tests: We have now conducted 565,682,911 tests (1,697,679/M) just passed by France at 1,708,091 who is now 1st  on a per capital basis for all nations (other than those nations that contain small populations like Bahrain, Denmark, Israel, Malta, Singapore and UAE) other than the U.K. which remains as king of the mountain with respect to tests at 3,820,862/M.
               CV Open Gate: Lost in the pronouncements by Biden and his lackeys  that there is no crisis of illegals surging across the border is that fact that COVID-19 is alive and well and spreading in the Northern Triangle and Mexico which has been passed by Argentina and newly added Columbia but passed the UK  to move up to 11th  on my list of deaths from the pandemic  at 1932/M with a fatality rate of 9.18% of closed cases and the 3 countries in the Northern Triangle in terms of active cases and deaths per million are as follows even though the data may be suspect as underreported (regardless of number we need no more cases):
                     Guatemala:  Active Cases:  50,978 Deaths/M 626
                     Honduras:    Active Cases: 213,083 Deaths/M 852
                     El Salvador:  Active cases:   10,826 Deaths/M 434   
             US Vaccinations: As of 8/21/2021 361.7 million doses, up from .837 million per day to .845  million per day (down to 5 months to go for 75% of population vaccinated) and in California 94,540  per day (92,536 yesterday) which means if the rate does not increase it will take us still some 3 months to have 75% of the population of California vaccinated which many believe is necessary to develop herd immunity (other than Flip Flop Fauci who may believe that 90% is required).  In California 47,039,961 total doses have been given (87.6%  of doses received to exceed the U.S. average of 84.5%), but even with the pressure of a recall to be scheduled this fall which hopefully end Newsom’s term, California has now moved up from 14th   to 13th tied with Virginia of the 50 states in terms of the percentage of doses administered as a percentage of doses delivered to the states and at 54.8% of its population fully vaccinated compared to the U.S. average of 51.3% has not moved from 16th . A long way to go still to get herd immunity in terms of getting vaccines received into arms and the percentage of the population fully vaccinated compared to other states which means a great reason to recall this inept and hypocritical governor.
              Non  CV News: Another day another cyber-attack on our State Department which although details were not released we were assured that the rescue operations of the Americans in Kabul was not impacted; Greece fearful of a surge of refugees from Afghanistan has extended its border wall with Turkey halt such feared exodus; an ISIS threat against American citizens in Kabul has prompted the State Department to issue a warning to Americans in Kabul not to come to the airport gates unless requested by State personnel (the Pentagon has confirmed that 17,000 have been evacuated from Kabul of whom only 2500 are Americans); Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan is safe and sound in the U.A.E. that has granted him asylum ( with so little time to plan his exit wonder how much cash he was able to bring with him which given the corruption in that nation good bet would be in the millions); U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Lewis in her first meet after being suspended due to a positive marijuana test finished in last place; the U of VA has suspended 200 students for failing to meet its vaccine mandate but left open their chance to reenroll if they subsequently were vaccinated; a fully vaccinate Governor Abbot who tested positive for CV 4 days ago, after taking Regeneron has now tested negative; an elite group of Taliban fighters now outfitted in U.S. uniforms and military hardware is mocking the U.S. by aping one of the iconic photos of WWII, the planting of the flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima: 
     
                                                                   

The Treasury Department was quick to freeze Afghanistan assets but the Taliban sadly should be able to still raise millions through its various criminal activities; Mississippi which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country has now ordered people who test positive for CV to self-quarantine at home for 10 days or face $5,000 fines and up to 5 years in prison;  with concern over the fallout of Biden’s poorly executed withdrawal plan feared to have dire consequences for us on the world stage, leave it to the political cartoonist to portray fears that Biden’s betrayal of the Afghans who helped our forces and were critical to their success and well being represented an immoral stab in the back:     
            Chicago Gun Violence: Hey Jackass.com is alive and well to collect data to show that through August 20, 2021, gun violence involving mostly persons of color shooting mostly persons of color in Chicago is alive and well with 2936 persons shot of whom 508 have died.
               As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a  music video link to  “Stay (I Missed You)”  by Lisa Loeb, that seiners are still able to catch sustainable salmon to enjoyed in canned salmon meals and a quote by Arthur L. Herman on how to prevent war in the ICBM Age, secure in the knowledge that if you want to send a gift for any memorable events like Labor Day, college graduations, birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. Please contact me for details on pricing.
           1National Brazilian Blowout Day—created by BrazilianBlowout.com on July 29, 2014 and celebrated on this day in 2014 to commemorate a hair styling process that straightens hair especially hair that is frizzy.
           2.  Poet’s Day—created by William Sieghart in 1994 to promote poets and the appreciation for poetry and obviously a needed counterweight to Bad Poetry Day we endured several days ago.
                3.
 1994 Number 1 Song USA—the number 1 song in 1994 on this day was “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories for 3 weeks in that position to join 9 other songs that achieved number 1 status and 6 acts who achieved their first number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Here is a music video of “Stay (I Missed You”) by Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HGwRbMiVY   Lisa Loeb is the first artist to have a song achieve number 1 status before having a record contract and is also known for singing in a Geico ad.
           4.  Word of the Day—the word of the day is “seine” which is a 300-fathom long net 3 ½ fathoms deep to catch commercially fish like salmon and for this Alaskanpoet was used for 6 summers in Alaska to fund a car, college and law school education.
           5.  Winds of Freedom Blow Dollarscelebrating the birth on this day in 1973 of Sergey Brin who emigrated with his family from the Soviet Union at the age of six and while getting his Ph.D. in computer science at Stanford met Larry Page to co-found Google and is now worth some $100 billion.
              On this day in:
            a. 1957 the Earth became a smaller place and more dangerous one as the Soviet Union successfully tested its R-7 Semyorka, the world’s first intercontinental missile.
            b. 1968 Nicolae Ceaușescu, the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party condemned the Soviet and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia which Romania did not participate in and urged Romanians to arm themselves resist Soviet invasions. His popularity given the corruption in the country and economic policies led to his overthrow and execution of him and his wife after a summary trial on December 25th almost immediately after the guilty verdict was rendered. 
         c. 1968 James Anderson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for service in South Vietnam on February 28, 1967 for jumping on a grenade shielding his fellow Marines from death and serious injury to become the first African American to win the medal.    
           d. 2000 Tiger Woods won the PGA Tournament the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win 3 majors in a single year.
           e. 2017 a total solar eclipse came ashore near Newport, Oregon to traverse the United States to be awed by millions including the Alaskanpoet who watched i7 at the Salem airport.

               Reflections on the impact of ICBM’s: “The lesson of the Cuban Missile Crisis is plain: Strength prevents war; weakness invites it. We need a commander-in-chief who understands that - and who won't leave us facing a foe who thinks he doesn't.” Arthur L. Herman, noted popular historian and fellow at the Hudson Institute.
           Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet, and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the links below. Go to  www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day in History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance or go to  Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

© August 21, 2021 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire, Beyond Compare
A Unique Gift, All Recipients a Lasting Gift

 

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