Month: February 2021

Fairfax County vaccine status – Violence in Myanmar – Trump idol worship – Division among Republicans – Evening statistics

There is more news about vaccine distribution in Fairfax County.  Even though the scheduling of persons who registered on January 18^th for vaccination has continued for three weeks, over a third of them remain to be scheduled.  When this amount is add to the numbers of people who signed up on the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st, there are about 50,000 who are to be scheduled before those who signed up on the 22^nd, as I did, will be able to make appointments.  Shipments for the new vaccine will begin tomorrow, which may accelerate the rate at which vaccines are being administered.

The tension in Myanmar has escalated and the long-feared violent outbreak has begun.   At least 18 people were killed and 30 more injured by police of the militia firing at protesters against the coup.  It is difficult to obtain details.  There are reports of firing into crowds at Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku, as well as the use of tear gas, flash-bang and stun grenades, but these claims, although they sound plausible, have not been independently verified.  Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s UN ambassador, made an impassioned plea at the UN General Assembly for international action that would overturn the coup; not surprisingly, he has since been removed from his position.   One of the victims was Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing, Internet network engineer.  Only one day earlier, he posted a question on Facebook:  “How many dead bodies before the United Nations takes action?” He was one of five people killed today in Yangon.

The Conservative Political Action Conference was held this week in Florida.  One of the attendees, incidentally, was Ted Cruz.  One wonders whether he found as many diversions in Orlando as he had hoped to obtain in Cancun.  Among highlights of the CPAC was a fiberglass statue of Donald Trump, over six feet tall, dressed in a suit jacket, white shirt, red tie, American-flag shorts, sandals, and a magic wand (a reference to Obama’s disdainful remark that Trump didn’t have a magic wand to bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States).  It is painted in a gleaming garish gold hue, and onlookers were not slow to make analogies to this ingenious machine – art it is not – and the Golden Calf.  There are photos of people bowing before it – presumably tongue-in-cheek, but it is difficult to be certain.

Biden thus is the beneficiary of a schism that few presidents have enjoyed:  the party in opposition to his own is so deeply divided that members of its splinters are too busy abusing each other to pay much attention to him.  Consequently he is having a somewhat easier time in getting his resolutions passed than most presidents in their first few months.  The CPAC demonstrates clearly that Trump has by no means exhausted his appeal among the Republican Party.  Trump himself made a speech at the closing of the event today, in a manner one might expect:  repeating the claim about the election being rigged, calling out for the elimination of those who voted against him during the impeachment, and launching into multiple tirades about mail-in voting, voter ID laws, and the Supreme Court ruling rejecting his election challenges.  Just before this speech began, he won CPAC’s presidential straw poll with the support of 55 percent of the more than 1,000 conference attendees asked about who they support for the GOP’s 2024 bid.  There is a contingent within the party that is strongly resistant to Trump and is attempting to combat his influence, but its members are clearly a minority. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  114,674,302; # of deaths worldwide: 2,542,556; # of cases U.S.: 29,255,344; # of deaths; U.S.:  525,776. 

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail in the snow – The vaccination situation in Virginia – The new Janssen vaccine – Vote against the relief package – Long-term strategy of the Republicans – Evening statistics

I believe that this season has seen more use of my micro-spikes than any previous one.  Today I met with ten other Wanderbirds members to hike along the Appalachian Trail from Rte. 55 to the junction with the Trico Tower Trail and take a mile-long loop along that trail and a fire road before returning back:  about 10 miles in all and 2000 feet of elevation gain.  The length of the distance, however, should be calculated in what one member called “dog miles”:  after I completed the route I felt as tired as if I had gone 15 miles instead of 10.  At the beginning of the hike the snow on the ground had melted entirely, but as one went further up the residual snow became deeper and deeper.  Even slight ascents became arduous under such conditions.  The weather turned out better than expected, raining very little (just drizzle, in fact) during the first hour and clearing throughout the day, with sunshine in the afternoon.

As always, we took the opportunity to keep one another up-to-date with our current status in various matters.  I had conversations with several about vaccines, an increasing source of interest for most of us.  One in particular stands out for me.  LH and I are supposed to be on a trip organized by LM in June to hike in King’s Canyon and Sequoia.   I told her about my current situation:  that I had registered to be vaccinated on January 22^nd and that Fairfax County is still vaccinating only up to those who have registered on January 18^th – a state of affairs that has lasted for three weeks.  It is true that fewer people registered on the intervening days; but even if everyone who registered on January 18^th were vaccinated tomorrow, there would be at least 35,000 people who registered before I did.  I cannot see getting vaccinated any time before April.  LH, who is not in either the 1A or 1B category, is worried whether she can get vaccinated by the time of the trip.  It is a legitimate concern:  Virginia remains one of the least effective states in distributing the vaccine to its residents. 

There is, possibly, a mitigating factor.  A new COVID vaccine has been approved by the FDA.  The Janssen vaccine (manufactured by Jouhnson and Johnson) requires only a single dose and is easier to store than either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.  It is rated as 85% effective at preventing severe illness and 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths 28 days after individuals are vaccinated.  The new vaccine was tested in countries known to have potentially more dangerous variants, including Brazil and South Africa. The data found the vaccine worked against all variants at preventing severe disease.  Not all of the findings are rosy:  there is not sufficient data to determine frequency of allergic reactions and it is not clear how long that the immunization it confers will last (this last caveat applies to the other vaccines as well).  But at any rate it should aid in the distribution of vaccinations.  Shipment of 3.9 million doses could begin as early as Monday, with about 800,000 of that expected to go directly to pharmacies.

The Republicans in the House have voted against the pandemic relief package that would send $1,400 checks to most Americans and hundreds of billions more to help open schools, revive struggling businesses, and provide financial support to state and local governments.  It is difficult to understand what they expect to gain by this maneuver.  They no longer hold a majority in either chamber and they must be aware that they cannot hope to pass or defeat any bill unaided by at least a handful of Democrats rallying to their side.  They must know, also, that such a vote will make them extremely unpopular.  There are even a significant number of prominent Republicans outside of the legislative branch who favor the bill:  for example, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, who along with 31 other Republican mayors wrote a letter urging leaders in both parties to approve the package. The pandemic has necessitated cuts to the city’s fire and police departments, which is crippling civic services.  And of course the average worker, whether Republican or Democrat, is likely to resent any factor that stands in the way of some much-needed relief from the tolls that the pandemic and its attendant restrictions have taken from him.  It is somewhat curious watching a political party commit suicide. 

The explanation given is that an analogous situation occurred in 2009, when Republicans voted against the massive stimulus package designed to protect millions of Americans from financial ruin.  After (from the Republican point of view) a disastrous election in 2008, this step actually marked the beginning of their return to power.  Their arguments that the stimulus package cost too much and accomplished too little fueled a significant part of their success in the 2010 elections.  Evidently they are hoping for history to repeat itself, especially as Biden (who was Vice President at the time) played a major role in the 2009 stimulus package.  But the analogy is a dubious one.  The principal causes of the 2008 economic crisis, which the 2009 stimulus package was designed to correct, were risk-taking by banks and the bursting of the national housing bubble: factors that were easy to identify and that could be addressed in a relatively short time.  The cause of our current economic troubles is the cumulative restrictions imposed by the virus, making it impossible for businesses that depend on physical contact between providers and customers – food stores, restaurants, bars, private schools, gyms, spas, transportation, travel services, etc. – to operate in the same manner that they used before the pandemic began.  In all probability some of the modifications imposed by the virus will be long-lasting and several businesses will fall by the wayside as a result.  The adjustment period to these new conditions may last for several months, possibly well beyond the period of campaigning for the 2022 elections.  If that is the case, this vote cast by the Republican Representatives (and by the Republican Senators, who are expected to follow suit) will be held against them.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  114,365,469; # of deaths worldwide: 2,536,697; # of cases U.S.: 29,202,824; # of deaths; U.S.:  524,669. 

Early crocus blooms – Historic Blenheim – The terror of Jersey Island – Progress in restraining malaria – Biden’s first airstrike – Evening statistics

Little purple crocuses with yellow stamens appeared on my lawn yesterday.  These are wild, not planted from store-bought bulbs, clustering within the roots of an oak tree that project above the ground.  The flowers are of the crocus tommasinianus species, sometimes known as the woodland crocus:  one of the earliest to bloom during the late winter/early spring season.  The plant originated in the Balkan area of Europe and I suppose it is technically an invasive species, but I am always glad to see this harbinger of spring.   After the series of snowfalls we have had a period of mild spring-like days; the moderation in temperatures in combination with the lengthening of the days triggers their emergence. 

A historic home in Fairfax has actually been in the headlines today – the headlines for the local area, at any rate.  Blenheim (pronounced BLEE-num, unlike its namesake in Oxfordshire), a 19^th-century brick farmhouse in the so-called Greek Revival style, was used during the Civil War as part of a hospital reserve system.  Many Union soldiers convalesced from wounds or diseases there, and over 100 of them wrote inscriptions on the walls during their stay, sometimes quite extensive ones.  I visited the house some years ago, at which time the curators were in the process of removing the paint and wallpaper that subsequent owners had used to cover up the graffiti.  At this point the graffiti are being revealed by use of special lighting techniques that can read them while still covered by paint or paper, without having to expose them to chemicals that might injure them and render them indecipherable.  Historians are using them to see what they might reveal about living conditions during the Civil War – treating them as a diary of the period, in fact.  So perhaps the idea that records such as this one during the COVID epidemic attracting the attention of future historians may not be so far-fetched after all.

A certain animal that has gone feral is terrorizing Jersey, of the Channel Islands:  not, as one might expect, pigs, or dogs, or goats, but . . . chickens. 

The chickens that have gone wild are, contrary to the usual stereotype, anything but cowardly.  Congregating in flocks of 100 or more does appear to given them a boost in self-confidence.  They crow lustily at 4:00 AM; they sally forth into gardens and gleefully trash them in their relentless quest for food; they march down the roads, serenely ignoring the automobiles on them, seemingly for the purpose of tying up traffic, they chase after joggers, giving the latter an impetus to increase their speed.  It seems probable that initially a few chickens were kept as pets and then abandoned, after which (since Jersey has no foxes or other natural predators) their population increased geometrically and they now number in the thousands.  Whoever came up with the concept of “free-range chicken” could not possibly have anticipated a situation like this one.

Not all of the news from the WHO is gloomy, even in the midst of a pandemic.  Today it announced that El Salvador has eliminated malaria, the 38^th country to do so and the first one in Central America.  Malaria has been eliminated in much of North America (including the Caribbean nations) outside of the Central American nations, most of Europe, a good number of the island nations in the Pacific, and a few South American, African, and Asian nations.  It is still a far-ranging and relentless disease; in 2018 it infected 228 million people and killed an estimated 405,000.  But if it can be eliminated in a country with a climate such as El Salvador’s (i.e., one that is hospitable to mosquitos that carry the disease) then there is hope that the world at large can become malaria-free eventually.  Similar developments have occurred in the past.  Just a couple of generations ago polio was a deadly scourge, and now it has been eliminated from all except a handful of small isolated areas. 

Biden has ordered airstrikes against multiple facilities at a Syrian-Iraqi border control point in southeastern Syria in retaliation for rocket attacks on U.S. targets in neighboring Iraq. The Pentagon identified the targets as a several Iranian-backed militant groups including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.  Again, this policy runs contrary to what his opponents were predicting during the election:  he is not being unresponsive to provocations from Iran.  It will be perceived that these notes, in common with those from many observers, discuss Biden’s activities much more dispassionately than those of his predecessor.  Some of Biden’s actions I support; others I question; but in all cases I can understand the policy that drives them and I can believe that he is motivated by what he thinks to be best for the nation, as opposed to motives of sheer self-aggrandizement. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  113,962,373; # of deaths worldwide: 2,528,115; # of cases U.S.: 29,130,841; # of deaths; U.S.:  522,875. 

Delays in receiving the vaccine in Fairfax County – Mercia Bowser – Decline in COVID hospitalizations and deaths – The virus as a factor in the recent election – Counties begin to sue on account of lawsuits falsely claiming voter fraud – Evening statistics

Biden has said that the rollout of the vaccination is “weeks ahead of schedule.”  Perhaps that is true generally, but it is certainly not the case here.  The webpage that provides the status for Fairfax County says that they are making appointments for those who registered for the vaccine on January 18^th.  It has been in this status for more than two weeks.  I myself registered on January 22^nd.  At this rate I will not receive the vaccine until the end of April at the earliest. 

The virus appears to be on the decline but it is not to be underestimated.  Yesterday Mercia Bowser, sister of DC’s mayor, died from COVID-related complications at the age of 64.  She is one of many; over 1,000 people in DC have died from the disease, and national daily death tolls have been ranging between 1,500 and 3,000 for the past few weeks –less than they were in December and early January, but considerably greater than the daily death tolls of the previous summer months.  In the words of Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “It’s encouraging to see these trends coming down, but they’re coming down from an extraordinarily high place.”

Anita Dunn, a prominent Biden adviser, said that the coronavirus is the “best thing that could have happened” for Biden.  There is naturally some backlash after this incautious remark was disclosed, but it is the simple truth.  The statement is as much a reflection on Trump as on Biden.  If Trump had displayed even the smallest amount of responsibility when the pandemic started, Biden’s task of defeating Trump in the recent election would have been much more difficult.  If Trump had cooperated to some small degree with Fauci’s efforts to contain the virus, if he had not made outlandish claims endorsing quack medicines, if he had not attempted to portray the hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID as part of a conspiracy to discredit him – if he had done any of these things, he not only would have spared the nation many casualties and much unnecessary suffering, but he would have made his own re-election much more likely. 

Dekalb County and Cobb County, both of Georgia, have filed suits to recoup legal fees from the lawsuit that made claims of voter fraud, on the grounds that the claims were unsubstantiated and that lawsuit was therefore frivolous.  The amounts that they are asking for are not enormous — $6,105 for Dekalb and $10,875 for Cobb – but it is yet another suit to add to the growing list of lawsuits that are besetting Trump since his presidency ended.  Other counties in Georgia are considering similar motions. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  113,530,027; # of deaths worldwide: 2,518,255; # of cases U.S.: 29,050,435; # of deaths; U.S.:  520,708. 

Sugarloaf Mountain in the snow – Indonesia mediates for Myanmar – A focused resolution – Evening statistics

A local author is writing, or I should rather say updating, a book on hikes in Western Maryland.  At her behest, several hikers in the region are scouting the hikes described in the book and suggesting revisions as needed.  It is a necessary task for any revision of a book describing regional hikes.  Trails get rerouted, as do the roads that are mentioned in the driving directions to the trailheads.  As part of this effort I went to Sugarloaf Mountain today to go over a circuit hike described in the book.  I honestly did not expect any surprises, since I had been there as recently as November; but I received one nonetheless.  The trail routes themselves have not changed, but on this occasion the residual snow and ice transformed what ordinarily would be a rather easy hike into quite a challenging one.  I was very tired by the time I had completed it, and it was only about 9 miles long.  On the other hand, the views from the summit and from White Rocks were splendid.  The view from the summit overlooks the unincorporated community of Dickerson and its power plant.  That, in itself, doesn’t sound very attractive, but in fact the community and the plant are on such a small scale that they actually emphasize the expansiveness of the view.  From White Rocks one looks westward over the Frederick Valley, the floodplain of the Monocacy River.   The road to the East View and West View parking lots was closed, and only a few cars were parked at the small parking area at the base when I arrived at 9:00 AM, so I had these views to myself when I arrived at the overlooks – the first time I have ever done so, for Sugarloaf is a popular local excursion and generally is rather crowded.  It was a beautiful day, close to 60 degrees on the mountain (and well over 60 when I came back to lower elevations), a welcome change after the wet weather and gray skies of the majority of the days these past three weeks.

Indonesia has taken the lead within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar caused by the coup on February 1^st.  Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met Myanmar’s military-appointed foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, for talks in Bangkok yesterday.  The Myanmar democracy activists are suspicious of this intervention, not entirely without justification.  They fear that such efforts might confer legitimacy on the junta now in control.  Retno insists that she will hold communications with both sides and that the wellbeing of the people of Myanmar is the number one priority.  This last statement is of course rather vague, but Indonesian authorities are indicating that they will induce ASEAN to send monitors to ensure that the military government will adhere to its promise of holding free elections within a year.  It clearly is in the best interests of the current government in Myanmar to be in good standing with their neighbors and economic allies, which makes a peaceful outcome at any rate a possibility.  Still, people – and politicians in particular – do not always act in accordance with their best interests.  Sometimes love of power overrides every other consideration.  We have recently seen an example of that somewhat closer to home.

Speaking of which . . .

House Democrats have introduced a bill that bans former U.S. presidents who have been “twice impeached” from burial in Arlington National Cemetery.  I’m little surprised that they did not include a proviso that rules out “orange-haired former U.S. presidents who wear hideous neckties” from the privilege, just in case the proposed motion as it stands is not specific enough.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  113,081,640; # of deaths worldwide: 2,506,752; # of cases U.S.: 28,974,124; # of deaths; U.S.:  517,408. 

Local trail improvement projects – Xavier Becarra’s disqualifications for HHS – Iranian justice – Election in Niger – Evening statistics

I met (via Zoom) with the Potomac Heritage Trail Association today, getting an update on various projects on the trail network in this region.  Much is underway, for Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun Counties in Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland are all showing greater attention to encouraging people to get out of doors than in the past.  The most ambitious project is that of building another boardwalk close to Leesylvania State Park, bridging Powells Creek.  The Neabsco boardwalk has been a great success, attracting people in communities that ordinarily do not get the benefits of green space, and Prince Williams County wishes to increase their opportunities.  The PHTA discussed the various crossings along the Potomac Heritage and Pimmit Run Trails that have been washed out.  I was able to speak with some expertise on the subject, having led the McLean Loop hike just a week ago.  The stepping stones at Scott’s Run and Pimmit Run on the PHT and at the Pimmit Run crossings by the Brookhaven and Old Dominion roads on the Pimmit Run Trail have all been swept away, and in high water it is necessary to improvise.  They are not suitable, at this point, for the general public.  (Parents might be dismayed if, for example, they took their children to Scott’s Run only to discover that the way to cross it currently consists of a fallen tree trunk several yards long that one must shimmy along.)  Again, there will be improvements on the Cross-County Trail, which certainly are greatly needed.  The part that skirts along Fairfax City is by far the dullest part of the trail.  It consists of three consecutive miles along Blake Road, which is heavily trafficked and goes through neighborhoods that are not especially interesting.  This section is now being re-routed.  There are plans to make it feasible to walk underneath the junction of I-66 and Rte. 123, thereby avoiding the high-speed traffic one encounters when crossing the various ramps.  This upgrade will improve connectivity with many other neighborhoods.  Ft. Washington, which abuts the eastern bank of the Potomac and which has been neglected for years, will be getting a bit of a facelift.  The PHTA is also looking at ways to make the walk between Brunswick, MD and Lovettsville, VA more comfortable.  The two towns will support this effort, since the improved walkways will bring more visitors and increased tourism for both.  Dalgren is also interested in promoting trails in its vicinity, having the desire to become, as one group member put it, “the new Reston.”

Biden has made another dubious move, this time by presenting Xavier Becerra as his choice for Director of the Department of Health and Human Services.  Becarra is as litigious as Donald Trump himself, having personally filed more than 100 lawsuits.  He has done so chiefly on behalf of the abortion lobby, of which he is a passionate devotee.  I don’t fault him, as some critics do, for being pro-choice, but I certainly can’t approve of his suing the Food and Drug Administration – during the pandemic, no less – to induce them to drop the health and safety standards that protect women who take chemical abortion pills, even though the chemicals have four times the complications of surgical abortion, can cause dangerous complications in later stages of pregnancy, and can harm women’s future fertility if handed out without proper screening and treatment for blood type. They also pose a risk to women if abusers get hold of the drugs to force on women, sometimes without their knowledge or consent.  But even worse than his legal record is the fact that he has no medical experience.  He is married to a physician, but his only professional encounters with health care representatives have consisted of suing them in court.  He may not be quite as egregious a choice as Betsy de Vos was for Secretary of Education, but he gives her a run for her money in that respect.

The following is not a virus-related story, but it is fairly gruesome.  Zahra Ismaili, an Iranian woman accused of murdering her husband, was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged.  She was one of seventeen who were sentenced to be hanged on the same day.  She watched as 16 men were hanged ahead of her, and this ordeal caused her to die of a heart attack before she too could be executed.  Nonetheless, the officials hanged her lifeless body, in order to ensure that the victim’s mother, Fatemeh Asal-Mahi, was given the opportunity to see her daughter-in-law on the gallows  and to kick the stool from under Ismaili’s feet.   Ismaili  is one of 114 women executed under the tenure of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which began in 2013. 

Niger is having democratic elections for the first time in its history as an independent country, but it has had a setback.  Seven poll workers were killed in a landmine blast in the rural community of Dargol. The vehicle was carrying election workers to polling stations in the country’s southwest area.  It is unclear whether the workers were deliberately targeted.  There has been a good deal of fighting and terrorism in that region for years, and the landmines may have been long-standing.  The country has seen four coups since achieving independence from France in 1960.  The current election is the result of the decision of the outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou to step down voluntarily after two five-year terms.  It is to be hoped that there will be no further episodes like this one as the polling continues.  It has the potential of becoming Niger’s first peaceful transfer of power between elected presidents.  At this point we Americans are not in a position to be overly critical.  Considering that our recent election resulted in five deaths on January 6^th, plus two subsequent suicides, the Nigerois could retaliate on those of us making comments about the violent changes in government in African countries.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  112,635,749; # of deaths worldwide: 2,495,260; # of cases U.S.: 28,896,362; # of deaths; U.S.:  514,937. 

Storm and calm – Influx of undocumented immigrants – Trump comes to the forefront again – Outbreak of Ebola – Troubles in the DRC – Evening statistics

There was another winter storm this morning, but this one, although it made driving inadvisable while it lasted, consisted mainly of cold rain and sleet rather than snow.  The temperatures were high enough to melt any snow that fell, as well as a good deal of the residual ice from previous snowfalls.  While it is still too early in the year to be confident that this will be the last snowfall of the season, we will at any rate not be seeing any in the next ten days, when the temperatures will be in the forties and fifties.  There was even some sunshine towards the end of the afternoon, and the next few days should be clear, a welcome change for the series of snowfalls and overcast skies that predominated over the last several weeks.

Like the rain that falls on the just and the unjust, my disapprobation can extend to Republicans and Democrats alike.  Biden on the whole has conducted himself well during the first month of his Presidency and his response to the emergency in Texas has been in every way admirable, but he has embarked on a policy that I cannot help thinking unwise.  On Friday he opened the doors for about 25,000 undocumented migrants from Mexico seeking asylum.  I have no doubt that conditions are miserable there, but this maneuver does not seem advisable at a point when we are just beginning to mitigate the effects of a pandemic.  Considering the number of critics who praised countries such as New Zealand and Vietnam for closing their borders as the COVID virus gained in intensity, it is rather strange that they are now stricken with silence.  At the very least the measure will delay our recovery from the effects of the virus, and it has lasted more than a year already.  Although the hospitalization and death counts per day are declining, we still have daily increases that are well over twice the amounts we have seen during the past summer.

Donald Trump has re-entered the headlines again, but as has been the case in recent weeks, not of his own free will.  The Supreme Court has refused to intercede in the suit brought against him by the Manhattan district attorney, who now is able to enforce a grand jury subpoena for his tax records.  This does not mean that his records will become public, but the prosecutors will have unlimited access to them, a move that Trump has bitterly opposed.  The Supreme Court has also denied an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans to challenge the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to allow votes received up to three days after the election date to be counted.  The case has been described as one of the last of the “kraken” cases.  The votes in question total to 10,000 in all and their exclusion would not be sufficient to overturn the Pennsylvania election results.  The decision thus is mainly symbolic; but at any rate the Supreme Court has sent a clear message that it is not interested in getting involved in squabbles about the election results.  In one case the Court’s determination not to be drawn into Trump’s private concerns worked in his favor:  it dismissed the defamation claim by Stormy Daniels against Trump, leaving in place the lower court opinions that went against her.

There is a good deal of turmoil going on in various African nations.  The Ebola virus has emerged again in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  At least five people have died of it in Guinea and one in the DRC.  Health authorities are racing to stop it from spreading further.  Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Ivory Coast have all been placed on alert on account of their proximity to these two countries.  Ebola is not airborne and it does not spread in the manner that the COVID virus does, but bodies of those who die from Ebola are particularly infectious and can incubate the virus for up to three weeks.  Many communities in these countries have a tradition of relatives and neighbors helping to wash the body before a funeral, and authorities will have to ensure that this custom is placed in abeyance until the disease is contained.  Many in these countries’ health care professions are apprehensive that the effort to contain Ebola will strain the resources needed to combat the COVID virus.  African nations have fared relatively well in comparison with others:  there are less than 4,000,000 cases and a little over 100,000 deaths for all African countries combined, less than 4% of the cases worldwide and slightly over 4% of the deaths.  But in general their health care systems have fewer resources than those of most other nations, and this added burden will not be easy to cope with.

The DRC has had trouble of a different kind.  Luca Attanasio, Italy’s ambassador to the country, was killed in an attack on a United Nations convoy during a field visit.  A member of the Italian Carabinieri (the official Italian police) and a driver were killed as well.  The attack occurred near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, which is located in the eastern part of the country near the border with Rwanda.  Attanasio was participating in a delegation that was traveling from Goma to the eastern town of Rutshuru to visit a school feeding program run by the World Food Program (WFP), the food-assistance branch of the U.N.   A number of other passengers traveling with the delegation were injured in the attack.  It is not clear at this point who was responsible for the killings; but the DRC has numerous rebel groups, especially in the eastern provinces, and many villagers have been murdered there as a result of their forays.  As might be expected, the unrest in this region is hindering the efforts of the health authorities to contain the Ebola virus. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  112,254,821; # of deaths worldwide: 2,484,821; # of cases U.S.: 28,826,230; # of deaths; U.S.:  512,589. 

Hiking in Prince William Forest – Reassurance about the vaccine – Merrick Garland – Caviar to the general (or at any rate to the DNR) – Evening statistics

The weather today was as clear, as it was yesterday, and somewhat warmer, reaching about 40 degrees in the afternoon.  I met with AD and several other fellow-Wanderbirds to hike in Prince William Forest.  In the past we have generally done a counter-clockwise loop via the North Valley, High Meadows, and South Valley Trails but on this occasion we reversed the direction in order to head upstream along the South Quantico Creek Fork and thereby get a better view of the waterfalls it contains.  Not everyone in our group went on the entire loop; some used Taylor Farm Rd. to cut off the mileage added by taking the High Meadows Trail.  The complete hike was about 14 miles and perhaps 1700 feet in elevation gain.  Afterwards we enjoyed various snacks together, including some genuinely sharp cheddar cheese supplied by MB, purchased from a farmer’s market in Baltimore – infinitely better than the bland cheddar one finds in stores.  There was a good deal of residual snow and ice on the trails, and while it was possible to hike without micro-spikes, they certainly made matters easier.  The ascents in this park are neither long nor steep, but they are fairly numerous and when they are covered with icy snow they become more difficult.

I received an Email today from the Fairfax County Health Department assuring me that my registration for the vaccine is confirmed and that I must simply possess my soul in patience until it comes about for my turn to make an appointment.  There is no alternative, as in other states.  A quantity of the vaccine has been sent to pharmacies such as CVS, but it is not available in any of the Virginia outlets.

Merrick Garland’s appointment as Attorney General is to be submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow.  Unlike the episode five years ago, when the Republican portion of the Senate deliberately delayed the hearing of appointing him to the Supreme Court until the Obama administration ended and the appointment became moot, no significant opposition is expected this time.  At present the Republicans’ political capital is at a fairly low ebb; they have a minority in the House of Representatives, a precarious parity in the Senate (any tie vote will be decided by Kamala Harris, who is not likely to vote on their side), and they must be aware that they have not shown to advantage during the recent energy crisis in Texas. 

I frequently scan the news items for comic relief, and I rarely fail to find it.  Ryan Koenigs, who has been the top sturgeon expert of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since 2012, is the lead coordinator for the season during which sturgeon can be legally speared and oversees the 60-odd DNR workers who staff registration stations during the season.  At one point the state received complaints that the DNR workers were illicitly selling, purchasing, bartering or trading sturgeon eggs.  When questioned during the investigation, Koenigs said that the DNR workers were conducting research in regard to the eggs’ fertility.  “Then why are workers at registration stations putting eggs in a cooler marked for a caviar processor?” the investigators wanted to know.  It eventually transpired that Koenigs’ staff members were taking eggs from five to six sturgeon to processors annually after research rather than throwing them away. He also admitted to accepting 20 to 30 jars of caviar annually from processors and disbursed it to as many as a dozen co-workers for their personal use.  Who knew that scientific research had such exotic fringe benefits?

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  111,952,175; # of deaths worldwide: 2,477,781; # of cases U.S.: 28,765,423; # of deaths; U.S.:  511,133.  The figures are still grim, but hospitalizations are going down in nearly all states; there is a resurgence, hopefully a brief one, in North Dakota and South Dakota.  Death rates are also declining; in Texas the number of deaths this week from the virus is 57% less than the number of deaths last week. 

Hiking at Burke Lake – The situation in Texas – Navalny sentenced – The status of COVID vaccinations in Fairfax County – The QAnonCasualties forum – Evening statistics

My microspikes have certainly been put to use this season.  I did not venture far, going merely to Burke Lake; but the trails were icy underfoot and the spikes were decidedly useful.  Some of the others on the trail looked at me with surprise as I went by without any fear of slipping.  However, a couple of joggers were going on with an equal degree of confidence, and I can only suppose that their running shoes had a comparable amount of traction.  It was brilliantly clear today, and not very cold – just below freezing, which in the clear sunshine felt quite comfortable.  The circuit around the lake was much less crowded than usual, the majority of park patrons being daunted by the trails conditions; and as a result I was able to pause at the various viewpoints at my leisure, without being disturbed by others.  I cannot remember, in fact, when I was last able to step out on the fishing pier close to the trailhead parking area to savor the view in solitude. 

The conditions here formed a great contrast to the conditions of the Midwest.  Biden has declared a state of emergency for Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, in which states over 70 deaths have occurred as a result of homes losing their heat amid bitter sub-zero temperatures.  It may be noted, incidentally, that the governors of both Texas and Oklahoma are Republican; but Biden has not allowed party politics to interfere with the responsibilities of the Federal government.  Kevin Stitt, the governor of Oklahoma, has gone out of his way to praise Biden for his prompt response in the matter.  Biden had planned to visit Texas next week, but added that he will go only after he is assured that the effort of accommodating him and his entourage will not impose too much of a burden on the state’s strained resources.  Representatives Penny Morales Shaw, Sheila Jackson Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sylvia Garcia are busily working together to fill boxes at the Houston Food Bank.  AOC raised more than $3 million to aid the Texans affected by the crisis before she left for Houston.  All of these four representatives are Democrats.  Not much has been heard from their counterparts on the other side.  On the whole, I would say that the Republicans in the state are not showing to advantage during this crisis.  Their performance, or lack of it, may affect the Texas elections in 2022.

Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most persistent critic, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for breaching his parole terms while he was recovering in Germany – recovering, it should be added, from an attempt to poison him.  The assertion of Putin’s government that denies complicity in this attempt has the amount of credibility that official pronouncements from the Russian government generally display.  European Union leaders are considering sanctions in response to Navalny’s arrest and will be meeting with two of Navalny’s top aides in Brussels this coming week.  Navalny has responded to his sentencing with composure, even with something like cheerfulness, saying that he does not regret his return to Russia and urging his followers to continue their resistance. 

Dr. Fauci still urges us to avoid indoor dining at restaurants, bars, and any crowded event, either indoors or outdoors.  The vaccine has mitigated matters but the percentage of the population that has received it is still relatively small.  I can attest to this last assertion of his through personal experience.  I have been continually checking a website that gives the status of vaccinations in Fairfax County.  Currently those who registered on January 18^th are being allowed to make appointments.  This status has been unchanged for over a week, which is not surprising:  over 40,000 people registered on that day.  I myself registered on the 22^nd.  At this rate, it will be well into March before I can even make an appointment to receive my first dose.  There are over 93,000 registrants on the wait list for Fairfax County, and the number of vaccinations administered this week was just under 16,000.  The wait list, it should be noted, consists of members of the group for Phase 1B, so the majority of people under 65 who are not in the health care industry will have to wait considerably later.

A Reddit forum called “QAnonCasualties” has appeared, addressing the concerns of relatives who are forced to stand by helplessly as a parent, spouse, sibling, or child is sucked into the QAnon cult and refuses to respond to any treatment or persuasion that would enable him (I use the masculine pronoun for convenience, for the cult members are overwhelming male) to accept the fact that Trump has lost the election and to liberate themselves from the neurotic fear of an imaginary Satanic cabal.  Many of the posts make for depressing reading.  “Another family wrecked,” one subscriber wrote about her husband.  “He’s gone from the kindest, chilled man to constant anger and major depression. I’m at a loss, not so easy to walk away either – been together 20 years, married 14, 2 kids under 10, mortgage.”  Conspiracy theories are nothing new, of course, but the availability of social media in recent years has now made them chillingly easy to sustain.  The atmosphere of uncertainty fostered by the pandemic has of course exacerbated the problem.  The QAnonCasualties forum has 130,000 subscribers, showing how widespread this phenomenon is. 

If I have mentioned Donald Trump in previous entries to the point of obsession, this forum exemplifies the reason for my aversion towards him.  He is, quite simply, a toxic influence.  He demoralizes everything that he touches.  The relief that I feel as a result of his losing the election is greatly impaired by the fear that this influence will continue to linger and that he will cast his dark shadow over American politics for a long time to come.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  111,634,729; # of deaths worldwide: 2,471,412; # of cases U.S.: 28,702,557; # of deaths; U.S.:  509,854.

The weather moderates – Local hiking – An increase in overdose-related deaths – Continued difficulties in Texas – No red carpet for Ted Cruz’s return to Houston – A monolith in Kinshasa – Evening statistics

Clearing the walkways was easy today.  I had removed the snow and ice on them that fell yesterday, and the small amount that accumulated from the snowfall overnight and this morning was minimal.  Indeed, the weather did most of my work for me; the rising temperatures steadily melted the residual ice and by noon my driveway and sidewalk were clear.  During mid-afternoon there was an interval of sunshine amid parting clouds.  I did not wish to drive, although the roads had been cleared by that time, so I took advantage of the fair skies by going out on a 5-mile loop, half of which is on trails in the woodland and the other half along quiet side-streets.  Graceful cirrus clouds framed the sun.  The snow on the ground was just thick enough to cover up the mud and the temperatures continued to rise.  There is not much elevation gain on this hike but there is a little (300-400 feet at a guess) and the snow made what otherwise would have been a negligible effort a bit of challenge.  There even was a stream crossing to liven matters up a bit.  In short, it was a most welcome change after the gray weather and enforced inertia of the past several days, and my spirits rose as I paced the trails, almost to the extent of warbling, like Browning’s Pippa:

God’s in His heaven,
All’s right with the world!

Although there may be a difference of opinion about that . . .

The CDC has confirmed what many people have suspected all along:  in the 12-month period ending last June there have been over 80,000 deaths from overdoses, about a 20% increase from the previous year and the highest number of such deaths of any year on record.   The shutdowns triggered by the pandemic have induced stress, isolation, and economic upheaval – all of which fuel addiction and relapse.  In addition, the treatment options and support systems are for the most part in abeyance.  Opioid abuse had begun to fall in 2018, but the increasing popularity of fentanyl reversed that trend, and naturally the resources that the medical care profession requires to combat the coronavirus have lessened the amount available for substance abuse.  I used to be severe about such unfortunate souls in the past, which I regret; in some few cases it may be, as I used to believe, primarily the result of lack of will-power, but for the most part it is a disease.  I might with equal justice blame people for having poor digestions or infirm limbs.

In Texas most homes now have power for light and heat.  About 325,000 homes and businesses still lack power, but that is much better than the 3 million without power the preceding day.  The weather, however, has damaged the infrastructure of the state’s water system, causing authorities to order 7 million people to boil tap water before drinking it.  Many people left faucets dripping in an effort to prevent their water pipes from freezing.  In response, Governor Abbott urged residents to shut off water to prevent more busted pipes and preserve municipal system pressure.  Some homes and facilities have had little or no water at all on account of the water main ruptures and problems at pumping stations.  In some cases hospitals have been prevented from carrying medical procedures on account of the lack of water. 

However, the Texans at any rate have the belated presence of Ted Cruz to cheer them up.  The Senator, possibly realizing that this episode might be held against him if he runs for President in 2024, tore himself away from reveling in Cancun; but for some mysterious reason his return to Houston was not greeted with the enthusiasm he might have expected.  As one editorial in the Houston Chronicle opined, “Texans’ anger with Ted Cruz right now could power an entire electrical grid.”  There were some jabs from various television personalities as well.  “Snake on a plane, right there!”said  late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. “Headed, ironically, to the very place he tried to build the wall around.”  And from the Daily Show host, Trevor Noah:  “I mean, look, I get that Ted Cruz is tired.  The man deserves a break after trying so hard to overthrow the government, but this is not the time, Ted!”  His ineptitude in this matter is indeed surprising, since Cruz himself came down heavily on Austin mayor Steve Adler for traveling to Cabo San Lucas amid the pandemic a bare two months ago.

There is a rather strange report from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  A 12-foot tall metallic monolith appeared overnight on a roundabout in the city’s Bandal neighborhood, one of several that have been constructed by various artists around the world in imitation of the black monoliths created by an alien species in the science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey.  After rumors about its origin grew over the period of several days, the residents took matters into their own hands by ripping it apart and razing it to the ground.  The report stated that the residents feared it was satanic or put there by aliens or by a secret cabal, but after all this may be an exaggeration:  the monoliths in question are extremely ugly, and it seems quite possible that the Kinois acted this way simply because they are zealous aesthetes determined to eradicate an example of such egregious bad taste.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  111,231,650; # of deaths worldwide: 2,462,617; # of cases U.S.: 28,603,585; # of deaths; U.S.: 507,717.

Another snowfall – Coping with a power crisis, Texas style – Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott — Ri Sol Ju, woman of mystery – Evening statistics

It’s been a rather uneventful day here, since I waited indoors and did various household chores until the falling wintry mix subsided.  It produced about a half-inch of mixed snow and ice on the walkways, which I cleared in the afternoon.  It may be asked why I bothered, since more snow will fall overnight.  But the mingled snow and ice was just barely removable; whereas if I had left it alone it would have melted and refrozen overnight, making it much more difficult to clear away on the following day.  Afterwards I went out for a bit; it was not overly cold and the snow and ice were not very slippery, at any rate for those who, like myself, were wearing hiking boots.  Sometimes the sidewalks made for slow progress on account of the amount of slushy mix flung upon them by the snow plows that cleared the roads.  Two more snowfalls are expected next week, but the temperatures will be warmer and the accumulation will probably not amount to much.

Conditions were much less uncomfortable here than they have been in Texas.  Power has for the most part been restored after three days of continual outages, but many residents are still facing water disruptions.  Ted Cruz has responded to the emergency by rushing south and west from the capital to aid his beleaguered fellow-Texans – except that he somehow overshot his destination by a few hundred miles and wound up in Cancun instead.  And what a comfort it must be for those people coping without power, heat, light, or water to know that their Senator is safe and warm and comfortable basking on the sunlit beach and sampling the seafood and Mexican cuisine from the numerous restaurants along the Playa Tortugas!

Governor Abbott has been yet another tower of jello in this crisis.  When millions of Texans were without power on Tuesday night, Abbott blamed reliance on renewable fuels (wind and solar) for the loss of power.  He back-pedaled on this assertion later on, it was pointed out that nearly 70% of Texas’s power comes from fossil fuels.  It is true that many of the wind turbines in Texas became inoperable as a result of the freezing temperatures, but that it is because they are not winterized to the same degree as they are in states with colder weather.  Iowa, for example, gets about 40% of its power from wind turbines, and the state has not experienced any of the outages that the state far to its south is undergoing.  But this lack of winterization applies to all of the other energy sources as well, which is why numerous power stations powered by oil and natural gas have failed likewise.  So now Governor Abbott is blaming the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for its failure to winterize its equipment.  He has conveniently forgotten that such winterization was proposed before during his administration and was dropped after the state decided that it would be too costly.  No matter; someone to blame must be found, and obviously that someone cannot be himself.

Ri Sol Ju, Kim Jong-Un’s wife, has made her first public appearance in over a year, attending a concert with her husband that commemorated the anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il.  Her disappearance had led to numerous speculations about her state of health and even about whether she was still alive.  It is possible that she was shielded from public exposure on account of pregnancy.  No one can certain even about the number of children that this couple has.  South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes that there are three, but very little is known about them. 

Today’s statistics as of 10:00 PM (yes, I collected them a little later than usual) – # of cases worldwide:  110,834,149; # of deaths worldwide: 2,452,511; # of cases U.S.: 28,523,524; # of deaths; U.S.: 505,309.

A brief interval of sun – Closures and openings in Fairfax – Biden and Netanyahu – Tim Boyd, advocate of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle – Ominous portents in Myanmar – Evening statistics

It is the first clear day for over a week – colder than the day before, but feeling much warmer on account of the untrammeled sunlight.  I had to enjoy it while I could, for the area is bracing for another winter storm starting early tomorrow.  I made preparations so that it will not be necessary to go shopping for the next few days.  In the process I have had some culinary success.  I made a pot of butternut squash soup flavored with rosemary and grated ginger – it’s quite easy to make, virtually foolproof.  And I did some more bread-making, this time following the advice of my fellow-hiker CC and baking the bread dough in a Dutch oven at 485 degrees.  It turned out splendidly, with the best crust I’ve ever had from any of my attempts at bread-making in the past, and much better than crusts from the loaves that I buy in the stores.  The soup and bread alone were enough to make a hearty dinner, along with steamed broccoli as a side dish and pineapple for dessert.  It’s good to prepare a meal of this description on occasion; sometimes I simply am not in the mood for meat.

I confined myself to local walking today, partly because I had to wait at home in the morning for a plumber to unclog drains for the kitchen and for one of the bathroom sinks.  Traffic is somewhat closer to the pre-COVID levels, but the area presents a curious mixture of enterprises forced to close on account of the economic situation imposed by the virus and of new enterprises being planned.  On one block the lot for a restaurant that was supposed to open in the spring is now vacant and for sale, but in another an old building has been torn down to make way for a newer, more elaborate one that is slated to be sold to anyone who wishes to start a new restaurant.  Running a restaurant is a chancy business at the best of times, and I have no doubt that the virus-related restrictions have forced many to close.  My aunt in Manhattan tells me that several of the places she used to enjoy for dining out have closed for good. 

Biden continues to frustrate his opponents’ predictions of dereliction in his responsibilities.  On yesterday’s hike some of my fellow-hikers were deploring the fact that he had not met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said that he would prove to be detrimental to Israel’s well-being.  Just today he had a long conversation with Netanyahu, in which he pledge support of Israel’s security and of the normalization of Israel’s relations with its neighbors. 

Texas has had a number of power outages during a deadly winter storm that has led to a series of cold, dark days and to roads covered with ice.  In such times residents normally look to their political leaders to provide some sort of solution or at any rate of reassurance that efforts are being made to fix the issue.  So it was a bit of a jolt to the inhabitants of Colorado City when Tim Boyd, its mayor, sent out the following consoling message:  “The City and County, along with the power providers or any other services owes you NOTHING!  I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout!  If you don’t have electricity you step up and come up with a game plan to keep your family warm and safe.  If you have no water you deal without and think outside of the box to supply water to your family.”  It is a novel approach, I must admit.  When I obtain utility services such as water, heat, and lighting that I pay for, I have never regarded myself as being a recipient of “handouts.”    And when authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary driving on the icy roads, that circumstance is a bit of disadvantage to anyone foraging for water and fuel.  Needless to say, Boyd received intense backlash for this message (which eventually was hastily deleted from his Facebook page) and it is said that he has been forced to resign, although it is unclear whether he actually has done so.  The official Colorado City webpage still lists him as mayor. 

Biden, incidentally, has been in contact with the governors of the states most greatly affected by the storm, which include Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee.  He has notified them that they have access to the Federal government’s emergency resources; and unlike a certain other President I could mention, he made no distinction between Republican and Democratic governors of the states in need.

The situation in Myanmar is worsening.  Suu Kyi is still in detention and the military has filed charges against her, signaling its intentions to have a show trial reminiscent of the Stalinist era.  The protest marchers have been gaining momentum, with thousands calling for Suu Kyi’s release and for power to be handed back to civilian control.  Tom Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said he is “terrified” of the potential for violence if the planned mass protests and military troops converge.  He reports that soldiers are being transported from outlying regions to Yangon, the city with the greatest number of protesters.  A conflict between the troops and the protesters appears inevitable.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  110,417,513; # of deaths worldwide: 2,439,763; # of cases U.S.: 28,452,936; # of deaths; U.S.: 502,493.

Leading the McLean loop – Remote sections within the DC metro area – The environmental impact of oversized houses – Mardi Gras in New Orleans – Evening statistics

I led the McLean Loop for the Vigorous Hikers today, the same route I scouted two days ago.  This hike is held in winter because as a rule that season tends to be drier than the others, a desirable attribute for a hike that goes alongside rivers and involves several stream crossings.  Unfortunately, this month has been unusually wet for the time of year.  The water levels were even higher today than they were on Sunday.  The crossing at Scott’s Run had to be navigated by means of a fallen tree trunk.  It was fairly broad but I went on all fours instead of walking upright on it because I could not be certain whether the effects of the recent rain would make it slippery, particularly as my boots were already muddy by the time we reached it.  At Dead Run the recently added stepping stones were completely submerged.  After we reached Fort Marcy and had lunch, I decided to avoid the remaining crossings over Pimmit Run completely by means of little detours, and I’m glad that I did.  In most conditions it is sufficiently placid, but sometimes it becomes, as it was today, turbid, swift, and full-flowing.  The stepping stones at its official crossing point on the Potomac Heritage Trail have long been washed away; and while it is possible, when the water is at lower levels, to improvise another crossing upstream, it would have been a bad idea to attempt it today.  However, the rain and snowy mix that was prophesied earlier did not materialize; and in fact it became rather warm, going up to the high 40s.  The higher temperatures, of course, meant that all of the snow and ice from the previous snowfall had melted, making the trails muddy in many areas.  For all of these disadvantages, we greatly enjoyed ourselves pacing through what I called “the wilds of McLean.” 

The hike is an example of one of the paradoxes of the Washington DC metro area:  in the midst of densely populated urban and suburban neighborhoods it is quite possible to wander along paths that appear as remote and far away from human habitation as British Columbia or northern New England.  The portion of the Potomac Heritage Trail included in our route went alongside the Potomac, with no buildings visible on either side of the river; and on account of the winter season and overcast skies we encountered scarcely any other person.  MC, who grew up in New England, said that he could have easily believed himself to be in Maine.  The Potomac is perhaps 1/3 mile wide in this area, bordered on each side by thickets of marsh plants, tangles of brambles, dense forest, and undergrowth.  An occasional heron flits over the surface in search of fish.  It is a tidal river, and high tide was approaching as we rambled alongside it. 

The hike also goes through a number of suburban developments, many of them featuring so-called “McMansions,” or large houses on lots on which the original houses have been torn down to make way for these more imposing or, depending one’s point of view, more garish structures.  HL, who before he retired was an engineer working in riparian management, was explaining how such the water runoff from such houses place a greater burden on the environment; and indeed we could see this for ourselves:  along Pimmit Run we saw areas whose erosion caused by collapsing along the river banks was on a scale as to dislodge sewer pipes. 

Interestingly enough, I learned about a story concerning another aspect of the river when I returned home.  White’s Ferry, the historic ferry that was forced to shut down as a result of an acrimonious legal wrangle, has been bought by a local businessman who has pledged to work with the owners of Rockland Farm (the land on which the ferry is located) to restore the licensing agreement and make the ferry operational again.  The ferry was established in 1786, and its restoration is not of sentimental interest only.  Hundreds of vehicles used the ferry every day for the purposes of commuting; and since its closure in December drivers have been forced to use longer and more inconvenient routes, adding to the traffic burden in Montgomery and Loudoun Counties.

Today is Mardi Gras – a very muted Mardi Gras as a result of COVID.  The famous festivities of New Orleans were not held this year, since the celebrations of the previous year gained notoriety for being one of the first super-spreader events.  For this year, bars were closed, Bourbon Street was blocked off, and there were no parades.  The citizens of New Orleans, however, have shown some ingenuity in coping with the situation.  Over 3,000 houses in the metropolitan area featured “house floats,” decorating their houses in the same manner of the floats used during the parades of previous years.  The New Orleanians are calling this manner of observing the holiday “Yardi Gras.”  Thus one house was decorated to resemble the “Playhouse” of the Peewee Herman Show, another displayed enormous tentacles emerging from the windows and calling itself “Release the Kraken” (an illusion to the phrase used by Sidney Powell for her plethora of conspiracy theories), a third was laid out with an immense rainbow arching over the figures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion, and so on.  Not only has this gesture helped to mitigate what otherwise could have been a depressingly bland holiday but several of the homes commissioned the design and construction to numerous out-of-work local artists,  who in many cases have had no jobs for months.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  110,018,229; # of deaths worldwide: 2,428,130; # of cases U.S.: 28,378,979; # of deaths; U.S.: 499,815.

How the virus encourages a sedentary lifestyle – Decline in hospitalizations – Scandal in Peru – Evening statistics

With the impeachment trial over and a more responsible administration in charge of the national response to the virus, political concerns can take on more of a background role.  It is now possible to concentrate on other things, since as the effects that the virus has on day-to-day living. For instance: orthopedists and chiropractors are, unsurprisingly, reporting an increase in spinal issues among their patients.  As a result of the virus-related restrictions and the struggle to avoid crowds, people are confining themselves indoors more frequently and often sitting for hours on end, leading to weight gain, poor posture, muscular atrophying, and so on.  For people in my situation it’s easy enough to get out and walk, but in the poorer, disadvantaged communities that it’s much less safe to go along the neighborhood blocks.  I’ve tried to maintain a certain level of activity, but I’ve had lapses:  long hours of sitting on end, or days when the weather is so discouraging that I’ve spent most of the day indoors.   It’s easy to find excuses not to venture outside and to self-indulge with comfort food when a pandemic is raging.

The number of daily cases is declining and hospitalizations continue to go downward.  At this point every state is seeing fewer hospitalizations than before, and in all but five states the decline of hospitalizations is greater than 10% over the past week.  In addition, for the first time in many weeks, the daily death toll today was less than 1,000.  As the weather grows warmer, people will be going out of doors more frequently, which should lower the rate of infection still further.  One mustn’t paint too rosy a picture.  The vaccines may prove to be less effective against the recent variants in the virus that have emerged.  And there are various shoals, or potential occasions for super-spreader events, that we will have to pass:  spring break in March, Easter celebrations in April, and so on.  On the whole, however, the prospects seem to have improved.  Our health care professionals have been magnificent throughout the pandemic, so it is good to know that they are getting some relief at last.

Peru has been reeling from news of various politicians covertly receiving vaccines before they are allocated to health care workers, which was supposed to be the original plan.  Elizabeth Astete, foreign minister, resigned today amid uproar over government officials being secretly vaccinated against coronavirus.  The Peruvian health workers, who have faced a resurgence in the pandemic, are supposed to have the highest priority in getting vaccinated.  On the previous Thursday, the former president Martín Vizcarra (who was dismissed by Congress on November 9^th over a corruption allegation) confirmed a newspaper report that he and his wife had secretly received shots of a vaccine from the Chinese state pharmaceutical company Sinopharm in October. Pilar Mazzetti resigned as health minister on Friday after legislators accused her of concealing information about the vaccine.  Peru has been heavily affected by the virus.  Nearly 4% of the population has caught the disease.  That might sound like a relatively small proportion compared with our own; but its mortality rate is 3.5%, more than twice as high as ours.  The health care professionals in particular have taken heavy losses as a result of the pandemic:  over 20,000 of them caught the infection, 306 doctors and 125 nurses dying from the disease.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  109,665,710; # of deaths worldwide: 2,418,025; # of cases U.S.: 28,317,568; # of deaths; U.S.: 498,200.

On the McLean Loop – A lost opportunity for the Republican Party – Beijing resumes old levels of pollution – Reminiscences of my visit there – Evening statistics

I went out today to scout the McLean Loop, which hike I am to lead on Tuesday, in order to check how the storm of the past week affected the trails.  There was some residual snow and ice in the early hours, and I had to wear micro-spikes during the morning, but as the day wore on the greater part of the footpaths thawed out almost completely.  The thaw, however, resulted in a great deal of mud, and it was slow going at times.  Also, the stepping stones for two stream crossings were washed out and it was necessary to bushwhack along the other side of the stream to reach the intersection where one turns away from the trail. 

As an aside to the outcome of the impeachment trial:  of the seven Republicans who voted against Trump, three of them (Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, and Bill Cassidy) have just been re-elected and won’t be running again until 2026, while two others (Pat Toomey and Richard Burr) will soon be retiring.  The only ones who are potentially sacrificing their chances for re-election are Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski.  Mitt McConnell roundly denounced Trump after the impeachment trial was over, but he voted for acquittal; and his example prodded many others into doing the same.  The reason that he gave for voting for acquittal is that an impeachment for a president no longer in office is unconstitutional.  That might be his sincere belief for all I know, but I doubt it.  The sad truth is that he, Mike Pence, and Kevin McCarthy all failed to show any degree of leadership during the aftermath of the riot and as a result the opportunity to rid the Republican party of the Trump taint has come and gone.

I remarked earlier that environmentalists might soon by sighing for the days when the COVID-related restrictions were at their height, and that prediction is becoming true already.  Many cities whose air had cleared wonderfully because hardly anyone was commuting are now returning to their old levels of pollution.  At the time of the Lunar New Year, Beijing’s smog is so oppressive that a yellow alert has been issued, which has cast something of a damper on the celebrations.  

I well remember my own visit to Beijing in 2000.  I was there in April, which is generally considered one of the better times of the year:  people are beginning to reduce their usage of that poisonous sulfur-laden coal that constitutes the primary fuel for heating in China, and at the same time the season is not too far advanced for emissions to be aggravated by the intense summer heat.  Nonetheless, the color of the sky was a dull brown, showing an approximation to blue on very rare occasions.  People there were wearing masks to protect themselves against particle inhalation long before COVID was ever heard of.  Greatly as  I enjoyed my visit to Beijing, with its plethora of museums and cultural sites, its delicious food, and its magnificent parks, I would hesitate to visit the city if given the opportunity of going there again.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  109,380,441; # of deaths worldwide: 2,410,914; # of cases U.S.: 28,260,839; # of deaths; U.S.: 497,140. 

The triumph of the goddess Dulness (vide Alexander Pope) – Trump and the evangelicals – The end of the impeachment trial – Why the trial was worthwhile – A Russian protester plays Beethoven –Another virus casualty – Driving in the icy weather – Evening statistics

At times it seems that the reign of Donald Trump was predicted by Alexander Pope in The Dunciad, written in 1742.  

Art after art goes out, and all is night.
See skulking Truth to her old cavern fled
Mountains of casuistry heap'd o'er her head!
Philosophy, that lean'd on heaven before,
Shrinks to her second cause, and is no more.
Physic of Metaphysic begs defense,
And Metaphysic calls for aid on Sense!
See Mystery to Mathematics fly!
In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die.
Religion, blushing, veils her sacred fires,
And unawares Morality expires.
Nor public flame, nor private, dares to shine;
Nor human spark is left, nor glimpse divine!
Lo! thy dread empire, Chaos! is restored;
Light dies before thy uncreating word:
Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall;
And universal darkness buries all. 

Religion has certainly been veiling its sacred fires of late.  “Shame, shame,” Franklin Graham wrote to the ten Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment.  “It makes you wonder what the 30 pieces of silver were that Speaker Pelosi promised for this betrayal.”  There we have it:  Graham, one of the leading figures in the evangelical church, seriously believes that Trump is on the same level as Christ himself.   And he appears to be representative of evangelical Christianity in this country as a whole.  Adam Kinzinger, one of the ten Republicans aforementioned and himself a born-again Christian, gave a melancholy assessment of the church in general and of his denomination in particular.  “The devil’s ultimate trick for Christianity,” Kinzinger said, “is embarrassing the church.  And I feel it’s been successful.” 

And morality has expired, at any rate in the Senate.  The impeachment trial has ended, with Trump being acquitted:  no surprises there.  Seven Republican senators gave a vote for conviction, but that was not enough for a two-thirds majority.  During the trial today details emerged about a call that Kevin McCarthy made to Donald Trump on January 6^th during the besiegement of the Capitol, with McCarthy imploring Trump to call the rioters off and the exchange between the two quickly degenerating into a profanity-laced shouting match as Trump refused, saying that the rioters cared more about the election results than McCarthy did.  One might think that this incident was an important piece of evidence in the impeachment trial currently underway.  Yet McCarthy and the other Republicans privy to this conversation have not as much as mentioned this little detail during the trial, have not shown any discernible resentment for having their lives placed in danger, and have consistently imposed obstacles in the way of the trial occurring at all. 

The trial was not entirely a wasted effort.  There is at any rate some pushback in the Republican Party against Trump, and this may expand with time.  Even if the vote for conviction failed to gain a two-thirds majority it still obtained a majority, so it can in no way be considered a vindication.  Trump’s methods of incitement were publicized during the trial, which will affect his reputation adversely and make his defense in the various civil suits pending against him more difficult.  Already, as previously noted, many companies have dissociated themselves from various Trump enterprises.  The fact that he is the only President to be impeached twice will make it more difficult for him to run for office again.  All in all it seems likely that Melania has no reason to apprehend that she will recalled from her onerous schedule of spa appointments to resume the light and easy duties of First Lady again.

Looking further abroad, an episode occurred that could have come straight out of one of those panoramic socio-political novels in which the Russians have excelled.  Anastasia Vasilyeva, head of a Russian medical workers’ union called “Doctors’ Alliance” and a personal doctor and friend of Alexey Navalny, was the victim of one of the many raids made on supporters of Putin’s main opponent.  As the police officers forced open the door, they were greeted by the strains of Beethoven:  Vasilyeva resolutely played “Für Elise” while the officers told her to hand over various papers.  She was later detained for 48 hours in an action that appears to be based on pure spite.  She is by no means unique in her defiance; protests on Navalny’s behalf have erupted all over the nation and more than 5,000 people have already been detained, the greatest number at any point in Putin’s presidency.

And of course during all of this turmoil the virus has not been idle.  Here is another sad story – one of the all-too-numerous sad stories that have emerged during these past twelve months!  Helen Etuk was raised by a single mother and grew up in fairly restricted circumstances, but she aspired to becoming a pediatrician.   She was motivated by the conditions in which she grew up to help children of families whose parents might not be able to afford treatment.  In her senior year at the University of North Texas, just one semester from getting her bachelor’s degree (after which she intended to go on for her medical degree), she contracted the virus as a result of attending classes on campus.  Many of the students there were careless about wearing their masks, frequently covering their mouths only and not their noses.  She was hospitalized for three months and died on January 12^th, just a month short of her 21^st birthday.  There has been so much needless loss of life, but this is one of the most egregious examples.  Here is a young woman with intelligence, dedication, compassion, with all of her life before her and who by all accounts would have been ideally suited for the career she selected – and now she will never have the opportunity to minister to young children. “She would have done so much,” her mother said.

It’s another doleful entry, I’m afraid.  The combination of bad weather and Trump’s acquittal may account for my disgruntled mood.  Also, I was obliged to go out today on the ice-covered roads, very unwillingly.  My unit for Internet and TV service needed a new battery and the battery is of a special kind, not available in stores such as CVS or Walgreen’s.  So I had to drive to the mall where the Verizon store was located to pick up a replacement.  The alternative would have been to have a Verizon service-person to come to the house with the battery to do the installation, and in all probability I would have had to wait until Monday at the earliest.  The drive was not as bad as I expected and I also had fewer difficulties in changing the battery than I anticipated.  The old battery will have to be taken to the recycling center, but it will not open until Monday.  Presumably the roads will be clear by then.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  109,087,234; # of deaths worldwide: 2,404,056; # of cases U.S.: 28,195,388; # of deaths; U.S.: 496,033. 

Inactivity – Waiting for the vaccine – The new administration and the press – Day 4 of the impeachment trial – Nikki Haley denounces Trump – Melania Trump’s composure – Jill Biden’s energy – Evening statistics

There has not been much personal activity of late.  The weather has been gloomy.  It is not so much that it is cold – in fact, the temperatures are quite reasonable for this time of year – but it has been consistently damp and overcast.  And tomorrow there will be precipitation as well, a so-called “wintry mix” of snow, ice, and rain, combining the worst aspects of all three.  On Sunday I will be obliged to go out no matter what the weather conditions may be:  I am to lead a hike this coming Tuesday and I need to verify what effect tomorrow’s storm will have on the trails.

And there is still no word of the vaccine!  I was hoping I could make an appointment for the first dose by this time, even if the actual administering of it is to be weeks later.  But it is not to be.  We simply have to accept the fact the demand at this point greatly exceeds the supply.

One of Joe Biden’s campaign promises was that he would treat the press with greater civility than his predecessor did – not an extravagant claim, to be sure.  He is making good on his promise so far.  Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo has been suspended for one week without pay after he harassed and threatened Tara Palmeri, a female reporter from Politico.  Ducklo has since apologized but although he is retaining his position he is still being penalized, and this measure will doubtless help to ensure others on the White House staff to watch their manners.  If Biden manages to eradicate the low standard under the Trump administration and to inject a note of civility in White House/press relations, I shall consider my vote for him well-cast on that account alone.

When I remarked previously that the ineptitude of Trump’s defense team might cause various senators to desert Trump’s cause, I was being rather facetious; but it appears that this jest may become a reality.  The defense team, it seems, has not been covering itself with laurels today.  Among other things, they have repeated the canard that the riot was fueled by “other extremist groups” such as Antifa. As if either Antifa or the Proud Boys would dream allowing themselves to march together!  Then, too, they have been focusing on the conspiracy-against-Trump theme to the exclusion of everything else.  It may be possible, after all, to hate Trump and still argue that he did not consciously incite a riot – but only if you concentrate on what he actually said and did.  Trump’s defense team has been stricken with silence on the matter, suggesting that they are afraid to venture on any discussion of his behavior because they know it would reinforce belief in his guilt.

Already there has been one significant defection.  Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and one who, moreover, spoke on behalf of Trump at the Republican Convention, has now repudiated him, condemning his role in the riot and saying he has “let us down.”  In particular, she expressed her exasperation with the remarks he gave at a rally ahead of the assault condemning Mike Pence, his own vice president, thereby putting the latter’s life at risk.

In the meantime Mrs. Trump has been taking the election defeat much more philosophically than her husband.  She goes to the spa at Mar-a-Lago in the morning, has lunch, goes to the spa again in the afternoon, has dinner with Donald and frequently with her parents, who also reside in Mar-a-Lago, and . . . that’s about it.  The spa, in fact, appears to be her chief interest in life.  It apparently is not unusual for her to spend several hours a day there, usually going twice in a 24-hour period, for massages, nail care, facial treatments, or other items on the menu.  She never gave the impression of being altogether comfortable in her role as First Lady, but how delightful to learn that she has found her vocation at last!

Her successor has shown, shall we say, a little more interest in the position.  Melania Trump spent the first five months after the 2016 inauguration in New York; Jill Biden moved into the White House directly after her husband was sworn in, where she lost no time in assembling a staff for herself.  Within weeks of becoming First Lady, Jill Biden has done an interview with People magazine, gracing the cover with her husband as the new President, and was featured in Parents magazine, where she discussed her empathy for families dealing with homeschooling their children during the pandemic. She also appeared together with Joe Biden in a televised message that aired prior to last Sunday’s Super Bowl.  She has held at least seven events or speaking engagements since January 20th, on topics including military families, cancer prevention, health care, community college education, and support for teachers.  By way of contrast, Melania Trump never did a single interview with a national publication during her four years as First Lady.  And, it must be borne in mind, all of this activity when Jill Biden has a job of her own, and Melania Trump has none.

There is a running theme here:  different as they are in many ways, neither Donald and Melania Trump took their position or their responsibilities seriously, and both husband and wife of their successors provide a most refreshing contrast in this respect, as in many others.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  108,708,033; # of deaths worldwide: 2,392,479; # of cases U.S.: 28,102,746; # of deaths; U.S.: 492,419.  Hospitalizations continue to go down.  The only state in which they have risen at all this past week is North Dakota.  Six other states have declines less than 10% and the remainder has falling hospitalization rates well over 10%.  Death rates are also falling, but less steadily.  Our mortality rate from the disease is still about 1.7%, which is on the low side; the global average is 2.2%. 

An end of a snow drought – Restricted skiing in the Alps – Sanctions against Myanmar – Day 3 of the impeachment trial – Evening statistics

On January 14^th Ian Livingston, weather forecaster and meteorologist for the Washington Post, lamented the “snow drought” that Washington DC underwent for the past two years, with only occasional snow showers that accumulated less than half an inch apiece; and, with that fine free habit of extrapolation that experts often display, he proceeded to infer an assortment of environmental misfortunes from this state of affairs.  Since the publication of his article we have had two snowstorms and are anticipating two more within the next week.  Livingston seems to prophesy by contraries, and one can only hope that he doesn’t take it into his head at some future date to deplore the dearth of earthquakes in this region as well.

One of the casualties of the pandemic is the ski season in Italy, a significant source of income for that country.  Generally it brings in about 1.2 billion euros from visitors.  The Italian Alps has had one of the most prolific snowfalls in years, but no one has been able to enjoy it. Italy has been crippled by the pandemic and its resorts are still closed.   One resort town, Cortina, will hold the 2021 World Ski Championship, which will bring in some participants and their coaches; but no spectators are allowed.  Currently the resorts are scheduled to re-open next week, but even that alleviation is doubtful.  Other nations have been similarly affected.  Switzerland opened its resorts in December, with several restrictions; In Austria the resorts are limited to residents only; in France they are closed altogether.  

Biden has announced sanctions against the military government of Myanmar.  American assets are frozen and the aid that Myanmar has been receiving is now cut off, with the exception of that which goes directly to health care services.  The U.S. is working with allies to cut off aid from other nations as well.  It is not clear how effective such sanctions will be.  The sanctions that the U.S. previously imposed against the military junta that ruled Myanmar in the 1990s and 2000s had a devastating effect on the country’s economy.   Some analysts have claimed that the measures impacted the lives of ordinary citizens more than the military.  They may be correct, but I don’t see what else is to be done.  Despite the State Department’s efforts, no contact can be made with Suu Kyi.  People are continuing to protest in greater numbers.  So far there has been no violent crackdown, but it is doubtful that the military government will show such restraint for long.

Today is the third day of the impeachment trial.  The prosecutors completed their presentation today.  Their arguments demonstrating Trump’s complicity are sufficiently convincing, but they will have little effect on those who have made up their minds in advance to acquit him.  And I’m a bit disappointed that they did not put greater emphasis on the financial motivations behind the raid on the Capitol.  Even if no Republican Senators are swayed by the arguments against Trump, it would be just as well that the public in general be reminded that Trump was clinging onto the Presidency from motives of personal greed, not ideological ones. 

There is one hopeful aspect about the impeachment case.  Trump’s lawyers will present their case tomorrow and Saturday, and if their presentation is on a par with their performance on Tuesday, they might persuade more Republican Senators to desert Trump’s cause by the sheer ineptitude of their defense.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  108,278,195; # of deaths worldwide: 2,377,196; # of cases U.S.: 28,000,761; # of deaths; U.S.: 486,914.  India and Brazil, each of which seemed at one point to rival the U.S. in the number of COVID cases, now have little over a third apiece.  Only the Czech Republic and a handful of micro-states have higher incidence rates than ours. 

Day 2 of the impeachment trial – Investigation against Trump from authorities in Georgia – In praise of vengefulness – Mike Pence’s meekness – Greene criticizes the rioters – Prospects for increased social activity – Evening statistics

I predicted that the impeachment of Donald Trump would enliven the entries of this journal; whether this comes to pass, readers must judge.  It is the second day of the trial, with the prosecutors presenting the case against Trump.  There is no shortage of evidence of his role in inciting the rioters, and the prosecutors are presenting their case with commendable organization and vigor.  I will admit that I was in a somewhat despondent frame of mind earlier this month about Trump’s near-term prospects.  It seemed to me quite likely that he would evade any penalty for his treachery.  A conviction from the impeachment trial is, of course, all but impossible.  Almost certainly there will be an insufficient number of Republican Senators who will vote against Trump to supply a two-thirds majority.  Perhaps some Senators will choose to be absent in order to avoid the consequences of voting either for or against conviction, which renders the two-third majority vote somewhat less improbable (the majority is accounted only from the number of members present to vote, not the total number of Senators).  But obviously such a scenario is not to be counted on. 

I was, however, in hopes that his blatant attempt to force the Secretary of State of Georgia to falsify the election results would result in a separate prosecution that would entail – I wish to put this with all possible delicacy – dragging his name through the mud, bespattering him thoroughly with invective, and penalizing him with crippling fines and possibly even a prison sentence.  But as the days went by and nothing was heard from that quarter, I began to doubt that such a proceeding would ever come to pass.

Well, events have gone to show that one should never despair.  Fani Wallis, the District Attorney for Fulton County, has launched an official criminal probe into the matter as of today.  This announcement comes just two days after the Secretary of State’s office began an investigation of its own.  Once the investigation is finished, the board will vote whether or not to send a criminal referral to the state attorney general or district attorney.  So there is much occasion for rejoicing.

One acquaintance who knows something of my sentiments said that he was sorry to find me in so vindictive a mood.  The conversation that ensued went something along the lines of Lady Brute and her niece Belinda in John Vanbrugh’s “The Provoked Wife,” when the former decides to cuckold her husband after his unrelenting abuse of her:

BELINDA:  Ah! but, you know, we must return good for evil.

LADY BRUTE:  That may be a mistake in the translation.

One example of returning good for evil was set by Mike Pence, albeit not in a very impressive way.  It appears that the rioters were uttering death threats to him specifically as they invaded the Capitol, of which circumstance he must have been thoroughly aware.  Yet in the weeks that followed he consistently refused to invoke the 25^th Amendment against Trump or even to utter a breath of criticism against the man who incited others to take his life.  Pence’s forbearance in this matter may be regarded by some as a display of Christian forgiveness; but for my part I think it shows him to be a poor-spirited creature.  The straightforward resentment expressed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez against the assault that endangered her life and those of her colleagues seems to me infinitely preferable.

The rioters have been taken to task today by a somewhat unexpected critic:  none other than Marjorie Taylor Greene, who tweeted, “The attack RUINED our objection that we spent weeks preparing for, which devastated our efforts on behalf of Trump and his voters.”  The rioters are clearly very much to blame in her view, not for its efforts to cheat the nation out of the President we elected but for failing in their attempt.

On a personal level the day was somewhat inactive, as I and others in the neighborhood are preparing to hunker down for another snowfall that will last over 24 hours.  I did, however, have lunch with EG and HG today; it was warm enough at noon to eat out of doors.  If I ever become frustrated with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, I must remind myself that I have been quite fortunate in comparison with many others, perhaps most others:  no health issues, no problems with obtaining food or supplies, opportunities for travel to regions accessible by car, opportunities to meet with friends on various occasions for hiking together or eating together out of doors.  As HG observed, the weather will soon become warmer and the opportunities for meeting with friends out of doors and for outside dining will increase.  Presently, also, as more and more of us get vaccinated, indoor visiting will become possible as well. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  107,833,480; # of deaths worldwide: 2,363,276; # of cases U.S.: 27,896,483; # of deaths; U.S.: 483,042. 

On the Cabin John Trail – More episodes from the pandemic – Decline in hospitalizations – The impeachment trial begins – Protests in Myanmar – Evening statistics

The Vigorous Hikers went along the Cabin John Trail today. It is nine miles each way, or eighteen total there-and-back, with about 1300 feet of elevation gain in all.  None of the ascents are particularly long or steep, but they are numerous.  LH, the hike leader, was recovering from a medical procedure, so I led the hike in his stead.  It was a good group, averaging about 3 miles per hour.  We had lunch on the return portion of the hike, sitting at benches under a sycamore tree at the Locust Grove Nature Center, which the trail borders.  It was chilly and overcast in the morning, but the sky cleared and the temperature went up to the high 40s – which actually was more than I wished, for the higher temperatures melted the snow and ice left over from the snowfall on Sunday and made parts of the trail extremely muddy.  Even slight ascents and descents had to be taken carefully, on account of the danger of slipping. 

With vaccinations being distributed in greater numbers, the public mood has become more hopeful – more so, perhaps, than is warranted by the actual circumstances.  The following episodes illustrate that we have a way to go before seeing the end of the pandemic.  Makenzie Gongora, of San Antonio, TX, contracted the disease at the age of nine.  She had no pre-existing conditions and her symptoms were mild, but she died in her sleep just three days after being diagnosed with the virus.  Thaddeus Valentine Senior was chief of the Herbert Wallace Volunteers Fire Department in Avondale, LA, for nearly 20 years and then, after retiring, board president of InclusiveCare, at which he led the center’s efforts to make coronavirus testing and vaccinations available to patients.  But he declined receiving the vaccination himself, apparently mistrustful of its safety.  He contracted the virus shortly afterwards, and within two weeks he, along with his son and his daughter, died from the disease.

It is true that vaccinations are being distributed in a somewhat more orderly fashion than previously.  In addition, hospitalizations are declining in almost all states (Vermont, Idaho, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia are the exceptions, but even in these the increase is small relative to the increases of previous weeks).  But it will take several weeks for even a third of the population to receive their vaccines, and longer still for the effects of the vaccines to result in the pandemic retreating from us.

The impeachment trial began today.  The greater part of the proceedings consisted of a debate as to whether or not the impeachment is constitutional now that Trump is out of office, but eventually the Senate voted to allow the trial to proceed.  The vote tally was 56-44, with six Republicans siding with the Democrats in this matter.  The schedule is now as follows:  each side has up to 16 hours per side to present its case beginning at noon tomorrow.  Each side has a maximum of two days to present its case and eight hours for each day’s presentation.  After the presentations are done, senators will have a total of four hours to question both sides. Then there will be four hours divided equally between the parties for arguments on whether the Senate will consider motions to subpoena witnesses and documents, if requested by the managers.  All of which means that the trial should be over by Sunday at the latest. 

The defense presented by Trump’s lawyers about the unconstitutionality of the trial has already had one curious effect.  Originally only five Republicans voted against the motion to abandon the trial on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.  Today, however, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana added his vote to these, saying that the defense lawyers made such a wretched hash of their arguments as to lead him to decide that an impeachment trial perhaps wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  “They did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand. And when they talked about it, they kind of glided over, almost as if they were embarrassed,” he told reporters afterwards.  It is to be hoped that Trump’s lawyers will continue as they have begun and thereby sway other Republican Senators in this manner. 

In Myanmar the military authorities are attempting to ban protests.  Rallies and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, are outlawed and an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew has been imposed in Yangon and Mandalay, the two largest cities.  The protests are leaderless for the most part, but they have been growing steadily over the weekend.  Up to this point the military government’s attempts to suppress the protests have been relatively non-violent, consisting mainly of disrupting communications and social media such as Facebook.  Observers are concerned that that the military is laying the groundwork for a violent crackdown such as those that ended protest movements in 1988 and 2007.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  107,382,361; # of deaths worldwide: 2,348,837; # of cases U.S.: 27,794,757; # of deaths; U.S.: 479,511. 

The impact of the COVID virus on one store chain – The Super Bowl as a potential super spreader – Ron Wright – Evening statistics

I went to IKEA today to obtain a bookcase.  The virus has affected the shopping experience there in one particular.  IKEA, it should be explained, sells furniture that is not pre-assembled.  Instead, the article’s components are stored in flat packages, which customers then assemble at their homes after transporting them.  The customers go through the store’s showroom to identify the articles of furniture they wish to purchase and then proceed to a warehouse-like area to pick up the corresponding packages.  The furniture articles are identified by a model name, a model number, and the aisle and bin where they are located.  In the past IKEA provided lined paper sheets and pencils for customers to record their selections on a list – quite useful, since the model numbers run to 9-10 digits and are not easily memorized.  Now, however, customers must either rely on their memory or come to the store with paper and pen or pencil of their own.  IKEA no longer provides writing materials for fear of increasing the risk of infection from multiple people thrusting their hands into the containers for paper and pencils.  The impact of the coronavirus has added several new operating costs to retail stores, so I suspect that they are glad of an excuse to get rid of this one.

We had another potential “super-spreader” event yesterday:  namely, the Super Bowl.  Generally the Super Bowl affords the basis for gatherings among people who assemble together to watch the game on television.  These events, however, are not as widespread as the festivities for Christmas or New Year’s, so any spike in the virus as result of such parties should be moderate in comparison with the ones that occurred earlier this year. 

Representative Ron Wright of Texas died yesterday.  He is the first sitting member of Congress to die as a result of contracting the COVID virus.  (Luke Letlow, of Louisiana, also died in late December as a result of the virus, but he had just been elected; he did not get the opportunity to be sworn in before he succumbed to the disease.)  Wright was battling cancer when he was stricken with the virus, so he had several underlying conditions.  It is sobering, all the same; he was 67 years old, just one year older than me.  As so often happens with this virus, it did its damage with alarming speed:  the time between Wright’s being diagnosed with COVID and the date of his death was a bare three weeks.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  106,986,932; # of deaths worldwide: 2,335,341; # of cases U.S.: 27,698,569; # of deaths; U.S.: 476,404.  Our infection rate is now over 8.33333%, i.e., just over 1 person in every 12. 

Another winter snowfall – The impending impeachment – Lawsuits against Donald Trump – What the Democrats should emphasize during the trial – Demonstrations in Myanmar – Residual loss of taste from COVID patients – Evening statistics

The snow has come and gone, and the predictions of 3-5 inches of accumulation have proven completely off the mark.  By the time the snow had stopping falling, only about ½ inch of snow was on the ground, and rising temperatures and emerging sunlight contrived to melt a good deal of it during the afternoon.  We may not even see much ice tomorrow, for many of the roads are not only clear of snow, but dry. 

The nation is now preparing for the impeachment starting on Tuesday.  Biden has sought to distance himself from it to the greatest extent possible, for a variety of reasons.  In the first place, it can never be agreeable for any President to have an impeachment trial of another President to take place during his administration, no matter how great a political enemy the latter might be.  Then, too, Donald Trump is quite a divisive figure, and focusing attention on him will be detrimental to the spirit of unity that Biden has trying to evoke ever since he assumed office.  Finally, there may be a personal element involved:  I have no doubt that Biden is heartily tired of Trump and wishes to hear the last of him as speedily as possible. 

With all of these motives I can heartily sympathize.  Nonetheless, the impeachment is necessary.  Even if Trump is not convicted, the publicity that focuses on the role he played during the January riot must be detrimental to him in the long run and should aid in preventing him from running again in 2024.  I hope that the Democrats do not make a mess of it.  If it is poorly managed it may easily come off as a personal vendetta in the eyes of many.  The Democrats must emphasize the motivations behind Trump’s continual refusal to concede, behind the dozens of lawsuits he filed, and behind his maneuvers to incite rioters into storming the Capitol.

Trump is in dire financial straits.  He is in debt to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, none of which he has the slightest intention of paying.  He is also besieged by defamation suits from people he has slandered in the past.  There are at least ten major lawsuits currently pending against him:

1. A lawsuit from Summer Zervos, a contestant during the 2005 season of Trump’s reality-TV show.  She is suing him for defaming her by denying her allegations of sexually assaulting her in 2007.
2. A suit brought by Attorney General Karl Racine in Washington, DC, against the Trump Organization for using nonprofit funds to enrich Trump’s businesses.
3. A lawsuit from advice columnist E. Jean Carroll for defaming her by denying her allegations of his having raped her in the mid-1990s.
4. A lawsuit from a group of men who protested outside the grounds of Trump Tower in New York in 2015, accusing Trump’s security guards of assaulting them.
5. A lawsuit by Letitia James, New York Attorney General, against Trump Organization and against Eric Trump as part of an attempt to enforce an investigatory subpoena.  The investigation is to determine whether the Trump Organization inaccurately valued real estate on financial statements used to obtain loans and economic and tax benefits.
6. A lawsuit from Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer (now disbarred), for $2 million of legal fees owing to him.
7. A class-action lawsuit alleging that Trump, his adult children, and an affiliate of the Trump Organization misled people into selling products for American Communications Network that were worthless.
8. A suit from Mary Trump, the President’s niece, against Trump, his brother, and his sister, alleging that she has been cheated out of an inheritance from Trump’s father.
9. A suit from Orestes Fintiklis and his fund, Ithaca Capital Investments, which took control of Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower from Trump International Hotels Management in 2018, accusing Trump of mismanaging the Panama hotel and seeking $15 million in damages.  A judge has ruled since the initial filing that the plaintiffs were entitled to amend their suit to add claims of fraud and breach of contract.
10. A lawsuit from former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan against the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago for violating environmental protection regulations by diverting water from the Chicago River to cool the hotel.  This suit has already been settled in favor of the state of Illinois, but the amount that the hotel pays in penalties is to be determined at a later date.  The office of the Illinois Attorney General asked that the judge impose the maximum possible fines:  $50,000 for two violations plus an additional $10,000 per day for each day the hotel continued to cool the building using water from the river.  With violations occurring since 2017, the hotel chain could be ordered to pay as much as $12 million in fines.  This is perhaps not likely, but the penalty will still amount to several million in any case.

Note that this list does not include any potential suits from the IRS to collect what Trump owes in back taxes.  None have materialized yet, but they may come about in the next few months.

The point must be emphasized during the impeachment trial:  Trump clung onto his status as President and incited a riot not because he is an ideological reactionary who fervently believes in the righteousness of his cause.  Nor did he file lawsuit after lawsuit challenging the election results on account of an honest delusion that he was the victor.  He had no other motive than sordid financial ones.  He has spent his life acquiring money through dishonest means; and as long as he was President, he could hope to shelter behind his office and elude the consequences of his defalcations.  He was prepared to use any means to remain in office, even it involved defiance of our electoral system.   This is the reason, incidentally, that I disagreed with several of my friends who exclaimed “He must be insane!” during the riot of January 6^th.  He knew exactly what he was doing.

If it is stressed that Trump looked upon the entire nation simply as a cash cow, the revulsion against him may be sufficiently widespread as to render his running for office again an impossibility.  Already the tide is turning against him to some extent.  In late January, only 47% of Americans said the Senate should vote to remove Trump from office and 49% said he should not be removed.  But in a new poll released today, 56% of the respondents said that Trump must be prevented from running again.  So an increase in the forces to oppose the idea of Trump’s returning to the political scene is possible, but the impeachment trial has to be managed carefully for that to happen.

Demonstrations are surfacing in Myanmar against the new military government.  In Yangon, the largest city, some residents have been banging pots and pans at night, and some essential workers like teachers and doctors have refused to work.  So far the demonstrations have been peaceful and the government has responded chiefly by restricting access to Internet and social media.  Both Biden and the United Nations have called on Myanmar’s military leaders to relinquish power and release activists and officials.  That is not likely to happen, of course, but the threat of sanctions may at least deter the military authorities to the extent of keeping their oppression within certain limits; more than that is not to be expected.

People who have recovered from COVID are in some cases reporting residual symptoms with regard to their sense of taste that are particularly troubling.  Onions, for them, have become thoroughly unpalatable.  Meat products taste like gasoline and wine tastes like oil.  I know that there are some people who still imagine that the COVID virus is a gigantic hoax; but surely the threat of no longer being able to properly appreciate the taste of wine ought to bring them to their senses.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  106,676,179; # of deaths worldwide: 2,326,773; # of cases U.S.: 27,611,403; # of deaths; U.S.: 474,933. 

Hiking in the Nicholson Hollow area – Kamala Harris in the Senate – Mike Lindell’s video – Evening statistics

We’re expecting another snowfall overnight but today was clear and relatively warm (about 50 degrees in the lower elevations).  I met with AD, RH, and four others to hike along the Nicholson Hollow area, including a loop via the Hannah Run, Catlett Mountain, Hazel Mountain, and Hot-Short Mountain trails.  Even though I have hiked on all of the trails many times before, they looked very different in the snow, which at the higher elevations had not completely melted and indeed was several inches deep in places.  I used micro-spikes for the steeper part of the Hannah Run Trail as it ascended Catlett Mountain and kept them on until descending along the Hot-Short Trail, where they were a decided help.  We met few people during our excursion.  Most of the people who park at the Nethers parking area take the ascent to Old Rag.  A few will take Nicholson Hollow all the way to Skyline, but we met only two others while we were completing our loop.  It was just over 10.5 miles and about 2300 feet of elevation again.  Afterwards we chatted together and indulged in various snacks, as is our custom.  It is hikes with others like these that constitute my main avenue of social intercourse at this point, especially in this season, when visiting others to sit together (at a proper distance from one another, of course) on their lawns or terraces is not practicable. 

Kamala Harris is using her tie-breaking vote powers, as Joe Biden himself, when he was Vice President for eight years, was never called upon to do.  Yesterday her vote was required twice for a budget resolution that will pave the way for a COVID-19 virus relief package.  Harris has said publicly that she hopes that she will not be called upon to break too many ties; presiding over the Senate will be a distraction from other Vice-Presidential responsibilities.  But it is probable that her deciding vote will be required for several occasions as long as the Senate is divided 50-50.  Even Mike Pence was called to break 13 ties, and the Republicans in the Senate had at least a four-seat advantage during his term of office. Her arrival in the Senate on Thursday night was characteristic:  she supplied chocolates for colleagues on both sides of the aisle and at one point huddled around a warm fire in her Senate office with several senators, including Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia.  It is unclear whether this method of injecting a note of amity in future Senate proceedings will have any effect after so many years of incendiary rhetoric on both sides, but at least both Biden and Harris are making the attempt.

Mike Lindell has released a two-hour documentary titled “Absolute Truth,” which claims that the election has been stolen from Trump as a result of a conspiracy.   This video was quickly deleted from Youtube after someone reported it to the administrators.  It trended on Twitter, with many users denouncing its content and attributing such sinister motives to him as being a co-conspirator in the January 6 riot.  I, however, have an alternate explanation:  Lindell is the CEO of MyPillow and it may well be that he is attempting to promote his product by distributing the video in order to encourage the viewers . . . to sleep!  It is in truth an anodyne production, filled with the usual QAnon clichés, which should come to no surprise to viewers of Fox News; the news channel is continually flooded with commercials which supply sufficient proof, if any more is needed, that he is not the most inspiring of narrators.   

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  106,327,976; # of deaths worldwide: 2,318,876; # of cases U.S.: 27,519,636; # of deaths; U.S.: 473,528. 

Good news from Israel (no, not that kind) and from the U.K. as well – Improvement in India – Biden confounds his opponents yet again – The rioters firmly established as children of privilege – More snow to come – Evening statistics

Another warm, sunny, and cheerful day; and as if in harmony with the weather, news from abroad has been encouraging as well.

In particular, the results of the vaccines are quite promising to date.  Reports from the U.K. and Israel this week suggest that they are both safe and effective at preventing illness from COVID-19.  As of January 24^th, about 7 million in the U.K. received their first dose and 500,000 received their second dose.  Most of the reported symptoms from reaction to the vaccines were mild and temporary.  There are only a few reports of serious side effects, not more than usual for established vaccines of other diseases.  There is no evidence of an increased risk of Bell’s palsy, as was thought at first.  In Israel, which has energetically rolled out the new vaccines, hospitalizations have decreased substantially, particularly of persons over 60, who were among the first to receive their vaccinations.  About 37% of Israelis have received their first dose and 21% have received their second dose.  Less than 9% of Americans have received their first dose; but, even so, hospitalizations are declining here also. 

Both hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths are declining in India as well, although it is not known what the causes might be.  It is almost certain that the number of people who have contracted COVID-19 is considerably greater than the official reported figures.  Nonetheless, hospitals are no longer filled to capacity and the death rate is now about 10% of the death rate in September.  Health care workers have acquired data that suggests that at least 20% of the population now carries COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting that in the case of India, “herd immunity” may be becoming a reality.  India has imposed some of the strictest lockdowns worldwide and mask-wearing is compulsory in the majority of Indian states.  These measures have probably played a factor in the decline of the virus, but data collection in that country is attended with so many difficulties that it’s impossible at this point to reach a firm conclusion as to why the virus is subsiding.  But the news is good in any case, and it may be an indication that the pandemic is beginning to recede at last, as other pandemics have done.

One of the predictions that Biden’s opponents made was that if he became President he would immediately knuckle down to China.  Today a U.S. guided-missile destroyer passed through the Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan, the first time since the inauguration that a U.S. warship has used that waterway.  It is a response to China’s dispatching two large warship formations close to the island.  It is completely in accordance with international law but it is plainly a gesture of support for Taiwan’s claims to independence. 

I am sorry to say that the rioters who besieged the Capitol continue to get special privileges from our judicial system.  It has already been related how Jacob Chansley is receiving specially-made organic food in prison, as if he were a customer in a restaurant rather than a convicted felon.  And now Jenny Louise Cudd, who was charged on Jan. 12 with entering and remaining on restricted grounds, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and obstructing a Congressional meeting during the riot, has been permitted to travel to Mexico for a vacation with her employees for February 18-21 – this, although the last-named charge is a felony.  Not only the judges, but even the prosecuting attorneys seem anxious to handle the defendants with kid gloves:  not one of the men or women apprehended in the riot to date have been charged with sedition.

There is more snow in the forecast for this coming Sunday.  It was only a few weeks ago that a climate control expert was lamenting the fact that the DC metro area has had a “snow drought” of more than two years:  Heaven, apparently, has heard his complaint and is now punishing him.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  105,884,425; # of deaths worldwide: 2,307,128; # of cases U.S.: 27,400,511; # of deaths; U.S.: 470,418.  At this rate our death toll will reach 5 million in about 10 days.

Remains of the snowstorm – The tense situation in Myanmar – Marjorie Taylor Greene loses committee positions – Evening statistics

I showed foresight in breaking up the ice on my walkways three days ago, when enough water was running underneath it to make its removal, if not easy, at any rate a good deal easier than it is now.  When I was out today I noticed several people hacking at the ice on their driveways and sidewalks with their shovels, making slow progress now that it had melted and then re-frozen over the past couple of days.  Even with the rising temperature (it was close to 50 degrees today) and untrammeled sunlight from a cloudless sky, the ice was firmly adhered to the pavement and its removal appeared a tedious business. 

Myanmar remains quiet.  Some flags are being flown in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD) but there have been no mass demonstrations and no violent crackdowns.  “Democracy” in the NLD’s title has to be taken with a grain of salt:  even during the party’s prominence the military always had the upper hand and the NLD had to tread warily to avoid provoking it.  And it appears that to some extent it was a bit of a personality cult for Suu Kyi.  But undoubtedly it was providing a meliorating trend and until recently it seemed possible that the iron hand of the military government from previous decades would relax its grip.  Now the prospects for genuine democracy are dim.  Win Htein, a senior NLD advisor, was taken from his Yangon home early on Friday, arrested under sedition laws.  Other prominent NLD members will probably undergo the same fate, including Suu Kyi herself; they are already under house arrest.  Biden has spoken about imposing sanctions, but their effect may be only to push the nation into dependence on China. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene has been removed from her committee assignments.  The vote on the matter took place this evening, and the motion for her removal was voted 230-199 in favor, with 11 Republicans aligning themselves with the Democratic majority.  The biggest loser in this new debacle for the Republican Party is not Greene herself, but Kevin McCarthy.  He said that he deplored Greene’s extremist views and offensive behavior, but did not propose to penalize her in any way.  Had he done so by having the GOP deprive her of the committee assignments on its own, he would have spared himself and the party at large from the humiliation of seeing one of their members publicly stripped of her responsibilities and being declared incompetent to fulfill them.  In an attempt to retain her perquisites, Greene declared that some of her more far-fetched statements “were words of the past, and these things do not represent me.”  No one believed this 11^th-hour recantation, especially since she did not bother to mention her reprehensible conduct in stalking David Hogg, a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas School massacre in 2018.  The entire process was executed with far less fanfare than I expected.  I thought that the chamber meeting would be prolonged by GOP members arguing on her behalf or at any rate protesting about the precedent set by targeting a member of Congress over views expressed prior to serving as an elected official.  But even though the vote went more or less along party lines, no one wanted to discredit himself by championing her. 

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide:  105,394,785; # of deaths worldwide: 2,292,538; # of cases U.S.: 27,269,684; # of deaths; U.S.: 466,870.