Hiking among the wildflowers – Finland and NATO – Rumors of Putin’s failing health – Biden’s imitation of Trump tweets – Evening statistics
I helped FH to lead a there-and-back hike on the Appalachian Trail between Manassas Gap and the junction with the unnamed trail that leads to the Verlin Smith Trail and the Thompson Wilderness area. To tell the truth, initially I was not looking forward to it. Lately we have not had much luck with the weather these past few weekends, and the forecast was for rain. But the forecast became less and less threatening as the week worn on, eventually predicting only showers; and in the event not only did no rain fall during the entire hike, but on several occasions gleams of sunshine shone through the clouds, dappling the forest floor below. The trilliums were past their peak but still numerous. This section of the AT is generally rich in wildflowers in all seasons except winter, and today proved to be no exception: we saw an abundance of wild geranium, along with starry chickweed, showy orchis, bloodroot, rue anemone, and May apples, which were just beginning to bloom. It proved to be a lovely hike and, best of all, not difficult to lead: we were only six in all, others having been discouraged by the misleading weather report, and they were all capable hikers, so I had no worries about any of them running into difficulties.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto called Putin to inform him that Finland has applied for membership in NATO. Finland has previously refrained from joining NATO; it shares a border with Russia 830 miles long and has been anxious to remain on reasonably cordial terms with its giant neighbor. But, as Ninisto told Putin, the recent invasion of Ukraine has left him no choice in the matter. Putin’s long-term strategy appears to be backfiring in a rather spectacular way. Part of the purpose of the invasion was to intimidate NATO and cause it to diminish its activities. Instead, NATO has started flexing its military muscles, sending weapons and aid to Ukraine; while both Finland and Sweden, hitherto neutral, are on the verge of joining it.
Rumors about Putin’s health continue to circulate but at this stage they are precisely that: rumors. An unnamed Russian oligarch claims that Putin is suffering from blood cancer. It is certainly possible. Video footage of his recent meeting with Belarus President Lukashenko shows him with repeated tremors in his arms and legs, and in various public events, including Russia’s Victory Day celebration, he has appeared frail. But all of this may be wishful thinking. The Kremlin has stated that while Putin is taking strict precautions during the pandemic, including the use of a long table to meet other political leaders, he remains fit and well – which leads one to believe that the rumors may be true.
Biden has not been as egregious as Trump about the use of tweets, but his record in this respect is far from flawless. This past Thursday the administration posted a tweet that stated that vaccines were unavailable when Biden took office. This is of course blatantly untrue; they were first distributed in ths country during the month of December, 2020. By the time Biden took office, more than 18 million Americans had received at least one dose and about 3 million had been fully vaccinated. Biden himself had already been vaccinated as well. Dr. Fauci, when asked about this tweet, seemed quite taken aback when it came out and confirmed to Jake Tapper of CNN, who interviewed on the subject, that the tweet was indeed inaccurate.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 520,805,577; # of deaths worldwide: 6,287,528; # of cases U.S.: 84,197,814; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,026,575. The incidence rate of the U.S. has been steadily sinking with respect to other countries; there are now 57 nations with higher rates of COVID than ours. Regrettably, our mortality rate with respect to other countries has not changed: we are still 18th on the list.