Morning statistics – Actions of Fox News contradict its words – Face masks required in some states – A meager penalty for Tony Spell – Spelling as a creative art form – The parable of the talents – A friend’s experiences in flying – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 9:00 AM — # of cases worldwide: 2,580,630; # of deaths worldwide: 179,063; # of cases U.S.: 819,321; # of deaths U.S.: 45,355. The countries with the highest death rates per capita are now, in descending order, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, U.K., Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, and the U.S. Sweden’s mortality rate is climbing steadily upwards, which may cause some of its officials to reconsider its somewhat lax policy towards containment of the virus.
Fox News, which has consistently downplayed the effects of the virus and has portrayed the reports about it from other news networks as part of a conspiracy to denigrate Trump, has been revealed not to believe a word of what it was claiming. In a memo to the Fox News staff, the CEO reduced the “staff footprint” at the New York headquarters and other bureaus, urging employees to telecommute instead. Imaginary as they profess to believe the virus to be, they nonetheless go to considerable lengths to take precautions against it for their own employees. I am bound to say that Fox News has been putting itself to a needless trouble in trying to promote their theories. There is no need for a “conspiracy” to circulate the notion that Trump is arbitrary, peevish, irritable, capricious, erratic, fickle, ill-tempered, ill-informed, ill-natured, and ill-bred; his actions alone are sufficient for this purpose.
The following states require wearing a face mask when going out in public: Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. It is not clear whether this extends to various outdoor recreational activities such as jogging, where a face mask used to prevent the spread of micro-particles can defeat its own ends. Intense exercise causes people to pant heavily, and if they are wearing masks they will constantly be infusing these with droplets from the nose and mouth. For my own part, I wear a mask when strolling on the streets and entering any store or public building, but I do not wear one while hiking.
At long last Tony Spell, the Louisiana pastor who has constantly defied the stay-at-home order to perform massive services in his church, has been arrested. But again, his punishment was meted out in such a half-hearted manner as to deprive it of all of its sting. A protestor was demonstrating against his repeated violations of the stay-at-home order when he happened to be driving a church bus. Spell attempted to frighten the protestor by driving straight at him and stopping just five feet away. Spell was charged with aggravated assault. But he paid a $5000 bond and was released the same day. So essentially he received no punishment at all. Five thousand dollars is small change to Tony Spell, who rakes in millions from his duped supporters. Since the said supporters came out in numbers to cheer him when he walked away from prison, there is no reason to pity them for yielding for his attempt to deprive them of their stimulus checks. Let them by impoverished by this man, if that’s what they want; they deserve no better.
Numerous photos of the protestors coming out to march against the lockdowns in the various states are being posted all over the Internet. The home-made signs that many of them display are somewhat curious: “athletits” for “athletes”; “peaple” for “people”; “coice” for “choice”. We seem to be reverting to the literacy level of the generation just before George Eliot’s, as she describes in The Mill on the Floss: “a generation with whom spelling was a matter of private judgment.”
Our President has recently displayed a greater knowledge of theological matters than I had given him credit for, or at the very least a degree of cognizance of certain passages from the New Testament. Recently some relief was distributed to members of the restaurant industry. The big chains swallowed up the lion’s share of it, with the swiftness and rapacity of cormorants, while the small independent restaurant owners, who needed it most, had to content themselves with crumbs from the table. Trump has thus provided the nation with a practical exposition of the parable of the talents (Matthew, 25:14-30), in which we learn that the rich shall have more.
MF was compelled to take a flight to Miami to help her daughter pack and move her furniture back to Maryland. The flight was almost empty. And she was fortunate to obtain one; most flights have been canceled. She took photos of the airport while she was waiting for the flight; it was nearly deserted.
Today’s statistics as of 10:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 2,637,673; # of deaths worldwide: 184,217; # of cases U.S.: 848,994; # of deaths U.S.: 47,676. China’s official number of cases still active has sunk below 1,000.