Whiteoak Canyon and Hawksbill Mountain – Mayor Muriel Bowser lapses –Governor Andrew Cuomo under fire – The thuggish regime of Belarus – Herd immunity in Tennessee – Evening statistics
I went today with the Vigorous Hikers up Whiteoak Canyon, and from there we continued taking the trail past Skyline Drive to the junction with the Appalachian Trail, after which we went south along the AT to Hawksbill, the highest point in Shenandoah National Park. It was a wonderful day, cool enough to make the long ascent (about 2500 feet in 4½ miles for the Whiteoak Canyon Trail and about 1000 feet more on the Appalachian Trail and on the Salamander Trail that leads to Hawksbill’s summit) less arduous than might be expected in mid-summer. Hawksbill itself was breezy and quite cool, almost to the point of being chilly, and at least one person in our group brought out his jacket as we ate lunch there. The view from the stone observation platform is advertised as a 360-degree view, but the validity of this claim depends on the season. During late autumn, winter, and early spring, when the foliage has fallen, the view is indeed 360 degrees, but at other times the view to the east are obscured by the trees. But the view to the west is one of the most striking in the park; Hawksbill is over 4,000 high and, as a result, one is looking down from the summit towards a greater depth than usual into the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia piedmont. Even though the day was cloudy, the verdant hues of the valley formed a brilliant contrast to the blue sky and white clouds above. I will admit, though, that it was a pleasure rather dearly bought when we descended along the Cedar Run Trail, which is extremely rocky and reminded me, not very pleasingly, of some of the boulder fields I had endured this past year when exploring the portion of the Appalachian Trail that goes through northern Pennsylvania. But even this portion of the hike had its compensations: the stream contains a few waterfalls that terminate in pellucid green pools at their base and during the latter part of the descent I saw a scarlet tanager pausing briefly on a branch just a few feet away from me.
I have thought well up to this point of Mayor Muriel Bowser for her responsible attitude towards the pandemic and for her governing of the city in general, and I would like to continue to do so, but my favorable opinion of her has been somewhat shaken by her behavior over the past weekend. The mask mandate was imposed on Washington DC on Saturday morning. The previous evening she had celebrated her birthday at a reception in which everyone was maskless – and while the party had taken place out of doors on a rooftop and had been held a few hours before the mandate was imposed, such conduct is certainly inconsistent. But on Saturday she did worse: she officiated at a wedding at the Line DC hotel in Adams Morgan, a ceremony that was held indoors after the mandate was officially imposed, and nearly all of the guests, including the mayor herself, were maskless. This seeming insouciance is especially startling for someone who lost a sister to the virus just five months ago. One cannot help thinking of politicians outside of this country such as Angela Merkel of Germany and Jacinda Aherne of New Zealand, who willingly comply in their own person with the measures they prescribe for others; but, alas, statesmen of that breed have died out here long ago.
Bowser’s lapses, however, are mere peccadilloes in comparison with the alleged actions of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. A report released by Attorney General Letitia James – who, it may noted in passing, has been conducting a criminal investigation against Donald Trump and hardly be said to be biased in favor of Republicans – claims that he sexually harassed at least 11 women in his employ and that retaliations were made against anyone who made accusations of being harassed, creating, in the report’s wording, a “toxic” work environment. Many party leaders, both Republican and Democrat, are calling for Cuomo’s resignation, including Nancy Pelosi (a long-time ally of the Cuomo family) and President Biden himself. Cuomo has denied the charges and has given no indication that he will resign, but his political career is unlikely to last long in any case; the New York state legislature is currently conducting an impeachment examination, and this report in all probability will give the examination more impetus.
After a period of receiving relatively little interest from its neighbors, Belarus has recently been gaining international attention – not of the most flattering kind, however. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, a track sprinter in the Tokyo Olympics, did not board the flight back to Kyiv as expected, but instead fled to the Polish embassy in Tokyo to request asylum, which the Polish authorities granted. She had criticized Belarussian sports officials in public and, as a result, fully expected to be imprisoned or even executed if she were to return to her native land. That her fears were not entirely without cause was confirmed by the discovery of the hanged body of Vitaly Shishov, an activist who had fled to the Ukraine and was involved in helping other dissidents to flee the country as well. Ukrainian police are already conducting an investigation to determine whether, as seems likely, it was a murder made to appear like a suicide. Authorities in Belarus have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists in July alone, and detaining dozens of people. President Alexander Lukashenko has responded to demonstrations against the election that awarded him his sixth term with a massive crackdown that resulted in the arrest of 35,000 people. He is as unwilling to tolerate any breath of criticism as vehemently as Donald Trump himself; and regrettably has much more power to punish those who disparage him than our unlamented deposed 45th President.
Previous entries have noted how the state government of Tennessee recently fired one of its chief medical officers for promoting vaccinations among adolescents and has consistently refused to offer incentives of any kind to encourage people to receive COVID vaccinations. Never let it be said, however, that state officials make no effort towards the much-publicized goal of herd immunity. Tennessee’s Herd Health program currently reimburses participating farmers up to $1,500 for vaccinating their bulls and cows against respiratory diseases and other maladies, handing out $492,561 over the past two fiscal years. By an amazing coincidence, Governor Bill Lee has a family ranch business, Triple L Ranch, which breeds Polled Hereford cattle. Whether any political or humanitarian considerations will eventually persuade Governor Lee to display a similar concern for his own species, is unknown to mortal man.
Yesterday’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 199,547,478; # of deaths worldwide: 4,239,621; # of cases U.S.: 35,884,940; # of deaths; U.S.: 629,840.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 200,213,325; # of deaths worldwide: 4,258,031; # of cases U.S.: 36,036,799; # of deaths; U.S.: 630,458. Some sad statistics were tabulated today: the number of COVID cases is now over 200 million globally, and the U.S. has seen nearly 100,000 new cases today, the biggest increase we have had for months.