Snow in the forecast – A rhapsodic tribute to the Electoral College – A second vaccine – Evening statistics
Snow is forecast for tomorrow, and the streets have already been strewn with salt in preparation. My attitude towards snow has varied over the years. I loved snowfalls as a child, particularly. I admit, if there was any likelihood of its leading to our getting a day off at school; once I started driving a car my attitude towards it became notably less whole-hearted; and when I became a commuter I regarded it with dread. For many years, also, I regarded it as an insuperable barrier to hiking, and it was only when I started associating with various hiking clubs and getting accustomed to winter hikes that I learned how mistaken this notion was. Little by little I became more appreciative of it in later years; and now, in retirement, when I can drive or refrain from driving as I choose, I am recapturing my old childhood enthusiasm for it. In this area the aftermath of snowstorms is often particularly alluring: the air becomes unusually clear, as if being run through a filter (which in a sense it has, since the snowflakes as they fall will absorb many of the impurities in the atmosphere created by pollution) and the blue of the sky is more intense than usual.
When I was a graduate student I sometimes had to teach the concept of the “Homeric simile,” a detailed comparison used in epic poems with the form of a simile many lines in length. The comparison generally takes the format of a type of event, i.e., “like [an object] when it [performs an action].” One such simile has occurred to me under the current circumstances:
Just as caterpillars, sickly in color and pulpy in texture, Drop ignominiously to the ground on their backs, After having striven in vain to obtain sustenance From a withered tree long barren of seeds and fruit, Only to discover that its rank and rotting interior Yields absolutely nothing of nutritive value, So have many prominent Republican politicians, Upon learning the results of the Electoral College vote, Ceased to support recent endeavors to suborn the election And abandoned that decrepit and tainted hulk That is known to the world as Donald Trump.
In other words, various legislators have, after the Electoral College balloting, at long last realized that there is nothing to be gained, and much to lose, by aligning themselves with Trump’s flailing attempts to obtain the Presidency by illicit means, and many are now formally congratulating Biden on his victory. Mitch McConnell is among these, and he is calling upon his colleagues to stop lobbying on Trump’s behalf. Even Trump’s allies from abroad have decided that it is best to come to terms with his successor – for example, Vladimir Putin, disappointed though he must be in losing this kindred spirit as his valued associate, has wished “the president-elect every success.” Even the Newsmax network, which stridently denied Biden’s victory up to this point, has announced that its reporters will start referring to him as the President-Elect. Furthermore, Trump’s devoted lackey William Barr has submitted his resignation from the position of Attorney-General, doubtless on the principle that it is better to jump than to be pushed. To do Trump justice, he is not one to be easily deflected from his unceasing attempts at self-aggrandizement; but I believe that even he must be somewhat taken aback to discover how swiftly he has lost friends in high places.
The Moderna vaccine is now being vetted by the FDA. If it is approved, it could be administered as early as Monday. It has certain advantages over the Pfizer vaccine – for example, it does not require to be packaged at -70⁰ Celsius (-94⁰ Fahrenheit) and does not need special equipment for storage. On the other hand, it cannot be administered to children. But the two vaccines have approximately the same rate of efficacy, and a second supply of vaccines will help to contain the virus a bit more quickly.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 73,782,191; # of deaths worldwide: 1,640,477; # of cases U.S.: 17,138,735; # of deaths; U.S.: 310,989.