A monument hike – More scouting – An unexpected instance of the pandemic becoming useful – Alex Jones disowns his former idol – Evening statistics
Another urban hike yesterday, this one associated with going to various monuments. Washington of course has several famous monuments (the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, etc.) , but this hike gave us a glimpse of several whose existence I had not known about before, such as the one for Eisenhower (erected a bare 15 months ago) and the one for Native-American war veterans. In particular, the monument to Ulysses Grant (in the proximity of the Capitol) is an astonishing work. Not only does it contain the largest equestrian statue in the country, but the Artillery Group and the Cavalry Group that accompany it provide a wonderful example of sculpture being employed to convey motion – in this case, the frantic motion of war maneuvers. It was a lovely day as well, slightly cooler than the preceding day, but with air like crystal and warm blue skies. Afterwards we went to the apartment of EF and MJ, who led the hike, and enjoyed their hospitality, snacking on crudités and cheeses and crackers and chocolates and English biscuits, accompanied by wine or beer, as we sat on their rooftop terrace and gazed upon the vista of the Potomac and the metro area along the riverbanks below.
Today the weather was took a turn for the worse, becoming rather chilly and damp. Nonetheless I went out to verify alternatives to the crossings of Scott’s Run and Pimmit Run on the route of the McLean Loop hike. It was rather frustrating; some areas of the trails on these alternatives are greatly overgrown, and I will probably have to go again armed with a pair of shears to clear away some of the vines and brambles before I can lead the hike on the 11th.
An unnamed woman is contemplating turning the pandemic’s propensity to disrupt family gatherings to her advantage. Both her own relatives and her husband’s have invited themselves to her home for Christmas, with seven dogs between them. “The last thing on Earth I want to do tomorrow is cook for 16 (fussy and uninvited) people,” she complained in a Christmas Eve post on the British parenting forum Mumsnet. “And they all wonder why I don’t like Christmas. It’s the same every year. Can’t tell them to leave us alone for the day or come for an hour or something as would create so much drama.” So instead she is wondering whether she tell them that she tested positive for the COVID virus in order to discourage their visits. She received 120 replies, the overwhelming majority of which enthusiastically endorsed this plan. I suppose it is one way of coping with the situation, although it does raise the question of how she will be able to avoid similarly unwelcome visits next year.
Alex Jones is the creator of the Infowars network, which, among its other claims to fame, was instrumental in stirring up the rioters on January 6th to participate in Trump’s attempted government takeover. He himself spoke at Lafayette Square Park that day to encourage them in their ransacking. Trump’s recent endorsement of the vaccines, however, seems to have dampened his enthusiasm for his hero somewhat:
“You are either completely ignorant about the so-called vaccine gene therapy you helped ram through with Operation Warp Speed, or you are the most evil man who has ever lived to push this toxic poison on the public and to attack your constituents when they simply try to save their lives and the lives of others.”
This anti-vaxxer sentiment is to be expected from Jones, a self-described “paleo-conservative” – by which he means, I think, that his political platform would not be out of place among the Neanderthal communities of the early Stone Age. The fact that a man notorious for his promotion of conspiracy theories and for his dismissal of any journalism not in accordance with his politics as “fake news” has turned upon Donald Trump is an illustration of the old adage that two of a trade never agree.
Yesterday’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 280,315,202; # of deaths worldwide: 5,416,273; # of cases U.S.: 53,222,424; # of deaths; U.S.: 837,854.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 281,636,673; # of deaths worldwide: 5,422,116; # of cases U.S.: 53,625,098; # of deaths; U.S.: 839,155.