Hiking in Shenandoah National Park – Haze from the wildfires nearly 3000 miles away – Astonishing behavior of commentators from Fox News – Indiana University permitted to protect itself – Undercounting of deaths in India – The virus interrupts festivities in Muslim countries – Evening statistics
I went with the Vigorous Hikers on a there-and-back along the Appalachian Trail between Thornton Gap and the overlook at Little Stony Man. Normally this hike features many excellent viewpoints at Mary’s Rock, the Pinnacle, Jewel Hollow, the Pinnacles picnic area, and Little Stony Man itself. But the views were very disappointing today. It is normally rather hazy during the summer (with last year being a brilliant exception, on account of the lower industrial and automotive emissions) but today the haze went well beyond the usual loss of clarity. When I remarked on this, EC said that the smoke from the wildfires in the West have reached the area and have completely enveloped the Shenandoah Valley.
On the other hand, there was an abundance of lilies, both Turk’s-cap and Canada lilies, and numerous butterflies. The tiger swallowtails were particularly noticeable at the Byrd’s Nest shelter and the ascent on either side of it. The temperatures were much less hot along the ridgeline than they were on the lower elevations, and at Little Stony Man, where we had lunch while seated upon the rock outcroppings, a breeze blew so steadily that it became pleasantly cool.
On the return I went together with HL, who gave a rather humorous account about an acquaintance of his who on occasion goes barefoot, not only upon turf and sand, but on trails like the one we covered today, with its plethora of exposed rock and scree. She spoke to him about the “enlightenment” she receives from being “closer to earth”; we lost no time in agreeing that we prefer to use hiking boots and to receive both less enlightenment and less pain.
There has been a rare occurrence that is surely worthy of national attention, if not stunned disbelief: namely, that various Fox News commentators have publicly admitted that two and two is four. Sean Hannity, who earlier claimed that COVID was no more harmful than flu and that Democrats were using it to discredit Donald Trump, is now urging viewers to get vaccinated. He is not the only one among the Fox staff to do a complete volte-face: “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade compared skipping the Covid-19 vaccine to cliff diving, saying on Monday that people who don’t survive the disease made the “choice” to die; while co-host Steve Doocy addressed those who have resisted getting the vaccine as follows: “If you have the chance, get the shot. It will save your life.” Perhaps they are belatedly realizing that the main casualties of the new wave of the virus are Republicans and Trump supporters, from whom the non-vaccinated are overwhelmingly recruited; so that at this rate the Democrats will be able to prevail in the 2022 elections by sheer attrition.
Along these lines, Indiana University has set up a vaccine requirement for students and employees alike; and, although a lawsuit predictably erupted when this requirement was announced, a federal judge has refused to uphold it and has ruled that the university injunction may stay in place. The number of students, faculty, and staff who access the campus amounts to 100,000, so the concern of the university management is understandable. As Judge Damon Leichty observed, no one has a constitutional right to a college education and students who do not wish to get vaccinated can simply leave. It is not at all uncommon for colleges to require vaccinations from its student body: Indiana requires all public university students to receive vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, and meningococcal disease.
I have said little of other countries during the past few weeks, but the progress of the pandemic in India continues to ravage the country. Officially the death toll is nearly 420,000. But a report published by Arvind Subramanian, the Indian government’s former chief economic adviser, and two other researchers at the Center for Global Development and Harvard University, said that the excess deaths in India are in the range of 3-to-4.7 million between January 2020 and June 2021. In other words, the death toll could be under-estimated by as much as a factor of 10. The Partition of the British-ruled Indian subcontinent into independent India and Pakistan in 1947 has up to this point been considered the most deadly tragedy in Indian history, since it led to the killing of up to 1 million people as gangs of Hindus and Muslims slaughtered each other. It now appears, however, that the pandemic has snatched these undesirable laurels from this event, being at least 3-4 times as costly in human life.
Today is Eid al-Adha, the last day of the hajj. As was the case last year, the hajj has been heavily scaled back, with only 60,000 pilgrims allowed to participate (the average yearly number in normal times is about 2½ million). The governments in various Muslim nations have taken measures to restrict the usual celebrations. In Indonesia, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, who is also an influential Islamic cleric, appealed to people to perform holiday prayers at home with their families, following a new wave of the virus that began in May. In Malaysia, measures have been tightened after a sharp spike in infections despite a national lockdown since June 1st. People are banned from travelling back to their hometowns or crossing districts to celebrate. House visits and customary trips to graveyards are also banned. Iran on Monday imposed a week-long lockdown on the capital, Tehran, and the surrounding region. The lockdown began today. India’s Muslim scholars have been urging people to exercise restraint and adhere to health protocols. Some states have restricted large gatherings and are asking people to observe the holiday at home.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 192,205,804; # of deaths worldwide: 4,124,191; # of cases U.S.: 35,077,098; # of deaths; U.S.: 625,244.