Unemployment claims – Two hiker tales – Fighting in Myanmar intensifies – The July 4th goal – Evening statistics
Claims for unemployment have increased slightly, although the numbers remain close to the pandemic low. Over 559,000 workers found employment this past month. Employers posted a record 9.3 million job openings in April, close to the number of unemployed Americans in the workforce. But we still have a way to go to be restored to the pre-pandemic levels of employment. There are approximately 7 million jobs that will have to be recovered. The economy is steadily strengthening, but it remains to be seen what will transpire at the end of the month, when about half the country’s states will terminate the enhanced benefits created on account of the pandemic.
The dismembered body of an unidentified woman has been found in Catoctin Mountain Park. Her remains were found close to one of the established trails, within a mile of the Camp David presidential retreat. The proximity to Camp David appears to be fortuitous. The authorities say that her body had been in the park for about a month. The cause of death is still undetermined. It is a shocking story in more ways than one; I and many of my friends have visited the park on numerous occasions, and one doesn’t generally associate a peaceful forest setting with crime, particularly one so gruesome. But it certainly is feasible to conceal a body there for weeks or even months during this season; the dense foliage makes it possible.
Another hiker story has ended more happily. Fina Kiefer was hiking on the Pioneer Ridge Trail some 40-odd miles northeast of Anchorage when she was chased off of the trail by bears. She was able to ward them off by using bear spray but afterwards she was unable to locate the trail again. A search was launched but nothing could be found after 35 hours and it had to be called off as weather conditions deteriorated. The trail is 13.6 miles there-and-back, with at least 5,200 feet of elevation gain. Nonetheless, somehow she managed to descend the Chugach Mountains and make her way back to the road that leads to the trailhead, where she was spotted by a pair of drivers. She had equipped herself with waterproof matches as well as bear spray, and thus was able to start a fire to keep her sufficiently warm at night.
A village in Myanmar has been burned to the ground by the militia forces as the fighting between the junta and the opposition escalates. Kin Ma, a village of about 800 people in the Magway Region, now has only about 30 houses still standing, while the other 200 have been reduced to piles of ash and bricks. It is one of many casualties in the struggle there. Exact figures are impossible to obtain, but at this point it appears that about 860 civilians have been killed in the conflict.
At this point 65% of all American adults have received at least one dose. This means that if Biden’s goal of 70% of American adults getting at least one dose by July 4th is to be reached, nearly 13 million will have to receive a vaccine within the next two weeks. In the past week the average has been about 1 million administrations of the vaccines per day. So the goal still seems achievable, provided the pace of vaccinations does not decline further.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 178,178,128; # of deaths worldwide: 3,857,302; # of cases U.S.: 34,375,573; # of deaths; U.S.: 616,422.