Morning statistics – Songbirds in suburbia – Brazil again – Activity in Fairfax – Colin Powell – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 AM — # of cases worldwide: 6,974,721; # of deaths worldwide: 402,094; # of cases U.S.: 1,988,544; # of deaths U.S.: 112,096.
I have been more conscious of the chorus of songbirds this spring than in any other that I can remember, but it appears my impression that they are louder or more active than usual is an illusion. If anything, they are quieter than normal, because there has been so little noise from traffic both on the ground and in the air. It is simply that without other background noises to contend against, their calls are more noticeable. And in this context I am reminded of the time when we first moved to Silver Spring, when my brother and I were small children. My parents were both born and bred in New York City; and when they came to live in suburban Montgomery County, in a residential area that had just been created on the site of newly-cleared forest, they were greatly taken aback by the bird chorus that erupted every morning – they were neither of them especially early risers. In some ways they never really adjusted to suburban life; whenever we visited New York to see our relatives, they were always invigorated, and they left it with visible reluctance. I, on the contrary, cannot live comfortably in a city. When I was a student in Philadelphia, the noise of the traffic during the nights and the absence of birdsong in the mornings were constant irritants to me. My emotions upon leaving Philadelphia after getting my degree and returning to suburban surroundings were not unlike those of someone being reprieved from exile.
Brazil is now projected to have at least 1,000,000 virus cases and 50,000 deaths by June 20 (two weeks from now). But tracking these figures has become slightly more difficult. Since Thursday, when Brazil’s death toll became second only to the U.S., the government has stopped publicizing cumulative nationwide totals. It is now reporting on a daily basis only the new virus cases and deaths within the previous 24 hours. There are plenty of websites, however, that calculate the nationwide case and death totals by simply adding each day’s newly reported cases and deaths to the last cumulative case and death toll reported by the government, so it’s difficult to see what the government gains by this maneuver. In the past four days alone, Brazil has reported more new cases and deaths than any other country. President Bolsonaro’s outlook on this matter appears to be analogous to that of the young male commuter who immerses himself in a newspaper to avoid meeting the eye of an elderly woman supporting herself with a cane nearby who might reasonably expect him to give up his seat to her whenever he notices her plight: “If I don’t see you, lady, you’re not really there!”
The “downtown” blocks of Fairfax City (both of them) were a good deal livelier today than they were last Sunday – chiefly, ironically enough, on account of the protestors, but also because a number of people simply wanted to take advantage of the fine day and the fact that more and more places were opening up. Most of the restaurants were occupied, or at any rate their outside seating was. There was a large crowd of protestors at City Hall, but all was proceeding smoothly, with no violent demonstrations and almost everyone present wearing masks.
Colin Powell, the Secretary of State under George H. W. Bush, noted for his distinguished and honorable career, has endorsed Biden. Donald Trumpery – er, Trump (I am always making that mistake) has reacted in the way one might expect, showering abuse on Powell for his management of the Iraq War via a tweet steeped in characteristic petulance, despite his previous resolutions to place a curb on Twitter. Why people continue to support this man, when he behaves like an infant in diapers towards anyone who ventures to criticize him, is beyond me. Whenever one tests him he invariably rings hollow, like a false coin.
Perhaps not irrelevantly, the Washington Monument was struck by lightning during the rainstorm earlier this week; observers may ascribe whatever symbolism this event may have that they will.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 7,081,594; # of deaths worldwide: 405,074; # of cases U.S.: 2,007,232; # of deaths U.S.: 112,469. Many sad milestones have come about today: the worldwide case count has surpassed seven million; the worldwide death toll has surpassed 400,000; the American case count has surpassed two million. Our case count has doubled in a little over 40 days. The worldwide case count gained over one million in 10 days.