Hiking in from Nicholson Hollow to Skyland – Unvaccinated hospital workers – The contrast of Catholic countries and Texas on abortion – Trump promotes Omarosa Manigault Newman’s book against his will – Surge in housing prices – Evening statistics
Today I went with the Vigorous Hikers along the Nicholson Hollow Trail, then went along the Appalachian Trail and the Passamaquoddy Trail to the dining lodge at Skyland. We returned via the horse trail, fire road, and Corbin Mountain Trail. It was over 17 miles and probably about 3300 feet of elevation gain – less strenuous than it sounds, because much of the ascent took place along the Nicholson Hollow Trail, which is relatively gradual (about a 7% grade on the average). When I went back descending along the Corbin Mountain Trail I remarked to MC that it appeared quite different on account of new growth in its vicinity. Its contours were exactly as I remembered them – thus I could say “yes, here is that slight rise to get beyond the arête before descending again, and here is that sharp bend to the left, and here is the switchback down to Hannah’s Run,” but the vegetation had altered considerably as a result of the ash trees dying off, thereby allowing previously shaded areas plenty of direct sunlight. He said he had noticed the same thing – for example, the section that descends sharply to the creek used to be much more open and one had a direct view down the mountain slope, whereas now it is quite obscured by ferns and shrubs and other undergrowth. The trail had many blowdowns, the majority of them quite recent, since it is more exposed to winds from the west than the other portions of the hike. The forecast called for rain in the afternoon, and as a result we were both anxious to get back before it started. The return along the Nicholson Hollow Trail ends with crossing the Hughes River along a series of large boulders, which can get very slippery when wet. At one point we encountered sprinkles while getting back to the Nicholson Hollow Trail, but happily the rain held off and we were able to get back to our cars dryshod.
About 16% of hospital workers in New York, or about 83,000 statewide, are not fully vaccinated and of these about 8% have not received a single dose, despite the mandate ordering vaccination for all health care professionals. Apparently a substantial number are resisting it. “I’m wearing the same exact PPE I’ve worn the whole pandemic and it’s always kept myself and patients safe. Why has that changed?” one nurse said. The answer, obviously, is that even if PPE keeps medical professionals safe (which is debatable – several health care professionals have contracted the virus in the course of their work), it does not prevent the virus from spreading outside of hospitals and mutating into variants. One would think that health care professionals would be among the first to reason this way, but the anti-vaxxers have made inroads even into the profession that receives the greatest amount of first-hand evidence of the vaccines’ efficacy.
San Marino is now the latest of the countries with a Catholic majority that has liberalized its abortion laws. Other countries that have shifted towards pro-choice include, in order of dates in which abortion became legal, Austria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, São Tomé and Príncipe, Uruguay, Ireland, Argentina, and Mexico. The solution for the issue of abortion in Texas can thus be easily resolved. Clearly, for women to have the right to arbitrate their own destinies, Texas must first become Catholic.
Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former aide of his in the White House, has foundered. The lawsuit was initiated with the objective of suppressing a book Newman had written about her experiences while serving in the White House during Trump’s administration. Previously Newman had appeared as a three-time contestant on the reality TV show Trump had run before he turned his attention to politics, and over time she became a close confidant of Trump before supporting him for president and following him to the White House. During his campaign, she was one of his most prominent black supporters. But the relationship soured, as relationships with Donald Trump tend to do; she was summarily dismissed, like so many of Trump’s intimates, and the pair eventually found it convenient to establish a mutual bond of inveterate hatred. This, of course, follows the trajectory of most of Trump’s former associates; what is unusual about Newman, however, is that, in contrast to the other tools he has broken and discarded, she was able to hit back. Trump’s lawsuit backfired on him badly; not only has the judicial system decided against him and ordered him to pay all of Newman’s legal costs in the bargain, but it has given added publicity to a book that accuses Trump of racism and asserts that he is in a severe mental decline.
Never has it been so good a time to be in secure possession of a house or condo of one’s own. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index surged 19.9% in July compared with a year ago, the largest gain on records dating back to 2000. I probably would be able to sell my house for many thousands more than the value at which Fairfax City assesses it to be, but any profit I might make on such a deal would be wiped out by whatever I would be expected to pay for any new place that I could move into. The pandemic has played a fairly significant role in driving the price of housing up: people are desirous of having more living space to provide safer havens from those spreading the contagion.
Yesterday’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 233,006,820; # of deaths worldwide: 4,767,678; # of cases U.S.: 43,886,822; # of deaths; U.S.: 707,740.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 233,502,143; # of deaths worldwide: 4,777,670; # of cases U.S.: 44,038,379; # of deaths; U.S.: 711,138.