According to figures from the April 27, 2020 Wall Street Journal:
US Cases: 963,379
US Deaths: 54,810
NFL 2019 Regular Season
Average Weekly Attendance: 1,111,333
Superbowl LIV Attendance: 62,417
Monday, April 27, 2020
Sunday, April 26, 2020
FBI Agent Turns Out To Be Bad Cop
It seems to happen fairly regularly. A member of the country's most elite law enforcement institution, or the most elite one that we know about, is actually a career criminal, as we see here. Like all federal employees, this one signed an oath of allegiance to the US and its Constitution.
Also, as usual, a newspaper, whose secondary purpose, after making a profit, is to provide its readers with information, doesn't include a photograph of the alleged felon with the article. Most people would like to know if they sat beside this sleaze on a flight into LA from Chicago or ate dinner next to him at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse or watched him cash a ticket at Santa Anita.
Also, as usual, a newspaper, whose secondary purpose, after making a profit, is to provide its readers with information, doesn't include a photograph of the alleged felon with the article. Most people would like to know if they sat beside this sleaze on a flight into LA from Chicago or ate dinner next to him at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse or watched him cash a ticket at Santa Anita.
Covid-19 And The Homeless
Last fall a ruckus was raised when several hundred ostensibly homeless people began camping in unoccupied territory near the I-94 and Hiawatha Ave. intersection. The area is part of what has been for years a center of the native American community in Minneapolis and many of the urban campers were natives.
Authorities provided portable toilets for these people but were eventually able to remove them to homeless shelters in other parts of the city, or so it was claimed.
Now, with the Covid-19 virus looming over everyone, people who might have once taken the option of a homeless shelter fear that they or their children would be exposed there to the viral infection. They feel that they are safer camped in these spots where they aren't sleeping next to possibly infected strangers, even though they lack basic sanitation facilities, as described here.
Camp Quarantine
Law enforcement sources say that they have been directed not to disturb the camp residents.
Franklin Ave. camp
A fence has been installed, apparently to prevent people from entering the areas beneath the I-94 overpass on Cedar Ave. a few blocks north of the camps.
Authorities provided portable toilets for these people but were eventually able to remove them to homeless shelters in other parts of the city, or so it was claimed.
Now, with the Covid-19 virus looming over everyone, people who might have once taken the option of a homeless shelter fear that they or their children would be exposed there to the viral infection. They feel that they are safer camped in these spots where they aren't sleeping next to possibly infected strangers, even though they lack basic sanitation facilities, as described here.
Law enforcement sources say that they have been directed not to disturb the camp residents.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Seventy-three Years Ago Jackie Robinson Made His Dodgers Major League Debut
You can read about it in this Deadspin article by DeArbea Walker. As the first African-American to play in the modern major leagues Robinson was a notable person and his career playing at that level made him a member of the baseball hall of fame.
Sadly, the writer leaves out some important facts in her story while pushing some unrelated nonsense.
Originally from Georgia, Jackie Robinson attended high school in Pasadena, CA and developed into a spectacular all-around athlete, a four sport letter winner at UCLA and the NCAA champion in the long jump. He spent time coaching and was a player for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues.
It wasn't possible for Robinson or any other ballplayer, black, white or purple, to simply walk into a baseball clubhouse and become a team member. Then, as now, the club's management had to sign him to a contract and assign him to either the big league club or one of its minor league affiliates. Brooklyn Dodgers president and general manager Branch Rickey believed that it was highly likely that baseball would soon become integrated and wished to sign the prospect that he felt had the best chance to succeed at that level. Robinson was his choice and was assigned to the AAA Montreal Royals. The next season he began his tenure as a star for the Brooklyn Dodgers. If not for Branch Rickey, Robinson may well have languished in the negro leagues like so many others. The Deadspin essay doesn't even mention Branch Rickey, who was the real hero in this affair.
Also forgotten, as usual, were native Americans in Major League Baseball. Nobody can be sure but it's generally agreed that the first native American big leaguer was Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot from Maine who patrolled the outfield for the Cleveland Spiders from 1897-1899.
He was followed by one of the all-time diamond greats, Charles Albert "Chief" Bender. The Chief had a 24 year career with four different ball clubs beginning in 1903 and a mound record of 212-127 with a lifetime ERA of 2.46 and 1,711 strikeouts. He pitched three complete games for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series victory over the New York Giants. He was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 1953.
Perhaps one of the most famous ballplayers of the twentieth century and one of the country's greatest all-around athletes was born in what is now Oklahoma in 1887. Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox, is remembered most for his exploits in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden and his spectacular college and professional football career. Less well known is his time spent in Major League Baseball in the years 1913-1919.
Other native Americans have since spent time in The Show but they, and the African-American players that began playing in 1947 had an advantage that these three did not. Sockalexis, Bender and Thorpe, despite being born in the US, were not US citizens. Native Americans, with some exceptions, were not granted citizenship until passage of the The Indian Citizen Act in 1924.
Chief Bender Lakepowelllife.com
Sadly, the writer leaves out some important facts in her story while pushing some unrelated nonsense.
Originally from Georgia, Jackie Robinson attended high school in Pasadena, CA and developed into a spectacular all-around athlete, a four sport letter winner at UCLA and the NCAA champion in the long jump. He spent time coaching and was a player for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues.
It wasn't possible for Robinson or any other ballplayer, black, white or purple, to simply walk into a baseball clubhouse and become a team member. Then, as now, the club's management had to sign him to a contract and assign him to either the big league club or one of its minor league affiliates. Brooklyn Dodgers president and general manager Branch Rickey believed that it was highly likely that baseball would soon become integrated and wished to sign the prospect that he felt had the best chance to succeed at that level. Robinson was his choice and was assigned to the AAA Montreal Royals. The next season he began his tenure as a star for the Brooklyn Dodgers. If not for Branch Rickey, Robinson may well have languished in the negro leagues like so many others. The Deadspin essay doesn't even mention Branch Rickey, who was the real hero in this affair.
Also forgotten, as usual, were native Americans in Major League Baseball. Nobody can be sure but it's generally agreed that the first native American big leaguer was Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot from Maine who patrolled the outfield for the Cleveland Spiders from 1897-1899.
He was followed by one of the all-time diamond greats, Charles Albert "Chief" Bender. The Chief had a 24 year career with four different ball clubs beginning in 1903 and a mound record of 212-127 with a lifetime ERA of 2.46 and 1,711 strikeouts. He pitched three complete games for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series victory over the New York Giants. He was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 1953.
Perhaps one of the most famous ballplayers of the twentieth century and one of the country's greatest all-around athletes was born in what is now Oklahoma in 1887. Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox, is remembered most for his exploits in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden and his spectacular college and professional football career. Less well known is his time spent in Major League Baseball in the years 1913-1919.
Other native Americans have since spent time in The Show but they, and the African-American players that began playing in 1947 had an advantage that these three did not. Sockalexis, Bender and Thorpe, despite being born in the US, were not US citizens. Native Americans, with some exceptions, were not granted citizenship until passage of the The Indian Citizen Act in 1924.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
The Covid-19 Statistics
According to the CDC, these are the numbers for deaths in the US for 2017:
Total deaths: 2,813,503
Death rate: 863.8 per 100,000
Life expectancy: 78.6 years
Infant mortality: 5.79 deaths per 1000 live births
Number of deaths from leading causes of death:
Heart Disease: 647,467
Cancer: 599,108
Accidents: 169,936
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
Stroke: 146,383
Alzheimer's disease: 121,404
Diabetes: 83,564
Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672
Nephritis: 50,633
Suicide: 47,173
As of April 11, 2020:
Deaths attributed to Covid-19 virus: 20,000
The New York Times has published information that indicates that on day 30 of the emergence of the pandemic in the US there have been 16,108 deaths, with the rate of deaths doubling every five days. If that fatality rate, about 5000 in the last 5 day period, should continue to rise at that level, on June 25, 2020 there will have been an additional 337,800,000 deaths in the US attributed to the Covid-19 virus.
Total deaths: 2,813,503
Death rate: 863.8 per 100,000
Life expectancy: 78.6 years
Infant mortality: 5.79 deaths per 1000 live births
Number of deaths from leading causes of death:
Heart Disease: 647,467
Cancer: 599,108
Accidents: 169,936
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
Stroke: 146,383
Alzheimer's disease: 121,404
Diabetes: 83,564
Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672
Nephritis: 50,633
Suicide: 47,173
As of April 11, 2020:
Deaths attributed to Covid-19 virus: 20,000
The New York Times has published information that indicates that on day 30 of the emergence of the pandemic in the US there have been 16,108 deaths, with the rate of deaths doubling every five days. If that fatality rate, about 5000 in the last 5 day period, should continue to rise at that level, on June 25, 2020 there will have been an additional 337,800,000 deaths in the US attributed to the Covid-19 virus.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Minnesota Covid-19
According to Bring Me The News:
Minnesota's COVID-19 confirmed death toll has risen to 64, with 7 more deaths announced on Saturday.
It means that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota has increased by 64 percent since Wednesday, when there were 39 deaths confirmed.
Of the latest deaths, 3 were in Hennepin County and 1 in Ramsey County, one in Winona County, with Nicollet and Wright counties also registering their first COVID-19 deaths. All deaths were patients in their 80s and 90s.
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Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm clarified this week that all of Minnesota's COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed with testing. If deaths are only listed as "suspected" or "probable" of having been caused by COVID-19, they aren't included in the death count.
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The age range for confirmed cases has been as young as 4 months old to 104 years old, with a median age of 52, while the average age of persons who have died from the disease is 88.
Minnesota's COVID-19 confirmed death toll has risen to 64, with 7 more deaths announced on Saturday.
It means that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota has increased by 64 percent since Wednesday, when there were 39 deaths confirmed.
Of the latest deaths, 3 were in Hennepin County and 1 in Ramsey County, one in Winona County, with Nicollet and Wright counties also registering their first COVID-19 deaths. All deaths were patients in their 80s and 90s.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm clarified this week that all of Minnesota's COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed with testing. If deaths are only listed as "suspected" or "probable" of having been caused by COVID-19, they aren't included in the death count.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The age range for confirmed cases has been as young as 4 months old to 104 years old, with a median age of 52, while the average age of persons who have died from the disease is 88.
Who Are The Covid-19 Victims?
Dump truck loads of numbers, statistics and percentages are meant to impress us with the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic. Media outlets are dedicated to revealing the rate of infection, hospital admissions and, most of all, deaths caused by this strange affliction. "Models", which make use of these numbers, are being used by government officials to guide their approach to arresting Covid-19, whatever it actually is. The effort is often described as "a war".
When there's a genuine war, with explosive devices designed to dispense death and destruction, names of the victims are published in the media. In all wars in which the US has had a presence, including current adventures abroad, military fatalities have been made public, identifying those paying the ultimate price, their home and survivors and usually a short obituary. This is in addition to any other ordinary obituary. A monument was constructed in Washington, DC honoring those that died in the Viet Nam affair. The name of every individual is engraved in the Viet Nam Memorial Wall.
In the case of the Covid-19 War, despite its incredibly detailed coverage by the media, with tables, graphs, charts, photos, etc. the identities and stories of the fallen, except for the very notable, haven't been published.
At some point, the victims of fatal traffic accidents are identified in the press, as well those killed in criminal activity, construction and industrial accidents, plane and train crashes, etc. In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic fatalities have remained for the most part anonymous.
If indeed this situation is one of such communal danger that state governors, after accepting the conclusions of authorities who have analyzed their own models, can halt virtually any social and economic activity they wish, their citizens should be made aware of exactly who among them have died of the disease and its complete parameters. In fact, listings of fatalities by name and address in papers of record and on news casts should be made a legal requirement, if we are to believe the seriousness of this situation.
When there's a genuine war, with explosive devices designed to dispense death and destruction, names of the victims are published in the media. In all wars in which the US has had a presence, including current adventures abroad, military fatalities have been made public, identifying those paying the ultimate price, their home and survivors and usually a short obituary. This is in addition to any other ordinary obituary. A monument was constructed in Washington, DC honoring those that died in the Viet Nam affair. The name of every individual is engraved in the Viet Nam Memorial Wall.
In the case of the Covid-19 War, despite its incredibly detailed coverage by the media, with tables, graphs, charts, photos, etc. the identities and stories of the fallen, except for the very notable, haven't been published.
At some point, the victims of fatal traffic accidents are identified in the press, as well those killed in criminal activity, construction and industrial accidents, plane and train crashes, etc. In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic fatalities have remained for the most part anonymous.
If indeed this situation is one of such communal danger that state governors, after accepting the conclusions of authorities who have analyzed their own models, can halt virtually any social and economic activity they wish, their citizens should be made aware of exactly who among them have died of the disease and its complete parameters. In fact, listings of fatalities by name and address in papers of record and on news casts should be made a legal requirement, if we are to believe the seriousness of this situation.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Preston Brooks Falls To Corona Virus
It's a little late notice but Southern hero Preston Smith Brooks has fallen to what seems to be the effects of Corona virus or something very similar. His death occurred on January 27, 1857 in Washington, D.C. and he was buried in his home of Edgefield, South Carolina.
Brooks was most famous for defending the honor of his cousin, South Carolina senator Andrew Butler, after Butler was libeled on the Senate floor by Massachusetts neo-Puritan senator Charles Sumner. Brooks administered a beating to Sumner with a cane that resulted in Sumner suffering perhaps the first recorded American case of PTSD. Evidently it required him to spend the next three years touring Europe to get his faculties back in order.
The notoriety occasioned by the affair caused Brooks to resign his office but in a special election he was re-elected and died before the following congressional term could begin. He was said to have died as the result of the croup, which has all the identifying characteristics of what we now call Covid-19 virus. Perhaps he neglected to wear his mask.
No one can know, even now, if Brooks mauling of Sumner was a significant factor in bringing about the War Between the States. It's quite certain, however, that the fulminations of Sumner were the proximate cause of the Senate confrontation and were indeed one more step in that direction.
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