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SO HOW WAS 2021?

  From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

   DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82
July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572
Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130
Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82
Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85
Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118
Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465
Jan     14        4142     15512        1151        189       712              
Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398
Mar     2        1989     9490        1726       110      194
April   6          906     11787         4211       631       37
May    4         853     13667         3025     3786      59 
June   1         287    10637         2346      3205       95
 July   7          251      8440        1595         817      411
Aug    4          656    10120        1118          532     423 
Sept  22       2228     9326          839        279      124
        29         2190      8859         643        309      108
Oct    6         2102       8255         543        315       59
        19          2005      7528         401       160        80 
        27          1594      8671         433        734        62 
Nov   3          1436      7830        186        458        23
        24          1594      8270         176        396        22 
Dec    1          1633      8475         266        477        28
          8          1324      7894         231        159         36
        17          1653      7359         126        289         35 
        22          1634      7686         137        434         99
        23          1149       6942        100        374         75
        29          1777       7393         147        268         81
        29          1777      7393          147        268         81
        30         1354      6758         154         220       126

Summary:
  • Good drop in new deaths for the USA.
  • However, another new record for new cases:  572,028 (new cases/million:  1713)
      • New York  71169 (3650)
      • Puerto Rico 14,331 (4215)
      • New Jersey  35,175 (3952)
      • Rhode Island  3918 (3696)
      • DC  2,242 (3201)
      • Hawaii  3484  (2489)
      • Georgia  24,420 (2304)
      • Idaho  924 (513)
      • Wyoming  (683)
    • #2  France  206,243  (3149)
    • #3  UK  189,210  (2766)
    • #4  Spain  161,688 (3485)
    • #5  Italy  126,888  (2104)
    • #6  Canada  39,836 (1043)
    • #7  Argentina  50,506 (1102)
    • #8  Germany 41,820 (497)
    • #9  Turkey  39,681 (463)
    • #10 Greece  35,580 (3454)
    • Japan  (3.7)
    • China (0.14):  However, the city of Xian, with a population of 13 million, suffered less than 1000 new cases this whole month and the city was locked down ten days ago.  Getting food is a problem.  Look up and you'll see Hawaii just yesterday had 3484 cases with a population (1.4 million) about 1/10 of Xian.  The mayor of Honolulu Rick Blangiardi told us to be careful.  That's it.
The sad bottom line is that U.S. states and Puerto Rico would rank #1-#4 in cases/million for the entire world.

The Delta variant was first identified in India late in 2020 and Omicron in southern Africa late in November of this year.  Delta is twice as contagious as the previous strains.  However, the Omicron variant is a little more than four times more transmissible than Delta.  Yet, Omicron has 40% fewer hospitalizations than Delta.

There were 385,000 COVID-19 deaths last year and, so far, with one day to go, 460,712 this year.  Relative to other deaths, in 2020 and the beginning of 2021:



The deaths/day for the U.S. was around 4,000 soon after the Christmas of 2020.  The rate is less than half now than during that period a year ago, so that gold bar is now below Heart Disease and Cancer.

While Peru has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths/million at 6.0:
  • World  0.7
  • USA  2.5
    • New York  3.1
    • Southern states around 3.0 and higher, with Mississippi at 3.5
    • California  1.9
    • Hawaii  0.76
    • Vermont  0.75
  • India  0.34
  • Pakistan 0.13
  • Countries of the former Soviet Union generally between 3.0 and 4.0, with Bulgaria at 4.5
  • Russia 2.1
  • UK  2.1
  • South Africa 1.5
  • South Korea  0.13
  • Singapore 0.14
  • Japan  0.15
  • China  0.03
This Omicron variant has made the more expensive N95 mask popular.  A few points to remember:
  • N95 and KN95 masks are about the same.  
    • The major difference is that most of KN95 masks come from China and might not actually pass certain standards.
    • Not for children and facial hair.
    • Only for one time wear.  Do not wash and reuse.
    • Should cost less than $5/mask, and around $3 is about right.
  • The Omicron variant is 0.15 micrometer (or micron) in diameter and these masks only filter out 0.3 micrometer and larger.  So why bother?  This virus is usually attached to droplets which are 0.3 micrometer and larger.
  • Cloth masks are not as effective.  
    • This is scary, but while a virus is 0.1 micron in diameter, the holes in a cloth mask are usually from 5 to 200 micron in diameter.  Stopping a virus is like using a chain link fence to stop mosquitos.
    • Yet, it is not that simple,  or bad, for cloth has layers, plus the virus is attached to droplets which can stick to the material.
    • Woven cotton at 100 threads per inch is best.
    • Simple T-shirt material has been shown to be functional.
    • Don't use coffee filters as a layer.
    • Keep in mind that the potential of infection and seriousness of illness increases with how many organisms reach your lungs.  A cloth mask will reduce the number of viruses.
  • See if you understand these graphs (article):
  • Of course, cloth masks are washable.
  • There is also the matter of comfort.  N95 and exercising might be a problem for some.
  • You can wear two masks.
  • You should also wear goggles, for a virus can enter the body through the eyes.
  • Best to wear a mask with a face shield, something I've been doing since March of 2020...sometimes.
  • Then, you can use a much more expensive respirator with oxygen supply.
The year 2021 started with a coup attempt by outgoing President Donald Trump. By then, most of those with any kind of sanity had left his cabinet, and the only ones left were plain kooky.   Read my posting of January 7.  How did the coup fail?  And there have been worst leaders in history.

Some highlights of the year:
  • June 26 is a posting worthy of reading about Maurice Hilleman, who with his team developed vaccines for two previous pandemics in four months.
  • It was also in June that we were notified Blue Revolution Hawaii was selected to host a TEDx event to link with the COP26 Global Warming Summit in Glasgow Summit.
  • In August came the Delta variant.
  • Now that our cruise line had cancelled our 2022 world cruise, I came up with a plane/ship global adventure to also take in the Dubai World Expo.
  • My photographic highlight of the year was a green flash from my apartment on December 20:

Here is a graphic summary of the U.S. economy and greenhouse gas emission comparison with other economies:


Some of you will actually look closely at the above graphic, but in addition:
  • Unemployment has dropped to 4.2%.  The global unemployment rate is around 5.7%.
  • U.S. poverty rate dropped to 7.7%, compared to 13.9% in 2018.  It was more than 24% in 1967.
  • In short, 2021 was a good year for our economy.
Climate change showed a retrogression.  Authorities keep saying it is getting worse and we should be doing a lot more.  COP26 in Glasgow was a disappointment.  Blah, blah, blah, said Greta Thunberg.  The reality is that carbon emissions are on track to rise by 16% by 2030, rather than fall in half.

Russia remains a problem.  Biden talked to Putin for 50 minutes yesterday, as requested by the latter.  Relationship is reminiscent of progress on global warming.  In the long term, Russia's position looks frighteningly good.

Joe Biden did also had a virtual meeting with Xi Jinping, back on November 15.  The usual talk that led to nothing.  Must have been unsatisfactory, for on December 5 Biden announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.  Several countries in Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia also won't send official observors.

The Tokyo Olympics was a success because it was held at all and did not decimate the Japan population.  In fact, something unexpected happened.  After a flurry of new COVID-19 cases, the country proceeded to conquer this virus.  Otherwise:
  • Japan won 27 gold medals, breaking its previous record of 16.
  • However, the government spent $15.4 billion.  This amount of money could have built 1200 schools or 38 Boeing 747s.  But it is said that the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics cost $40 billion, and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics $51 billion.
  • The International Olympic Committee and NBC were happy.
Future sites will be Paris (summer) in 2024, Milan/etc. (winter) 2026, Los Angeles (summer) 2026 and Brisbane 2032 (summer).   Have you seen the Seine River?  Apparently it is now clean enough to serve as the 2024 site for water marathons and triathlons.

Billboard's top song of 2021 was Dua Lipa's Levitating.  First of all, most you never heard of her:
  • She is 26 years old.
  • Was born in London of Albanian parents.
  • Dua means love in Albanian.
  • Is a Muslim.
The top grossing movie of the year was Spider-Man:  No Way Home, earning $537 million.  Actually, that was in the U.S.  Worldwide, it made $1.05 billion as of this week.  Lot of money, and only earned in 12 days of relief.  However two Avengers films passed $1 billion after 5 days and 11 days.   The top grossing movie ever was the 2009 Avatar at $2.85 billion.  In 2021 #2 was Shang-Chi and #3 Venom.  I did not see any film in the top 10.  Of the 399 listed, #s 392 to 399 each earned less than $1000.  Gross total for the year was $4.4 billion.

You can tonight watch the ball fall from Times Square.  Bet you didn't know that it was called Longacre Square until  1904 when the New York Times, which was founded in 1851, relocated to that site in a building (here seen under construction in 1903) that became known as One Times Square.  There were fireworks, then in 1907, the first ball drop, an idea of Adolph Ochs, the publisher.  A hundred light bulbs then became a six ton sphere and 32,256 LEDs today.   The building itself, 25 stories and 363 feet tall,  at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway, today holds a Walgreens on lower levels and nothing else.  Vacant.  There will soon be a subway stop entrance there.

Entertainment from the Square began on radio in the 1920's, with Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians.  Later came television and the advent of Dick Clark and others.

Couldn't care less about NCAA football (the two NCAA semi-final games are today)?  TCM is well into the That's Entertainment series.

It is, of course, 2022 already in some parts of the world.  Here are some photos from Sydney and Bangkok:

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