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
Oct 6 2102 8255 543 315 59
Nov 3 1436 7830 186 458 23
Dec 1 1633 8475 266 477 28
Jan 7 2025 6729 148 285 140
28 2732 10,516 779 862 133
Feb 2 2990 12,012 946 991 175
24 1823 9,809 996 304 40
Mar 2 1778 7,756 335 173 28
11 1022 6002 465 88 28
16 982 5579 354 59 40
18 721 5214 380 69 39
23 771 4695 294 67 6
24 649 5008 300 82 33
Summary:
- Glancing at the Worldometer table and graphs, new cases per day are slowly declining in the World, with certain regions like Oceania and Europe still faced with 3000 new case/million and higher because of the latest Omicron subvariant.
- You definitely should not be river cruising on the Continent at this time.
- I've been keeping track of various Crystal river cruises, which were going for around half-price.
- However, the company has halted sailing because of something called bankruptcy!!! Crystal's bank account dropped from a billion dollars to zero. Customers with deposits might have lost more than $100 million. Whew.
- To recap the global new cases/day status today, in the above map, the darker the worse
- However, worldwide deaths are definitely declining.
- New Zealand, for example, had 18,491 new cases yesterday, but only 8 new deaths.
- Austria had 41,607 new cases, but "only" 49 new deaths.
- In comparison, the U.S. had fewer new cases with 31,709, but 649 new deaths.
- New case/million population:
- World 223
- USA 95
- Austria 4572
- Germany 3638
- France 2269
- Italy 1376
- South Korea 7757
- Hong Kong 1720
- Singapore 1437
- Japan 288
- New Zealand 3698
- Australia 2430
- South Africa 35
About that war in Ukraine:
- 3.5 million have fled the country.
- The tiny and poor country of Moldova has accepted 100,000 of them, most now living in private homes, the total that the U.S. will accept.
- But ah, we will also donate $1 billion to assist European countries with refugees.
- Yet, if the U.S. takes in the same ratio, we would need to bring in more than 13 million Ukrainians, almost ten times the population of Hawaii.
- Actually, Moldova already has taken in 360,000, expects to process a million, but the expectation is that only 100,000 will remain by July.
- Here is the part that is unsettling. It is rumored that Moldova could well be Putins next invasion! Did you know that Russian troops have already occupied an eastern region of Moldova known as Transnistria???
- Poland has accepted 2.2 million, thus far.
- Want to donate? There are scams. The New York Times recommends Mercy Corps.
- Another is World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Jose Andres, who has lived an interesting life:
- Now 52, he was born in Spain.
- Worked three years for Ferran Adria at El Bulli, but was fired, so moved to America at the age of 21 with $50.
- Specializes in tapas, and now owns around 20 restaurants of various cuisine categories.
- Has taught culinary physics courses at Harvard with Adria.
- In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, formed World Central Kitchen.
- An outspoken critic of Trump. Of course has been sued by the Donald.
- Was called a nut by Ann Coulter for suggesting to President Biden the use of FEMA to address hunger during the pandemic.
- Has won the James Beard chef awards a few times.
- Was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 2018.
- Was given $100 million by Jeff Bezos.
- It is clear that Putin is using a strategy of attacking civilians to win total victory.
But on to my topic of the day, trains. The U.S. Congress passed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill last year. Will this energize rapid transit, which the American Society of Civil Engineers rates at D-minus. Why rail? For one, high-speed rail reduces carbon emissions up to 90% compared to driving, flying or conventional rail. Here is a USA wish list to the right.
Condé Nast Traveler recently had an article:
Train Travel in the U.S. is Getting More Luxurious
I might now want to take another train trip, based on the below report about luxury. There is now a company operating on Florida, Brightline, that claims to be the only high speed rail provider to America. They hope to be able to provide service between Miami and Orlando International Airport by next year.
Condé Nast just had an article on The 15 Best Trains in the World, and they are all slow:
The high speed rail system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco is suffering the same fate of Hawaii's, although ours is not even fast. About the Hawaii Rail Transit project, The preliminary projection for the 20-mile system was $4 billion in 2006. The estimated cost for completion sometime this year is $21 billion. This would be an astounding cost of more than $1billion/mile, and I wouldn't count on anything being operational so soon, and will be at a much higher cost if this line ever makes it to the Ala Moana Shopping Center.
The first phase of California's High-Speed Rail will take 2 hours and 40 minutes from Union Station in Los Angeles to the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco, a distance of 380 miles, or average speed of 142 MPH. Phase 1 will extend 520 miles, with Phase 2 bringing the length up to 800 miles. A maximum speed of 220 MPH is envisioned.
In 2008 the complex was supposed to cost $40 billion.
- The price is now up to $105 billion, expecting many more billions to come, with an earliest possible completion date for Phase 1 in 2033.
- But will it ever get completed, for a statewide vote last year showed 42% favored halting the effort and 41% to continue.
- Not exactly sure what that amount of money will cover, but say this is for 500 miles. That would be $210 million/mile, a heck of a lot cheaper than the Honolulu system.
- In comparison, the recent Houston Metro 3.2-mile long Green Line all above ground came in at $223 million/mile. But this was light rail.
How do we compare? I've ridden those bullet trains of China, Japan and Europe, and they are fabulous. Japan began their bullet train, or Shinkansen, in 1964. Wonderful, for I've been on Japan Rail Pass at least a dozen times to view the fall colors and spring cherry blossoms. France came second in 1981, and save for some labor problems I ran into, the whole European transit system is quite good. I've ridden trains in Japan through a typhoon, and traveling at 200 MPH never once had my drink spilled. There is something about train traveling that is mesmerizing.
I can't seem to find the cost of what Japan or Europe are paying for new lines, but here is something about China, which is now #1:
- The high-speed train program began in 2003 with a 250-mile line for a 150 MPH train.
- It is now a network larger than 6000 miles, with another 8000 miles under construction, all capable of carrying trains traveling in excess of 200 MPH.
- I can't believe my calculation can be that off, but my math says that 200 MPH train systems are built in China for $27 million/mile. Click here to make your own conversion.
- This article goes on to say that the European average is $42 million/mile.
- While California is suffering to install a 500-mile bullet train system that will not be finished for more than a decade from now, CHINA BUILT OVER 6000 MILES WITHIN 7 YEARS!!! And at one tenth the cost/mile of the USA.
- #1 China 16,000 miles (with 6700 miles in construction)
- #2 Spain 1,926 miles (with 1118 miles in construction)
- #3 Japan 1,890 miles (with 250 miles in construction)
- #4 France 2,001 miles (with 78 miles in construction)
- #5 Germany 1,888 (with 205 miles in construction)
- #22 USA 54 miles (this is Amtrak's Acela, which can go up to 150 miles, but only averages 66 MPH)
But are we catching up? According to this site, the U.S. has a bit more than 1000 miles approved, but not yet started construction, #1 in the world to Iran, China and Turkey.
What next? The magnetic levitation (maglev) train, already in limited operation in China, South Korea and Japan, can travel at 270 MPH.
Of course, the USA has Elon Musk's Hyperloop, announced a decade ago to send travel pods inside metallic tubes to reach a speed of 750 MPH, taking people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.
- It will travel alongside highways at a height of 100 feet, and be powered by solar panels and batteries.
- Another company is looking at keeping everything underground.
- Musk says that he intends to offer a one-way journey for $20.
- There is an additional partnership with Richard Branson to install them worldwide.
- Supposedly, agreements have been reached with China, Indonesia, South Korea, France and the Czech Republic, and the first commercial system will link Abu Dhabi with Dubai.
- Alas, nothing much has happened.
- But Branson is optimistic.
- Read Wikipedia to better learn about this travel option.
To close the week, here is art by Jesstoni Garcia of Manila. He owns a salon, but spends eight months of the year at sea working on a cruise ship. He spends his time making portraits of celebrities using only hair clippings and glue.
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