SNAKES, FISH AND A DOG

    

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

Feb     2        2990   12012          946        991      175

Mar     2        1778     7756          335         173       28 

Apr     1          439      4056         290          52       12

May    5          225      2404          151            ?       64 

         12          222      1995           136           9       21

         19          201      1801           115           20      31

         26          217      1528          136           14      49

June   2          216       1413         130          10       31

          9          195      1526         148           24       24 

        15          305      1382         289           11       26 

         22         390      1577         176          38        57

Summary:

• The pandemic seems to be worsening.
• Leading countries in new cases yesterday (new cases/million population):
• #1  119,762  Germany (1426)
• #2    93,837  USA (280)
• #3    77,967  France (1189)
• #4    70,285  Brazil (326)
• #5    55,171  Italy (920)
• #6    52,210  Taiwan (2300)
• #7    32,772  Australia (1260)
•       728,372  World (92)
• The U.S. seems to be doing a lot better than European countries and those Pacific/Orient nations that at one time were doing well.  
• Why, then, is the USA so much worse than the World average?  Much of the World does not accurately report new cases.  
• China, for example, doesn't count asymptomatic cases, which can be as high as 95%.  
• The U.S. could be five times worse, for home tests are generally not reported.
• But Europeans also test at home and don't report positives.
• Leading countries in new deaths yesterday (new deaths/million population):
• #1  390  USA (1.16)
• #2  176  Brazil (0.81)
• #3  171  Taiwan (7.13)
•     1577  World (0.20)
• WHO in general suggests that the world death count should be 3 times higher.  Even the U.S. is said to be undercounting by a factor of 2.
• There are so many shortcomings that these numbers don't mean much, but...
• Dividing new deaths by new cases for the USA gives a mortality rate of 0.4%.  Dividing total deaths by total cases = 1.1%.  
• So the mortality rate is dropping.
• But the odds are that new cases are underreported because of home testing.  If this factor is 8, as has been suggested, then the current mortality rate is 0.05%.
• Dividing new deaths by new cases for the World gives a mortality rate of 0.2%, half that of the U.S.  Dividing total deaths by total cases = 1.2%.
• The mortality rate of the seasonal flu is 0.05%.  Hmm....about the U.S. today for COVID if the undercount of new cases is a factor of 8 because of home tests.

So what am I focusing on today?  Let me start with the 2022 Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day event from August 5-14 this year.

• Last year, 223 Burmese pythons were captured by 600 official contestants from 25 states.
• Since 2000 16,000 pythons have been removed.
• Recently found in Picayune Strand State Forest was the largest ever, a female python weighing 215 pounds and 18 feet long with 122 eggs, having just eaten a 75 pound white-tailed deer, being displayed by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples.

The National Geographic Society supports the Megafishes Project, which began in 2005 when fishermen in Northern Thailand pulled in a 646-pound catfish out of the Mekong River.

The fish was 8.9 feet long, and the fishermen attempted to sell it to an environmental group.  But in the process the fish died, so was eaten by villagers.

Then on 1 April 2016, a photo appeared of a 736 pound catfish from the Mississippi river.  Snopes proved this was an April first joke:

Then this month in the Cambodia portion of the Mekong, a 661 pound stingray was caught:

This fish was measured to be 13 feet long from snout to tip of tail, electronically tagged and released.  Called Boramy, meaning full moon, she is now the largest freshwater fish known.

Incidentally, this is almost like a trick question, but what is the largest fish?  The Whale Shark may grow up to 40 feet and weigh as much as 40 tons.  But you say, what about the blue whale, which can grow up to 100 feet and weigh 150 tons?  It is not a fish.  However, this animal is the largest creature to ever exist, almost double the weight of the biggest dinosaur, the sauropod Argentinosaurus.  At one time there were 200,000 blue whales.  Today, only about 10,000.

Trumpet the 4-year old bloodhound beat 3500 dogs from 211 breeds for Best in Show at the recent 146th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Next to the Kentucky Derby, this show is the second-oldest continuous sporting event.  First bloodhound to ever win.

I'll end with some art, accompanied by the Piano Man:

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