OCTOBER 20, 2022

               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 

June    2        216      1413          130          10        31 

July    7         320       1958        297          38         9 

Aug   4          311        2138         258          70         ? 

Sep    1          272       1732          39            ?          ? 

Oct    6         281        1305        119            9          ?

        12          322       1254          60          12         ? 

        13         246        1240          44          10       52

        19         297        1444         102          20        ?

Summary:

• Hmmm...all higher than last week.
• New deaths yesterday (new deaths/million population in the parentheses):
• #1      USA  297 (0.9)
• #2      Germany 223 (3.0)
• #3      Hungary  118 (12.0)
• #4      France  106 (2.0)
• #5      Brazil  102 (0.5)
• #8      Japan  68 (0.5)
• #10    S. Korea  43 (0.8)
• #11    Taiwan  42 (2.0)
• #30    Singapore  3 (0.5)
• The seriousness of these country outbreaks is best shown in the parentheses.  Thus, while the USA was #1 in new deaths, our new deaths/million population is much lower than those of Europe.
• New cases yesterday (new cases/million population):
• #1      Germany  116,806 (1384)
• #2      France  63,031 (961)
• #3      Taiwan  44,598 (1865)
• #4      Japan  43,555 (347)
• #5      Italy  41,703 (692)
• #6      USA  32,727 (98)
• #7      S. Korea  29,482 (574)
• The USA did particularly well in new cases/million yesterday, 14 times lower than Germany and 10 times lower than France.  You sure you want to travel to Europe?  Now?
• New cases/million population yesterday:
• #1      Taiwan 44,598 (1865)
• #2 to #4  small entities like Cayman and Channel Islands, and Monaco.
• #5        Singapore 8,754 (1469)
• #6-#9   Austria, Germany Hungary
• #18      S. Korea  29,482 (574)
• #20      Japan  43,555 (347)
• #33      USA  32,727 (98)
• #82      China  247 (0.2)
• Notice the extremely low new cases/million rate of China.  The country remains super-cautious, and Beijing this week is in a virtual lockdown so as not to subvert the unprecedented third term decision Xi Jinping expects.

Looking back in history, here are a few October 20 highlights:

• 1944:  General Douglas MacArthur returns to the Philippines.
• 1973:  Watergate scandal Saturday Night Massacre.

• 
  1973:  Queen Elizabeth there for the opening of the Sydney Opera House
• 1977:  Lynard Skynard band's plane crashes in Mississippi, killing three members.
• 1964:  birth of Veep Kamala Harris
• 
  2022:  Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister of the UK after only 44 days in office.
• She became the shortest-serving PM ever.
• When will the public vote to decide who replaces her?  Never.  The leader of the party that has the most seats in the Parliament assumes that position.
• So the Conservative Party will need to act, by first nominating candidates by next Monday.
• Candidates need the support of 100 MPs, so theoretically three candidates can be officially confirmed.
• It is possible that only will get this nod, so that person will become the new party leader and prime minister.
• 
  However, if 2 or 3 candidates, then the 200,000 registered member of the Conservative Party will vote.
• Chances are that the former finance minister under Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak will probably be nominated.
• Maybe Boris Johnson can make a comeback.
• Need a female, so probably Penny Mordaunt (below), former defense secretary.

The latest photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is the Pillars of Creation, hundreds of newly born stars sparkling inside the famous dust clouds, located in the constellation Serpens, 7000 light years away.  Thus, what you see is what occurred around the end of the Stone Age, when city-states in the Fertile Crescent hadn't yet formed.

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