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THE GREATEST MUSICAL TRIUMPH YET

 From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

DAY   USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

2020
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
2021
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
2022
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          ?
Nov   2         242       1055          30           9          ?
          3         167         980            6           ?          ?

Summary:
  • Wow, best yet in a long time.
  • Japan led the world in new cases yesterday with 67,474, and Germany was #1 in new deaths with 233.
  • Overall, since the beginning of the pandemic:
    • USA is #1 in total cases with 99.6 million, and India is #2 with 44.7 million.  China is #107 with 0.3 million.
    • USA is #1 in total deaths with 1.1 million, Brazil #2 with 0.7 million and India #3 with 0.5 million.
    • The total cases/million population is interesting.
      • The four highest are all islands, with Faeroe Islands #1 with 703,069/million.
      • #4 is Austria with 597,630.
      • Way up there are #7 Iceland, #10 France, #12 Portugal, #14 Denmark...and #59 USA with 297,040, which means that 30% of residents have been infected with COVID-19.  #90 is Japan with 179,181, the World, #130 with 81,698 (which means that 8% of the world population got infected), and China #227 with 182 cases/million population.
    • About deaths/million population.
      • #1 is Peru with 6375.
      • #2 Bulgaria 5552.
      • #3 Hungary 4992
      • Lot of former Soviet countries were high up on this list.
      • #17 USA 3275
      • #60 Germany 1828
      • World 847
      • #128 S. Korea 570
      • #133 Taiwan 544
      • #136 Thailand 469
      • #145 Japan 373
      • #220 China 4
      • Note that many countries in the Orient have for the past couple of months led the world in new cases/day.  However, they began to be infected after vaccines were available, so their mortality rate is low.
    • Tests/million population don't mean much these days, for most are taken at home and not reported, but:
      • #1  Denmark 22 tests/person.
      • #2  Austria 22 tests/person.
      • #3  UAE 19
      • #37  USA 3.3
      • #80  Germany 1.4
      • #123  Japan 0.6
      • #171  China 0.1

When will the World Health Organization announce that the pandemic is over?  Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus has said 


The refrain of the pandemic has been that no one is safe until everyone is safe.  The pandemic is not over, but the end is in sight.

Authorities have said that the world was fortunate, for the Omicron variant was very contagious, but not as virulent as the earlier ones.  On the other hand, Omicron came when vaccines were available, so, maybe not.

How many COVID-19 waves?  From South Africa:

Finally, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (University of Washington):
  • New Omicron subvariant XBB does not appear to have immune escape with BA.5, meaning individuals who were previously infected with BA.5 will maintain their immunity against the new subvariant. 
    • New analyses also show all subvariants of Omicron appear to be less severe than previous variants.
  • The surge in Germany may be due to subvariants BQ.1 or BQ.1.1, and will likely spread to other parts of Europe in the coming weeks. 
    • We predict winter seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere will bring more infections, but not a large increase in deaths.
  • New research on long COVID shows it has affected millions worldwide and is more common in women than men. 

Last year, for the first time in 17 years, Rolling Stone magazine reported on its greatest songs of all time.

  • In 2004:
    • The iPod was new, and was discontinued this year.
    • Billy Eilish was 3-years old.
    • 351 songs in the Greatest 500 are from the USA, followed by the UK with 120.
  • Sweden and France only had one each.
  • Ritchie Valens' La Bamba was the only non-English song.  He passed away in that plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
  • Only one song prior to 1950.
  • The 1960's had the most with 203 songs.
  • Beatles had the most, with 23 songs, followed by the Rolling Stones with 14.
  • One, yes one, instrumental, Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.'s at #181.  This was an early inter-racial group.
  • The bottom ten included:  #491 Joan Jett, I Love Rock 'N Roll; #492 Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive; #495  The Rolling Stones, Brown Sugar; and #500, Smokey Robinson, Shop Around.
In 2020 Rolling Stone came out with its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, a re-do of earlier versions from 2003 and 2012.
  •  No way would you have guessed which album is #1.  Marvin Gaye, What's Going On.  Never heard of it.  Didn't recognize even one song.  Released in 1971, and was his first album.  Is told from the point of view of a Vietnam war veteran.  Leading up to this production, Gaye had fallen into deep depression following the brain tumor diagnosis of his Motown singing partner Tammi Terrell, failure of his marriage to Anna Gordy, IRS problems and dependency on cocaine.  He attempted suicide with a handgun, only to be saved from committing the act by Berry Gordy's father.
  • #2, The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, 1966.  Written by Brian Wilson (the troubled one).  Click on that for the full album, all 35 minutes.
  • #3, Joni Mitchell, Blue, 1971.  Soon after Woodstock, and #3?  Can't believe this one, too.  Also click on it for the full album, 36 minutes long.  No Big Yellow Taxi.  
  • As I went down the list, I found the albums more and more unbelievable.  Kind of reminds me of a top 100 on Billboard today.
  • Here is one criticism from an insider.
Then in 2021 Rolling Stone came out with an update of their Greatest 500 Songs.
  • Compared to the 2004 version, in 2021 more than half the previous selections weren't there anymore.
    • #500, Stronger, was by the now disgraced Kanye West, now known as Ye.
    • #1 was the 1967 Respect, by Aretha Franklin.
    • Three songs came from before 1950.
    • The 1970's had the most with 144 songs, with 1971 the most represented year with 21 songs.
    • Beatles had the most with 12.
There have been others.
  • Also in 2004, the American Film Industry celebrated its 100th Anniversary with its Top 100 Songs.
    • Richard Rodgers had 6 composed songs, with Oscar Hammerstein II as lyricist, also six times.
    • Judy Garland and Gene Kelly both had five songs.
    • #1 was Garland's Over the Rainbow in 1939.
    • #2 was As Time Goes By from Casablanca.
    • #3  Gene Kelly, Singing in the Rain.
    • #4  Audrey Hepburn, Moon River.
    • #5  Bing Crosby, White Christmas.
  • Strange feeling.  I knew all 100 songs.  The oldest at #97 was 42nd Street, with Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell.  #100 was Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger from Risky Business, featuring Tom Cruise.  I have gone to a lot of movies, and now have Netflix and Prime.

To  close, can you believe this?  All top ten songs on this week's Billboard Hot 100 are by Taylor Swift!!!  Beats all the records.

  • One week in 1964 the Beatles had 14 songs in the top 100, and the week of 4April1962 had the top five.
  • Takes a lot behind the scenes mumbo-jumbo, but for the week ending 7June2008, David Cook Of American Idol fame had a dozen hits in the top 100.
  • Then last year, Canadian rapper Drake went 9 for 10 on Billboard with his Certified Lover Boy.
  • But Swift's 10 for ten can now only in the future be tied.
    • Okay, why now?  She had been singing for 17 years.
    • Well, actually you soon forget, but in 2008 her Fearless album was dropped, and she placed seven songs on the Hot 100.  Click on that and hear her 13 songs in 40 minutes.
    • If you can understand this, we are in the digital era, there is streaming, and albums can now be unbundled as individual singles.  Has to do with the shenanigans of Spotify and Apple.
  • So we now have her Midnights, and she has learned well.  Click on that and listen to 13 songs in 1 hour 8 minutes.  Read the details here.

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