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   ...

My one editorial of the day.  We will soon be into March.  You would think that vaccinating a group of 6.5 million people ( 2% of the population )--those who work in K-12 schools in the USA--should be a national priority.  It is not because old people and other frontline workers were deemed more important.  Now, while this makes some sense, the next group should have been those associated with schools.  He won't, but if President Joe Biden were to today proclaim that, for the good of the nation ( meaning our economy, but also education ), K-12 teachers and related workers should be next in line for the Johnson&Johnson ( one shot, with a good chance to be approved around the end of the week ) vaccine, immediately after Easter ( April 4 ), it will be safe to open schools.  While somewhat short, a two-month period will be adequate under these extraordinary circumstances to finally prepare the current class for next fall.   One more unexpected sh...

I woke up this morning, and there was nothing of any urgency or attraction on television.   News channels had the full Merrick Garland hearing for Attorney General.  He will be confirmed.  Hardly worth watching.  Looks like the Supreme Court did Donald Trump a favor by not announcing their verdict that he would need to provide his tax returns to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., until today.  Trump's niece has already provided some details, but not everything.  No worthy sports program.   No tsunami heading for Hawaii, making local stations repeat old news. I noticed My Fair Lady on TCM had around half an hour left.  I have NEVER just seen the end of any of my favorite films.  But, with nothing else of interest, I did.  This was the restored 50th Anniversary version.  Can you believe that this flick was released in 1964, 57 years ago?  Rotten Tomatoes bestowed 95/90 ratings. When the author of Pygmalion...

I ended with a rainbow yesterday, so today will start with a spiritual one: From the New York Times , all the important news of the day and week: On Saturday, Naomi Osaka defeated Jennifer Brady, becoming   the first woman to win each of her first four Grand Slam finals   in more than 30 years. Brady, appearing in her first final,   went down fighting . Roughly one year since the first known coronavirus-related death was reported in the U.S.,   an unfathomable toll is nearing — the loss of half a million people . As of Sunday,   the pandemic death toll was 497,403 , higher than in any other country. More Americans have died from Covid-19 than on the battlefields of World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined. Nationwide, nearly half of Americans would refuse a shot if offered one immediately,   polls suggest . Vaccination skepticism is   even higher   among Black and Hispanic people, white people without a college degree, registered Rep...