COVID-19: Just Sam

From Worldometer, I have adjusted this table to show how new deaths best determine the phase of COVID-19:

DAY     China   Italy   USA   Spain   Germany   S. Korea  WORLD

May   1         0    269   1897      281          113               1        5624
          2         0    474    1691     276            76               2        5215
          3         0    174    1154     164            54               0        3481
          4         0    195    1324     164          127               2        4096
          5         0    236    2350     185              ?               2        5787
          6         0    369    2528     244          282               1        6811

          7         0    274    2129     213          117               1        5589
          8         0    243    1687     229          118               0        5550
          9         0    194    1422     179            39               0        4248
        10         0    165      750     143            20               0        3510
        11         0    179    1008     123            92               0        3403
        12         0    172    1630     176            77               2        5328
        13         0    195    1772     184          123               1        5314
        14         0    262    1715     217            67               1        5317
        15         0    242    1595     138            73               0        5072
        16         0    153    1218     104            26               2        4360
        17         1    145      865       87            22               0        3618

Summary:

• A great day, for every place showed a drop in new deaths, except for China, which went up from zero to one.
• Interesting that the USA has more cases than #'s 2-8 combined.  This reminds me of our military budget, where we spend more than the next TEN countries combined:

My question is...WHY???  We have no country threatening us.  We are pulling back on helping other countries.  So why isn't the military taking a more active role in something like contact tracing?  We're paying them and they're doing nothing but training.  In time of total crisis, appreciating the world situation, surely we can be smarter.

Now that the world is moving into the economic re-development phase, the question is:  Will there be a second wave?  I thought we would see signs two weeks after reopening, which is today.  However, some experts say it will take five to six weeks.

The Spanish Flu a century ago had three waves:

The most recent Swine Flu Pandemic had two:

However, these were H1N1 pandemics.  The SARS Pandemic of 2003 was caused by a coronavirus and only had a second wave in hotspots.  A clue?

As the USA outbreaks started relatively late, we are in an advantageous position to watch how various recovery strategies work around the world.  Hokkaido in Japan had an initial pull-back.  Watch how Germany progresses, for what is happening today has become a new, and undesired, normal.

What seems to be looming is that a whole range of bankruptcies will occur in shopping malls over the next few months.  Many restaurants and small business will never return.  Travel will take many more months to a year to regain any kind of comfort.  The unemployment rate will remain high for some time.  The big question is who will pay for all this?  For sure, our national debt will increase, but if the global interest rate remains low, that should be fine for a while.  Homelessness and drug use will increase.  I can go on and on, but the matter of society returning smarter will be neutralized by the reality of human nature.  Again, see how Germany does, for if it veers into any kind of anarchy, watch out for the USA.

One more COVID-19 matter.  On March 9 I ordered a face shield from Amazon.com.  Yes, that was 10 weeks ago.  Never came.  So I found my order yesterday and checked back with Amazon yesterday.  There was a pro-forma response that this was not their fault.  You need to contact the company, Goodchoice, that was supposed to send you this order.  They included a process by which I could do this.  That went out immediately.  This morning Goodchoice responded and said that the face shield will be sent today via USPS.  Stay tuned for the actual delivery.  Oh, I've been saving this for just this application.  Here is one clever way to make a face shield.  Amazingly simple:

Here are the Billboard #1 hits of 1986, in four minutes.  For the year:

• Designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Peace.
• The UK and France announces plans for the Channel Tunnel.

• Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing seven astronauts.
• Halley's Comet appears.  Next, in 2061.
• Microsoft goes public.
• Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
• Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada.
• Hands Across America:  5 million people form a chain from New York City to Long Beach, California, to raise money to fight homelessness.  Since then, it has only gotten worse.

• No one remembers the details anymore, but think back to Oliver North, the Iran-Contra Affair and Reagan's biggest political scandal.
• Rutan Voyager flies around the world without refueling in 9 days.

Just Sam prevailed last night as the American Idol champion.  Born Samantha Diaz 21 years ago, she's had a truly tough life, is covered with tattoos and now lives with her grandma.  She auditioned, with her only experience as a New York City subway system singer.  If anyone was not going to win, it was her.

But she hung in there, and Sam became my favorite as an incredible underdog.  She made what looked like an outrageous song choice in Hawaii with a Latino song, even though she did not know the language, at all.  The performance was remarkable.  If you clicked on that, keep an eye on Kathy Perry (who is just showing signs of pregnancy), one of the judges.  Here, a second chance.  Watch the whole scene from beginning to end, and go full screen to appreciate what happened.

I now wanted her to win...and she did.  Made me feel good.  I'm happier today.  One more, Just Up, a song that saved her, to be her first release.

The program ended with Lionel Richie, finalists and past champions singing We are the World.

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