IT'S DESKTOP CLEARANCE DAY

From Worldometer (new deaths from COVID-19 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     3      1094    5886        830     1083         174
            9      1208    6222        1136      1168          82

Oct      8        957    6420          730       967        160

          21     1225     6849           571       703         85

Nov     4      1199       8192         276       511         74 

          11       1479    10178         564       550         60

          14      1260       8823        727       449         53

          17      1615     10502        676       472        118

          18      1964     10970        754       587        124

Summary:  

• As predicted, getting worse for the USA.  How do we compare with other countries?
• New Cases
• USA  173,768
• India:  45,439
• Brazil:  35,345
• Deaths/million people
• Belgium:  1278
• Peru:  1068
• Spain:  899
• Brazil:  786
• UK:  783
• USA:  772
• Mexico:  765
• Japan:  15
• South Korea:  10
• China:  3
• Taiwan:  0.3

In the U.S. many red states (followers of Donald Trump) are having real problems getting their citizens to wear masks.  However:

• South Korea reported a jump in COVID-19 cases recently.  Six days above 100 new cases/day, but all below 200.  Notice that the U.S. yesterday had 173,768 new cases.  This surge in South Korea resulted in the announcement of a $90 fine for not wearing masks in public.  This penalty from a country that has experienced 10 deaths/million, compared to the U.S. with 772 deaths/million.
• Why are there so few cases and very little deaths in Taiwan?  Remember, Taiwan has had only 0.3 deaths/million, a factor 2570 less than the U.S.  On April 3 the fine for not wearing a mask on public transport could get you a $500 fine.

While those democratic countries are perhaps a bit more authoritarian, do you think, perhaps, that the White House Administration and Republican governed states should take this pandemic a lot more seriously?  You don't need to totally close down the economy.  There are problems with a lot of people in an indoor setting, and you can't really continuously wear masks in bars and restaurants, but you can enforce office and school mask-wearing.

My desktop is getting full.  Here are some of the better ones.  The rest, I'm deleting.

About China:

About Japan:

Hey, the USA, too, is advancing:

Mysteries about the Egyptian Pyramids:

The amazing onion:

Chinese geese/ducks are well-trained, but I guess where they end up?

Food prep:

Dogs:

A few about Donald Trump:

Monster mask:

Good news:

Cute dogs and cats:

Baby exercising:

My favorite #39 is the 1896 Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss.  While the typical performance lasts for half an hour, you only remember the first few seconds.  Of course, Stanley Kubrich's 1968 film,  2001:  A Space Odyssey, is the reason why.  

The first recording was made in 1935 by Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  The first stereophonic record was by Fritz Reiner with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1954.

Elvis Presley used this as his opening fanfare in 1973 in Honolulu.  Here is Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite.  That is the full one hour concert, with 3 minutes of explanation first.

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