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
20 4385 17350 1382 152 566
28 3908 16388 1439 162 555
Feb 3 4005 14265 1209 107 398
4 3523 14287 1291 120 261
9 3265 13005 1340 85 396
10 3432 14043 1357 119 276
16 1787 9799 1088 109 219
17 2537 11383 1195 89 165
Summary: Not exactly declining as fast as desired. However, compared to previous months, the trend is good. Even though I've had both Moderna shots, the last one more than three weeks ago, I still wear a mask plus face shield when I go shopping. Why? Not sure. I'm safe. I guess it's probably because everyone is required to do this when you go into a store. Perhaps I'll abandon the face shield.
My blog topic yesterday was about a coming renewable energy boom. Much of the nation is today still suffering from winter storms. The Texas grid has particularly suffered (note that the nation essentially has three grids: east, west and Texas). Texas Governor Gregg Abbott blamed wind and solar power for the calamity:
Wind power was just 13% of the problem.- However, he brings up a problem with some forms of green power.
- The winds come and go. So does the Sun.
- Then, freezing temperatures can cause havoc. This problem can be circumvented, but it will cost money and investments.
If renewable energy is ever to generate 100% of the electricity, there needs to be some additional mix of storage and baseload energy, meaning continuous.- Batteries are very expensive, and will always be so.
Hydrogen can someday hopefully become competitive.- Geothermal can make a big difference, especially if hot-dry-rock technology can become cost effective. Don't hold your breath for this to soon occur.
- So can clean nuclear, which means fusion, not fission. Again, this will take beyond the year 2050.
- So what?
- Beef up transmission lines for a national grid. Incorporate Canada and Mexico.
- Accelerate the development of hydrogen and storage technology:
fuel cells- production of hydrogen
- when electricity prices are low, from midnight to 5AM
- invent a system that can utilize sunlight to produce this fuel
- if OTEC ever becomes competitive, generate hydrogen at sea and establish a transport network
floating wind farms can also produce hydrogen, using the same delivery network- advance the potential of flywheels, air compression and other similar options
From The New York Times this morning:
- Rush Limbaugh died at 70. His scathing style made him a talk-radio star and helped mold conservative politics.
- Ford says it will phase out gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe by 2030.
- NASA will attempt to land its Perseverance rover on Mars this afternoon, searching for fossils of ancient microbial life. Follow it here. We should know by 3:55PM (10:55AM in Hawaii) if this $2.7 billion mission safely landed.
- Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open semifinal, 6-3, 6-4, denying Williams a chance to tie the record for Grand Slam singles titles.
Donald Trump did everything wrong that it was just a matter of which was the worst on any given day. In comparison, Joe Biden seems to be doing almost everything right, that it's amusing to observe one issue in particular--opening schools--where there appears to be considerable confusion, and getting worse:
- Biden unfortunately indicated he would open schools in his first 100 days.
- Two problems:
- not enough vaccines
- teachers unwilling to teach without first being vaccinated
- Thus, CDC director Rochelle Walensky has been in a bind:
- their written mandate to open schools is not unlike a package of colored marshmallows--spongy, vague, lacking in specificity...and worst of all, will not work
- when appearing on TV, she seems to regularly change her mind
- but that is because she is in an impossible position
- she needs to follow administrative policy
- but knows there is no way to vaccinate all teachers until the summer
- So, finally, the White House arrived at a weak solution
- only open K-8 grades first
- this is not mentioned, but these students have parents that should be working, so by so doing, improve the economy at the same time
- 9-12 grade students can take care of themselves, so let them remote learn
- suggest states highly prioritize teachers for vaccinations, particularly those teaching K-8 grades
Here is a situation where President Biden could have taken a more authoritative position, and most states and the general public would have supported him. Being wishy-washy is not a good sign for future issues.
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