I FINALLY FIGURED OUT WHY I HAVE DIFFICULTY SLEEPING

      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              

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107     398

          25       2414    10578        1582       119     144

Mar     2        1989    9490         1726        110     194

          31       1115   12301          3950       458      58

April   6         906    11787          4211         631     37

May    4         853   13667          3025      3786     59 

         26         607    12348         2399      3842    101 

June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95 

         30         249      8505         2127        991    383 

July     6        202      8190         1787        930     457    

           7        251      8440         1595         817     411

Summary:

• Only a few U.S. states remain in jeopardy (orange color).
• The population of the U.S. is about four times that of Japan.  Yesterday:
• U.S.:     new cases  16,812  and new deaths  251
• Japan:   new cases    1,635  and new deaths    22
• Clearly, Japan is doing a whole lot better than the USA.
• Virtually every major city in the U.S. is well into all clear status.
• However, the government  of Japan just announced that this pandemic is too serious to allow any spectators for the Summer Olympic Games which begin in a week.
• Doesn't matter, for sporting events last year with no fans were still worthy of watch.  Should be the same for these Olympics.

On the grimy side of life, the death toll of the Florida building collapse was up to 54 yesterday, with 86 still classified as missing.  Certainly, the toll will get into triple digits.  Any building near the coastline anywhere in the world is now considered to be in danger of something similar happening.  A lot of money will be spent over the next decade to evaluate this potential and prevent this form of occurrence.

On the happy side:

• Jimmy and Rosalynn yesterday celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.
• For Tampa residents, their Lightning won the Stanley Cup, and beating a Canadian team made it that much more satisfying.  They were also champs last year.
• If you live in the UK, England finally reached the Euro 2021 soccer tournament final edging Denmark in extra-time, and will play Italy on Sunday, 3PM EDT on ESPN . It was way back in 1966 that they previously found themselves in this position.  They have never won the championship.

• 
  Watch the Scripps Spelling Bee finals beginning at 8PM EDT (2PM in Hawaii) on ESPNU.  You can actually compare yourself with the students.  But don't even try.  Beginning in the second round will be a rule change.  Spellers will be asked a multiple-choice question.  The winner gets $50,000.  There is now a trophy.

But on to me.  I slept nine hours last night without waking up at all.  The last time I did this...I don't remember.  Growing up into adulthood I never had trouble sleeping.  My job was great, but stressful.  I needed to find funds to support at least 50 staff members, and combined with personnel, fiscal and research problems, life was not easy.  I retired in 1999, but still went to work in my Manoa Campus office.  I wrote three books and reported for The Huffington Post.  Published more than 100 articles.

Then, over the past few years, my life eased and nightly attempts at sleeping became adventures.  I think I finally figured out why.  On Sunday into Monday of last week I posted that my life will change.  Since then I've had no problems sleeping.  What happened?

The stress I had in my active days returned.  For example, I'll need to wear trousers and shoes today to meet with with an important person.  Much of this is confidential and I won't say how it went.  That is part of the tension.  Not being able to say what I do is something I haven't been faced with since I retired.

A good part of my amazing sleep last night had to do with walking on the Ala Wai Golf Course.  I got so exhausted that I quit after only nine holes.  But part of the reason was that I had to follow-up on matters dealing with the TEDx event for which I have part of the responsibility.

So I hope I can sleep well at least until this activity is over in December.  In January I begin my four month world cruise.  You would think that traveling would make sleeping difficult.  Not really because there is so much stress that sleep comes quite easily.  But this will be on one ship for 111 days with no particular reason to be under any mental strain.  However, we have paid for a beverage package, which allows only 15 drinks per day.  Not per week....per day.  That should help, I hope.  And, by the way, there was a 245-day cruise that started at only $92,000.  That was the Viking Sun two years ago.  Their next will depart in December, not go global, and only last for 136 days.

Am I thus advocating that if you have difficulty sleeping you should find ways to stress yourself mentally and physically?  Well, the physical part yes, but find another psychological solution than stress, which is terrible for your longevity.  The prevailing belief is that stress and anxiety hurts your ability to sleep.  We are all different.

To close, here are a couple of items sent me today:

Finally, recently took these photos of what looks like the Gold Tree.  The petals are similar:

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ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT THIS COVID-19 PANDEMIC

     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              

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107     398

          25       2414    10578        1582       119     144

Mar     2        1989    9490         1726        110     194

          31       1115   12301          3950       458      58

April   6         906    11787          4211         631     37

May    4         853   13667          3025      3786     59 

         26         607    12348         2399      3842    101 

June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95 

         30         249      8505         2127        991    383 

July     6        202      8190         1787        930     457    

Summary:

• Looking better and better for parts of the world.  
• However, South Africa, reflecting much of Africa, is showing an ascent of cases and deaths.  The 15,500 new cases yesterday only means that a week or two from now the deaths/day rate will remain at around 450.
• Indonesia has risen to #3 in new cases (31,189) and #4 in new deaths (728).
• There has been a general resurgence in portions of the Orient, including Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar.
• Japan had 963 new cases and 14 new deaths.
• Tokyo is showing an uptick, but the Summer Olympics are still on.
• Worse of all is Okinawa, which has seen a recent surge.
• China had 23 new cases and no new deaths.
• Singapore had 10 new cases and no new deaths.
• Taiwan had only 29 new cases, but 17 new deaths, so whatever happened ten days ago has been curtailed.

CNN today had the most complete compilation of COVID-19 questions and answers I've seen in a long time.  I urge you to read the article.   This list is a crystallization of 150,000 questions people asked them. You can subscribe to their newsletter. Coronavirus:  Fact or Fiction.  Or, listen to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast.  Here are a few of particular interest:

• 
  What's the difference between the Delta and Delta Plus variants?

The Delta Plus variant (B.1.617.2.1) is a new and slightly changed offshoot of the highly contagious Delta variant (B.1.617.2). 

All variants carry clusters of mutations. Delta Plus is different from Delta because it has an extra mutation called K417N. That mutation affects the spike protein – the part of the virus that attaches to human cells it infects.

The Indian government’s Covid-19 genome sequencing body said the Delta Plus variant exhibits several worrying traits such as increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and a potential reduction in antibody response.

• 

  Is it safe to go on vacation?

  “Delay travel until you are fully vaccinated,” the CDC says. Fully vaccinated means at least 2 weeks have passed since your last dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

• Could I get coronavirus from the Covid-19 vaccine?

  No. 

  It’s literally impossible to get Covid-19 from any of the vaccines used in the US because none of them contains even a piece of actual coronavirus.

• 

  (If you can't read the whole graph, the Moderna shot costs $37/dose.)  How much does a Covid-19 vaccine cost?

  “It’s all free. The government is paying for this,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.

• What “underlying conditions” put people at higher risk of bad outcomes with Covid-19?

  More than 40% of US adults have at least one underlying condition that can put them at higher risk of severe complications, according to the CDC. 

  Those conditions include obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, according to the CDC. 

  People who have cancer, an organ transplant, sickle cell anemia, poorly controlled HIV or any autoimmune disorder are also at higher risk.

  Covid-19 patients with pre-existing conditions — regardless of their age — are 6 times more likely to hospitalized and 12 times more likely to die from the disease than those who had no pre-existing conditions, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

• 

  I heard you can get Covid-19 through your eyes. Should we wear goggles, too?

  Doctors say wearing eye protection (in addition to face masks) could help some people, but it’s not necessary for everyone.

• 

  
  Doesn’t the flu kill more people than coronavirus?

  No. In fact, Covid-19 has killed more people in one year than the flu did during the last five flu seasons combined. 

  During the 2019-2020 flu season, an estimated 22,000 people in the US died from the flu, according to the CDC. 

  With Covid-19, the first known US death was in February 2020. By January 27, more than 427,000 people had died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Covid-19 has now taken more than half a million US lives. 

  There are other reasons why coronavirus can be more dangerous than the flu:

  • Coronavirus is twice as contagious as the flu. Research indicates a person with the flu infects an average of 1.28 other people, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. With coronavirus, “it’s likely between 2 and 3” other people. But mitigation efforts can drastically reduce that number. 
  • Coronavirus can be spread unknowingly for more days than the flu. People with coronavirus might not get symptoms for 14 days, and some get no symptoms at all. But they can still infect others unknowingly. The incubation period for the flu is shorter, and most people get symptoms within two days of infection.
• 

  How do I prevent my glasses or sunglasses from fogging up when I wear a mask?

  First, make sure the top of your mask fits snugly against your skin (to minimize vapor from your breath from going up toward your eyes). Then put your glasses over the snug-fitting top portion of your mask. 

  If that doesn’t do the trick, soap and water can create a barrier that prevents glasses from fogging up. Here’s how.

• 

  What’s so different about coronavirus that made us shut down the economy? Why did we have to practice social distancing when we didn’t during the SARS and swine flu epidemics?

  Unlike SARS and swine flu, the novel coronavirus is both highly contagious and especially deadly, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. 

  “SARS was also a coronavirus, and it was a new virus at the time,” Gupta said. “In the end, we know that SARS ended up infecting 8,000 people around the world and causing around 800 deaths. So very high fatality rate, but it didn’t turn out to be very contagious.”

  The swine flu, or H1N1, “was very contagious and infected some 60 million people in the United States alone within a year,” Gupta said. “But it was far less lethal than the flu even — like 1/3 as lethal as the flu.” 

  What makes the novel coronavirus different is that “this is both very contagious … and it appears to be far more lethal than the flu as well.”

Others include:

• Can you get Covid-19 through sex?
• How can I stay safe in an elevator?
• How safe are public restrooms?
• Are some blood types able to fight coronavirus better than other blood types?  (In short, Type A people have a higher risk of infection and more apt to develop severe symptoms, while Type O is best.)
• Can I disinfect my mask by putting it in the microwave?  (No, no, no.)
• Can you get coronavirus from touching money?
• Could I infect my pets with coronavirus, or vice versa? Can someone get infected by touching an animal’s fur? Should I get my pet tested for coronavirus?
• Can mosquitoes or houseflies transmit coronavirus?
• 
  Can I use vodka as hand sanitizer?  (No.  Vodka is typically between 35-46% alcohol, while you want a liquid that is at least 60%.  Plus, vodka is too expensive.)

• 
• Does this pandemic have anything to do with the 5G network?
• 
  My teenagers aren’t taking this seriously. Any advice?
• If traveling on a plane, how do I stay safe?
• Did Dean Koontz predict this outbreak in the book “The Eyes of Darkness” almost 40 years ago?

There were a lot more questions, most of them well-answered.  A few I thought were incomplete, as for example, what should the White House do to get more Americans vaccinated.  I agree that it is un-American to make this mandatory, but merely "urging" citizens to be smart and all that using ads starring influential people are fine, but insufficient.  They need to very closely work with all sectors of the economy to only allow vaccinated individuals to travel on cruises, attend sporting events, go to church, and so forth.

The New York Times this morning showed how important it is to get vaccinated.  Those Trump states are lagging and hurting:

Those not getting vaccinated tend to be rural, Black, Republicans and those without a college degree.  And, oh, Trump supporters.  They are the ones needlessly dying.  I will avoid my usual intemperate comment this time.

Gasoline prices are rising, and Hawaii is already up to $4/gallon:

You thought it was hot last month?  Well, North America experienced its warmest month ever, 2 F higher than the past 30-year average. That heatwave affecting the Pacific Northwest into Canada was a once in 10,000 years event.  Good portions of the West are in an extreme drought condition.  This was only the second highest month for Europe.  

If you're an Apple fan, you might have missed their re-opening last month.  After 75 weeks, all 511 Apple Store globally are offering in-store shopping and browsing.

After all that hoo-haw about who won the New York City mayoral race among Democrats, my initial reportage about Eric Adams winning that nomination prevailed.  But the other two candidates have not yet conceded.  Whatever we do, don't add ranked choices to future presidential elections, or we won't the know who the winner will be for months.  That NYC primary was on June 22.  Edwards will overwhelm Republican Curtis Sliwa in the General Election on November 2  because Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1.

I end with some cute animals:

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SPORTS AND SPELLING FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE

If you're into ice hockey, the Tampa Bay Lightnings should prevail over the Montreal Canadiens this week.  Tampa is becoming the nation's city of champions, for their Lightnings won the NHL last year too, while the NFL Bucs got the Super Bowl trophy this year.   The Rays were American League baseball champs last year and are doing well this year.  Their soccer Rowdies were Eastern Conference champions.

In the NBA the Phoenix Suns play the Milwaukee Bucks.  The only time I report on hockey is during the Winter Olympics, and, even though I have few basketball fantasy teams, lost interest in the NBA this year and never even watched a game.  The Suns are the favorites at -189 (65%).

On the other hand I've watched a whole lot of Major League Baseball.  Coming mostly from Coors Field in Denver beginning on Sunday are All-Star Futures and Celebrity Softball games.  Close by at the Colorado Convention Center will be the first round of the MLB draft.  Then the highlight attraction will be the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at 8PM EDT Monday night featuring Shohei Ohtani.  I reported his coming to America in 2016 and three years ago said he was already the most popular person in Japan.  He could well develop into the top baseball player of all-time, and this week was the first player selected to play in the Tuesday All-Star Game as both hitter and pitcher.  Never been done before.

Thursday at 8PM EDT on ESPN2 and ESPNU will be the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.  If  you haven't recently watched this event, you must this time.  They have made viewing fun, really.  You have to experience it yourself to appreciate what I'm saying.  ESPN, yes ESPN, thought long and hard about how to make this program enjoyable.  They succeeded.

When you compare with something like American Idol where thousands compete to become the annual Idol, the spelling bee each year begins with 11 million children.  This competition has been annually held since 1925, except for last year because of the pandemic.

I can predict that the winner will be a student whose parents are originally from India.  Of course the champion every year since 2008 has been a South Asian American child.  This year nine of the 11 finalists have parents with roots in India.  This dominance began in 1985 when Balu Natarajan became the first to win.  He recalls that in 1983, the first year he first made it to the finals, there were only six of Indian descent in a field of 137.  That's Balu, who is now a physician, with his son Atman, who competed in the last Scripps Bee that was held in 2019, but was eliminated in the final round by misspelling "Hanseatic."

You ask why are India Indians so successful?  First their natural language is English.  Second, only the very best came to the USA.  The first generation born in the U.S. tends to be particularly motivated for immigrants.  We saw this in the 70's into the 80's when Vietnamese children won a lot of academic competitions like science fairs. Then when you factor in filial piety and the Oriental social structure, honed by after-school spelling schools, and driven by pride, you have an unbeatable combination.

If you're into tennis, the Wimbledon Women's finals will begin at 10AM EDT on Saturday, July 10, with Men's finals at the same time on Sunday.  Unlike the NBA which has two new teams gunning for the championship, looks like these tennis matches will end up with favorites vying for the crown.  Ashleigh Barty has +400 odds to win, while Novak Djokovic is a strong -265 favorite.  So you again ask, what do those numbers mean?  Go to the right column under ODDS CALCULATOR and CLICK ON THIS.  Type in these numbers and get a winning probability of 20% for Barty and 73% for Djokovic.

Then, of course, from July 21 to August 8 are the Tokyo Olympic Games, where you can watch 339 events over 7000 hours.  The opening ceremony will be held on Friday, July 23, at 7AM EDT, but softball and soccer begin on July 21.  Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of New York.  Everything will be livestreamed, but NBC will daily rebroadcast the major activities over a wide array of their network.

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It's now appearing that Elsa will attain hurricane strength as she skirts by Tampa tonight, then moves north to make landfall tomorrow morning in the region around Cedar Key :

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THE FUTURE OF FIREWORKS

I spent hours last night watching the July 4th fireworks.  I took these photos off the TV set.  It again occurred to me that these displays are blatantly terrible for the environment.  Why do current air pollution laws allow this to happen?

We can begin by blaming the Chinese.  They accidentally invented fireworks  around 200 BC.  The story goes that it took them another millennium for an alchemist to mix sulfur, charcoal and potassium, and again accidentally, invent gunpowder, which became the major ingredient for fireworks and bullets.

The records are not totally clear, but enter Great Britain around 1600 when King James II's firemaster was awarded knighthood for developing modern fireworks.  I again as yesterday quote John Adams on this 2July1776 letter to his wife Abigail:

"This day will be most memorable in the history of America," he predicted. "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade... bonfires and illuminations [fireworks]... from one end of this content to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

Surely enough, what came from London was fireworks to commemorate the first anniversary of America's push for independence on 4July1777.  This tradition has since then continued.

Italy entered the picture in the 1830's by adding metals like strontium and barium, adding color.  Skyrockets came in the 20th century, and today, China is the foremost producer of fireworks.

From Legal Planet:

In order to understand the environmental impacts of aerial fireworks displays you first have to appreciate the basic mechanics.  The heart of a colorful firework is the “color shell,” which contains a bunch of chemical pellets arranged to emit a particular color and design.  Commonly used chemicals include: potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium nitrate, sodiumbenzoate, sodium oxalate, ammonium perchlorate, strontium nitrate, strontium carbonate, sulfur, charcoal, copper oxide, polyvinyl chloride, iron, titanium, shellac, dextrine, phenolic resin, and aluminum.

Further:

• Firework smoke produces dangerous fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) pollution that significantly impacts air quality.
• Metals and chemicals make this smoke toxic.
• Contributes to lung inflammation, heart attacks, stroke, asthma attacks and reduced lung function.
• Air pollution spikes exceed legal requirements.
• Add noise and light pollution.
• Disturbs nesting shorebirds (nests are abandoned with eggs, etc.), seals and other animals.
• Known to have cause wildfires and perchlorate water pollution is a concern.
• Long term effects of chemical pollutants have not be adequately studied.
• Can kill or injure those involved with fireworks, and the occasional spectator.

The result of course has been more and more prohibition.  Yet, no one stopped those fabulous New York City, DC, Las Vegas, Chicago, Philadelphia and hundreds of other fireworks shows, and over other celebrations, throughout the world.  Why?  Apparently the limited use and high entertainment value are sufficient to sway government controllers.

But technology could well push out fireworks.  The future of light shows could well be lasers and drones.

• Appropriately enough, China is leading the way.
• Another from China.
• But here comes South Korea.
• London's fireworks this year also had drones.
• 1500 drones in Sacramento. 

• Laser light shows.

Last year one of my postings showed these replacement shows.  However, I was sent this fabulous fireworks display, and checked into the authenticity.  

Surely enough, like one of these two from 2020, this one, too, was computer generated.

For the present, I don't see drones mimicking actual fireworks.  However, mere colored, but lethal, explosions will in time become obsolete, and the future of July 4th and Memorial Day light shows in the sky will more and more have lasers and drones replacing fireworks.  Sound?  Perhaps you can listen-in with your smart phone.

The July 4th 15 Craigside BBQ went well.  A few photos:

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Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to weaken after rolling over Cuba, but there remains an outside chance she could strengthen into a hurricane before landfall north of Tampa late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

While there will be some rain, Elsa should not seriously affect the Surfside collapse rescue operation near Miami.

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