From Worldometer, COVID-19 new deaths:
So how was the film? For me, it was somewhat tedious, but memorable, for when I recognized a place or event, I thought, I've been there:
The star of the film was an 8-year old boy (that's him in the above movie poster). He took strange photos. For example, only the back of people heads. Also, he had a wisdom beyond his age. Yi Yi means "a one and a two," like Lawrence Welk.
DAY USA WORLD Brazil India South Africa
June 9 1093 4732 1185 246 82
July 1 676 4857 1057 438 92
2 687 5155 1277 377 95
3 616 5170 1264 444 108
4 254 4494 1111 610 74
5 251 3572 535 421 173
6 378 3573 656 474 111
7 993 5504 1312 479 192
8 890 5507 1187 491 100
9 960 5411 1199 479 118
10 849 5416 1270 521 140
11 731 4995 968 543 111
12 380 4118 659 500 108
13 465 3729 770 540 93
14 935 5414 1341 586 174
15 1001 5760 1261 614 107
16 963 5742 1299 680 216
17 946 5559 1100 676 135
18 813 5011 885 543 144
19 412 4606 715 675 85
20 545 4040 718 596 140
21 1119 5669 1346 671 195
22 1205 7128 1293 1120 572
23 1166 6318 1317 755 153
24 1141 6199 1178 761 250
25 908 5689 1111 690 312
26 450 4307 556 715 114
Summary:
- Wow, great day for new deaths. I'll bet almost anything that these numbers go up tomorrow.
- From The New Times Daily Brief this morning:
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- Trump administration officials are concerned that some pharmaceutical executives are exaggerating their companies’ roles in Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s push for a vaccine, in an effort to inflate stock prices.
- Florida’s number of reported coronavirus cases has surpassed that of New York.
- Test results are still taking days, or even two weeks, to come back in many places. “If it takes up to two weeks to get results, we can’t detect brewing outbreaks and respond with targeted shutdowns,” Elisabeth Rosenthal, a doctor and health journalist, writes.
Well, I not only survived my Last Lunch, but also my potential last supper. Before dinner last night, here was the situation regarding Hurricane Douglas:
I saved some wagyu beef to have for dinner with rice, eggs over easy, natto, tsukemono and sashimi, with hot sake, hot green tea and a cold bottle of Kirin Beer. I'm in a probiotic phase. My early dinner:
Then at 5 PM the Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that, while the strength of Douglas was unchanged at 85 MPH, there was a very slight northern movement that the center would most likely ease past my island. The serious radius of concern was 50 miles from the center, which placed my apartment just outside the danger zone. I don't think the wind on my lanai ever exceeded 20 MPH, if that. There was hardly any rain. Hurricane Douglas just barely dodged Oahu. The heavy winds and rain are generally in the northern sectors of the storm, so Hawaii was hardly inconvenienced.
However, this is still only July, and August through October into November (when Hurricane Iwa came) are the months of more serious concern. Yet, this is not an El Nino year, and the last hurricane that got this close to Honolulu was before I was born, so these factors bring a secure sense of safety. Then again, hundred-year storms these days have a way of occurring annually, so cannot be too overconfident. But here is Honolulu from my computer today:
I noticed that a year 2000 foreign film, Yi Yi, was playing on TCM, so I went to Rotten Tomatoes and was so impressed with what I read that I watched it, all 173 minutes. Reviewers gave this movie 96%/91% ratings:
Master Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang directs this intelligent family drama about the regrets and malaise of middle age, which recalls his 1991 masterpiece A Brighter Summer Day both in scope and in depth of observation. The film focuses on N.J. (Wu Nien-jen, a noted writer-director in his own right) a partner in a computer firm who is married to Min-min (Elaine Jin) and has two kids, teenager Ting-ting (Kelly Lee) and young Yang-yang (Jonathan Chang). His company, though successful, demands constant innovation to stay afloat, which includes collaborating with renowned Japanese games designer Ota (Issey ....
Reviewer Andrew Levy said:
One of the best films of the decade, Yi Yi, Edward Yang's most accessible (and very last--passed away in 2007) film is a fluent, charming and precise family portrait that celebrates ordinary life with all its joys and chaos.
Edward Yang was born in Shanghai and grew up in Taipei. He actually earned a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1974. Yang won the Best Director Award at Cannes for Yi Yi. The film was selected by Sight &Sound as one of the ten greatest films of the past quarter century.
- The opening scene was at the Grand Hotel. I recall sleeping in this historic building and just this past December, as part of a tour from the Diamond Princess, had a fabulous lunch at this iconic site.
- Just the street scenes reminded my of:
- Shopping for jade, leather bags and, on a street blanket, buying a $10 Christian Dior gold watch. That was a quarter century ago. The first battery lasted 15 years, I'm just on the second one, and it still works. Today, my favorite watch.
- Festivals, banquets and night clubs.
- This must have been my tenth visit to Taiwan since 1990, for I had two projects:
- My staff produced an OTEC strategic plan for the government.
- I had a project with National Sun Yat Sen University in Kaohsiung on Can the Whale Shark Replace Cattle. My posting on this subject is in the top ten of all my blogs.
The movie also used songs I remember from my days there. One scene in particular stood out. In a typical karaoke bar, the Japanese guest sang a familiar song, then on the piano played the full Moonlight Sonata. Watch a short clip. The clientele was stunned, for this was so out of place...but pleasing.
The star of the film was an 8-year old boy (that's him in the above movie poster). He took strange photos. For example, only the back of people heads. Also, he had a wisdom beyond his age. Yi Yi means "a one and a two," like Lawrence Welk.
I'll close with a photo for people who love dogs and believe in Heaven:
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