THE ASTRONAUTS: Surprisingly Good!

The New York Times this morning indicated that cases and deaths from this pandemic have both dropped since Thanksgiving.  But this is probably because of fewer tests and laxity in reporting.  In April, the one-day high for deaths was 2,752.  If expected fears materialize, daily deaths by the end of the year or early next year could reach 3,000.  Vaccines are on the horizon, but the worse is yet come.  In the meantime, wear a mask wherever you go and avoid crowds.

At last report, up to 48 staff and associates in the White House, including the President and First Lady, were infected with COVID-19.  Governor Jared Polis of Colorado and his partner just learned they tested positive.  That brings it up to seven state governors.  Polis' family with two children to the left

Here is something somewhat new.  A COVID-19 infectee will be most contagious 2 days BEFORE showing any symptoms, to five days thereafter.  I keep shaking my head, but there remains, today, no consensus of how many cases are asymptomatic.  The guesses range from 15% to 80%, although one report earlier this month said 40%-50%.  A year from now I would bet that this figure will be higher than 50%.

Here is a summary of what I've been able to figure out about vaccines (click on that to read details):

• The process first will be approved by the FDA, probably early in December, then transmitted to the CDC for distribution, with logistical aid from the DOD.  
• Should the national policy be:
• Mandatory?
• According to each state?
• The first injections will be given to hospital workers in December.
• Not long thereafter, seniors communities will be inoculated.  Children?  Maybe as late as the Summer.
• The first three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca/Oxford) will require two doses.  All three will be allowed to proceed.  There will be others to come.
• Most polls find that perhaps 58% of Americans say they will comply.
• But 60-95% will need to be safe to gain herd immunity.
• Both measles and polio have lifetime immunity, but for measles, herd immunity needs to reach 91%-94%.
• No matter what experts say, regarding COVID-19, they really don't know what % will assure for total public safety.  
• Certainly, if only 58% take the shot, the country will not attain herd immunity, which anyway needs to be reached for EACH municipality.

• At first, these shots will be free, but a case is being made for the federal government to pay people to comply.  Maryland Congressman John Delaney is advocating $1500/person, sort of  like the next stimulus check, which is being delayed by politics anyway.  The Brookings Institute has advocated $1000.  In this pandemic period the Congress has already allocated $3.6 billion for pandemic relief.  
• The next package being discussed will amount to around $1.8 trillion.
• $1000/person to pay 80% of Americans will cost $0.275 trillion.
• $1500/person for all will take $0.383 trillion.

Skipping on to the topic of the day, I read something about a new series and decided to record it.  So last night I watched the first episode.  The beginning was totally disappointing, for I did not realize that the program was on Nickelodeon.  Hey, this is the home of SpongeBob Square.  It became obvious to me that this was a channel for a few generations too young for me, as first played were two commercials dealing with their interests.  I was ready to erase the rest when I got distracted and went to do something.  After a few minutes, I was again ready to delete it, when I got a robotic call.  Coming back I again lost my train of thought and absent-mindedly glanced at the program.  After fifteen minutes I thought, hey, this is kind of interesting.

Having been sufficiently impressed with the first episode, I went to Rotten Tomatoes.  Too new for any ratings.  Common Sense had a review, and the recommendation was for 8-year olds, or maybe it was for those over 7-years old.  It further said:  This is by far the most complex and expansive show Nickelodeon has aired in some time.  Four out of five stars from that reviewer:

Parents need to know that The Astronauts is an excellent tween drama about a group of middle schoolers that accidentally get launched into space. There is a moderate amount of scariness and tension throughout, as the kids' lives are in danger at various points. Kids are separated from their parents, and the parents show fear about their kids being up in space, so consider if your kids are extra sensitive to parental separation. There's mild arguing between characters, but no physical violence. This series has compelling storytelling and fantastic role models, and is a great pick for kids mature enough to handle the adventure.

Let's see if I can quickly summarize:

• The launch center is in New Zealand.  Why?  Well, they do have a private space complex for orbital missions that opened four years ago.

• 
  A few minutes into the show we see that Ron Howard is a producer.  Hmmm...
• The voice of the AI control, Matilda, is Paige (to the right) Howard, sister of Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic films), daughters of you know who.
• Families of the real astronauts are staying at nearby hotels.

• 
  Samy (Miya Cech--right), a young Oriental girl who has skipped two grade levels, has two mothers, one an African-American, who is the captain of the Odyssey 2 mission.  Samy has been able to sneak into her mother's computer and gained experience fooling around with the flight simulator.
• The mission is a deep secret and has something to do with exploring an extraterrestrial craft.
• So far I have learned that this was not an accident, Matilda (the AI brains behind the mission), purposefully arranged for this youthful crew to fly.  Why?  Because it (the name is female, but she prefers to be called Lionel) calculated that these five teens had a 15% higher chance of succeeding than the real astronauts.  Also, there is a hint that, somehow, there might already be an  alien on the ship.
• As best as I can tell, only three episodes have aired:
• Ep 1:  Countdown/Day 1
• Ep 2:  Day 3
• Ep 3:  Day 21
• Ep 4:  Day 33 to come on December 4
• There will be 10 episodes, on subsequent Fridays.  Yup, Nickelodeon.
• If you missed the first three episodes, they have you trapped, for the only other way is to pay for Vidgo, FuboTV or Philo, three obscure streaming networks.

I counted how many Netflix series I've begun watching (17) and on my short list (29).  A few have more than 10 seasons, so this should take a few lifetimes for me to watch all.  Many of these have gained 100% Rotten Tomatoes ratings.  To simplify my life I've recently focused on:

• Last Tango in Halifax 93/91 (seasons 2 and 3 are at 100%), now in episode 3 of season 3.
• Fauda 100/91 (all three seasons at 100%), on e5 of s2.
• Borgen 100/99 (all three seasons at 100%):  on e4 of s1.
• The Good Place (97/89 (seasons 2 and 4 at 100%)--first three seasons on Netflix, s4 on Prime:  on e3 of s1.

Amazon Prime:

• Bosch 97/93 (seasons 2-6 at 100%), e3 of s1
• Fleabag 100/93 (both seasons at 100%), e2 of s1

I would watch one or two South Korean series, but Rotten Tomatoes hasn't rated any of them.

Coming this week on Netflix are Alien Worlds (a series, Wednesday) and Mank (a film, Friday).  Mank has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90.  If you liked Citizen Kane (some say this is the #1 film, ever) with Orson Welles, you should enjoy Mank.

Also on the entertainment front, the NFL is beginning to lose it.  They actually played a game yesterday between New Orleans and Denver after learning that all four quarterbacks on their roster had to be quarantined.  They used a wide receiver and running back as QB, completing one pass, losing 31-3.  The NBA is set to start a new season in less than a month, December 22.  College football had something unusual this weekend.  When San Diego State and the University of Colorado found their games cancelled because of the pandemic, they decided to play each other.  Hawaii was scheduled to go to San Jose for a Saturday game, but at this time who knows what will happen, as the whole Bay Area is shut down for contact sports for three weeks.

On more important political matters, Joe Biden apparently has a hairline fracture suffered on his foot playing with his dogs this weekend.  If he had incurred this injury before the final debate with Trump, who knows who would be the president-elect today.  The Bidens are mulling over whether to get the First Cat to join their two dogs in the White House.  No, this is Socks, owned by then President Bill Clinton.

Ludwig van Beethoven occupies the song #28 slot:

• Moonlight Sonata
• Wellington's Victory

Bach and Beethoven have usually been at the top my classic composer list, although I have selected someone else in the top ten.  Bach was born 85 years earlier.  Ludwig van Beethoven (not pronounced BEE, but BEr, with an almost silent "r") was born in 1770 and grew up in Germany.  He started as a pianist and moved to Vienna at 21 to study with Joseph Hayden.  His First Symphony came in 1800, when his hearing began to deteriorate.  He had tinnitus, something I have.  But his deteriorated to otosclerosis, mine tends to disappear at night.  The Third came in 1804 and Fifth in 1808 at the age of 38.  He was completely deaf at the age of 44.  We tend to forget that during his lifetime, he had to fend off various European Wars, as did Mozart, who was 14 years older.  His final symphony, #9 came when he was 54.  He died at the age of 57.

In 45 years Beethoven wrote 722 works (it takes a long time just to scan the list), his first when he was 12-years old.  Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 14) was written in 1801 at the age of 31.

Wellington's Victory, known as the Battle Symphony, was first performed in December of 1813, soon after Wellington's Victory over Napoleon.  He became rich from this piece.  

Of course parts of the music borrows from Rule Britannia / God Save the King (and, of course, they used God Save the Queen now, and we call it My Country 'Tis of Thee in America--did you know 'Tis stands for it is?) and Marlborough has left for the War (a French nursery song, like our Bear went over the Mountain).  He did not use La Marseillaise to represent the French forces, as Tchaikovsky later did in his 1812 Overture, because in Beethoven's day, playing that tune in Vienna was treasonous.

I chose it as my #28 for a simple reason.  When I learned I passed my written comprehensive, assuring a PhD, I happened to listen to this piece.  Now, whenever, I have a major victory, I play this 15-minute composition of Beethoven.