Sunday, August 30, 2020

 

Quarantine Day #165.

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly (despite at least a dozen Rappi guys hanging out outside Exito), woke up at 6am and got up at 6:30.

Last night I played 4 games on Chess.com, winning 1 and losing 3. Interestingly, the only game I won was the only game where I had the white pieces. In the first game I had black and played the Sicilian Defense and I had the advantage when I blundered a pawn that let him enter my territory and I lost on time. In the 2^nd game I had the white pieces and played the London System and got a strong attack and I checkmated him on the 33^rd move. In the 3^rd game I had black and played the Sicilian Defense. In the end I was about to take his queen when I ran out of time. In the 4^th game I had black again and my opponent played well and I resigned because he would soon checkmate me.

I left the apt in 67 degree mostly sunny skies and walked straight to Glenn’s new apt building. It took exactly 14 minutes. I walked to Aymara in 16 minutes. I continued throught the bat/green tunnel park and down the hill to Avenida Las Vegas and returned to the apt – 55 minutes. Now I cooldown for about an hour before taking my shower.

 

Per the afternoon news, 6,000 restaurants will be reopening in Medellin this week.

As of Saturday, more than 1,200 students and 166 employees and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at the University of Alabama.

 

Doctors in Israel will try a novel coronavirus therapy on a limited number of patients.

Unlike other studies, the new COVID-19 protocol involves a procedure that’s used regularly in cancer therapy.

Anecdotal evidence showed that low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) could improve the condition of patients with pneumonia symptoms, including COVID-19 patients.

Researchers are looking to determine a radiation-based treatment course for COVID-19 that could reduce complications and hasten recovery.

 

Dozens of Secret Service agents have "been sickened or sidelined" over the past two months after coming in contact with people infected with coronavirus, The Washington Post reported. 

The agents continue to protect President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as their campaign continues to host in-person gatherings and experts warn they'll likely contribute to a surge in coronavirus.

Multiple Secret Service members were ordered to self-quarantine when several campaign staffers tested positive amid a July campaign rally. Four people tested positive during this week's RNC events. 

 

Coronavirus cases in the Midwest are increasing following warnings from top U.S. health officials. 

Coronavirus cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a weekly average to smooth out daily reporting, in 21 states as of Saturday, according to a CNBC analysis of data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Several Midwestern states were among those reporting growing cases— Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota.

 

A video segment featured at the Republican National Convention featured President Donald Trump proclaiming, “I didn’t back down from my promises — and I’ve kept every single one.”

“Promises made, promises kept” was a theme of the four-day event, which aimed to drive home a message that the president has been fearless in pursuit of delivering on his pledges — that his pugnacious tweets may rub people the wrong way, but they signify a rare fighting spirit on behalf of regular Americans.

The reality isn't quite that simple.

Trump made good on promises like deregulation, picking conservative judges, renegotiating NAFTA and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. As he ticked off those items in his speech Thursday, he said, "I did what our political establishment never expected and could never forgive, breaking the cardinal rule of Washington politics: I kept my promise."

But Trump made other promises that he broke - and in some cases, he did the opposite of what he'd vowed.

CLAIM: Speaking to CBS' "60 Minutes" in September 2015, Trump vowed to deliver universal health care.

CLAIM: Candidate Trump said in 2015 he wanted to cut taxes for the middle class and raise them on rich people like himself.

CLAIM: Trump told the Washington Post in March 2016, “We've got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt,” adding that he could do it “fairly quickly” and “over a period of eight years” as president.

CLAIM: When Democrat Hillary Clinton released a $500 billion infrastructure spending plan, Trump doubled it and proposed to spend as much as $1 trillion.

CLAIM: With his daughter Ivanka by his side, Trump said at a Pennsylvania speech in September 2016 that he will push to “provide six weeks of paid maternity leave to any mother with a newborn child whose employer does not provide the benefit.”

 

or all of his bombast, under the leadership of Donald J. Trump the United States has actually grown more and more to resemble a developing nation.

As it happens, the onset of the pandemic tore the mask off all of the rot that had been festering just below the surface of U.S. politics and society. Donald J. Trump, backed by his Republican Party, is the very face of this decline, which manifests itself in five epic failures.

Failure 1: The great giveaway to the rich.

Failure 2: Police it like it's Baghdad.

Failure 3: A failing U.S. healthcare system.

Failure 4: Devastation from climate events.

Failure 5: Widely neglected infrastructure.

 

I left the apt at 2:15 and walked to Aymara where I found Glenn and James waiting for me. We walked to Na Pizza where we had coffee and Glenn talked to Danny, the owner, about having some meals delivered to his apt. Danny mentioned 5 restaurants that have closed here permenantly including one of my favorites La Doctora. I gave the guys a tour of La Buena Mesa. On Carrera 44A they have sideless tents set up in the street for restaurant dining and people were enjoying their meals. I was very surprised that almost all restaurants have already opened up.

 

The US has 5,928,020 ð 5,973,992 ð 6,006,177 coronavirus cases with 181,300+ ð 182,700+ ð 182,900+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 590,520 ð 599,914 ð 607,938 cases with 19,364 deaths.  Medellin has 45,035 ð 45,794 ð 46,361 cases, an increase of 567 from August 29^th to 30^th. Envigado has a total of 2,413 cases, an increase of 17 from August 29^th to 30^th. So new infections continue to decrease for Colombia, Medellin and Envigado.

 

Joke of the day

At Friday night services, Morris went to his friend Irving and said, "I need a favor. I'm sleeping with the Rabbi's wife. Can you hold him in synagogue for an hour after services for me?"

Irving was not very fond of the idea, but being Morris' lifelong friend, he reluctantly agreed.

After services, he struck up a conversation with the Rabbi, asking him all sorts of stupid questions - just to keep him occupied.

After some time the wise Rabbi became suspicious and asked, "Irving what are you really up to?"

Irving, filled with feelings of guilt and remorse confessed to the Rabbi, "I'm sorry, Rabbi. My friend is sleeping with your wife right now, so he asked me to keep you occupied."

The Rabbi smiled, put a brotherly hand on Irving's shoulder and said, "You'd better hurry home, Irving. My wife died two years ago!"