Pandemic Report
The latest stats from WaPo:
The latest vaccine stats from CDC:
Well, I cannot pretend we are at a flat, sticky top; we're definitely at an uptick to about 125K cases a day, even as I expected a slowdown due to the hot weather and more time outside. I have heard a lot of buzz about Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 (vs. BA.2) The US News clip referenced CDC in referencing variant data. I had to do some digging on the site (not organized to my preference ) but I believe I've found it here:
So clearly over the past 2-3 week BA.5 has become the new dominant strain driving the pandemic to its latest local high.
Other Notes
Readership has dropped off sharply over the past week by over 100 pageviews. Not sure: fewer and/or more unpopular essays?
I've stopped watching CNN overs its regular Planned Parenthood ads, I've started watching FNC, mostly during morning work hours more in the background. Like CNN, FNC repeats the same talking points endlessly, only differing in (red vs. blue) topics. FNC is constantly harping Biden's plummeting approval ratings, endless stories on the Southern border, and various topics, like Jill Biden's recent appearance, mispronouncing 'bodegas' and comparing Latinos to breakfast tacos. I had my own jokes on Twitter.
But the topic brings back memories; my Dad retired from the USAF near San Antonio. But Tex-Mex food had been a favorite since my Dad was reassigned to South Texas for my high school years. I still remember going to eat at Lala's Cafe in Mirando City, with unbelievably tasty "from scratch Mexican food". I recall Lala had some celebrity guest photos on the wall, including JFK. Throughout my adult career, I (an unattached bachelor) would usually head home for the holidays. Inevitably we (particularly my late Dad and me) would do breakfast tacos at least once or twice per visit. No, not the crispy corn shells you might think from Taco Bell, more like mini-burritos with soft tortillas.
I'm nearing the end of my Dallas marathon currently in next-to-last season 13. The character Carter McKay is of interest because he is played by George Kennedy. The reason that is interesting is because some friends thought I looked like a young George Kennedy (I never saw it). I'm like, "Dude, I never heard any woman refer to George Kennedy as hot." In the series, McKay makes an entrance buying Ewing stepbrother Ray's ranch bordering Southfork, as part of Ewing arch-enemy Jeremy Wendell's secret plot to seize Ewing untapped oil-rich Section 40 on Southfork.
Lots of criticisms of characters and plots, although I didn't anticipate Wendell's takedown, I never cared for the spoiled brat granddaughter/niece Lucy, whose character seems to live for the purpose of insulting Uncle JR and who divorced her doctor husband over boredom as a workaholic's wife.
