Pandemic Report
The latest weekly stats from CDC (note variant proportions not available due to holiday scheduling):
The latest daily stats from Worldometer:
A slight uptick in stats as we had expected as weather is cooling just weeks ahead of winter.
I haven't seen a lot of new news items but felt the following items are of interest:
- you can order up to 4 "free" COVID-19 tests via USPS
- CNN looks at a number of studies looking at whether getting multiple different vaccines (like flu and COVID together) impacts effectiveness, e.g., antibody counts, Mixed results to date, possible confounding of side effects, generally speaking, it's probably more efficient and lessens aggregate recovery time.
- Another study provides evidence that monovalent vaccines (like the new ones currently available) may be more effective than bivalent ones (like last year's booster).
- It looks like the military is trying to recruit those they forced out over lack of compliance with vaccine mandates.
- The prosecution of COVID relief fraud continues, including this case of a NC emergency rent assistance program.
Other Notes
Blog pageviews rose from a modest pickup over last week to a blowout Friday [and into Saturday] that reminds me of the Singapore burst from August, but it's not showing up in location stats--yet. [Update: yeah, it seems like bloated statistics again. It looks differently this time with the largest plurality from the US, but also a significant number from other locations like Finland. ] A modest pickup on Twitter/X impressions: over 200 daily, but to be honest, it's tough because I haven't found many interesting trends. Most of it is predictable partisan sniping and it does seem like Trumpkins are becoming more brazen and confrontational with leftists.
My issues with Google Maps have continued: one puzzling thing includes why my desktop setup differs from my Android setups, i.e., my saved locations don't show up from my Android. I may have a hypothesis on issues I've repeated in prior posts, not to mention this bizarre toggling between South Carolina and Maryland on weather notification. I was driving home from a rare trip lately to Sam's Club. I usually turn on Maps because I don't want to pass by a certain intersection on the way back. I usually click on my home address--only to see my old South Carolina address pop up. I had to ignore all the directions to drive back to SC. Once home, I found all my local locations had disappeared, unprecedented. At some point I became aware my profile had switched to an alternate Google account I use for specialized purposes. I remember some time back double checking the profile stored location for the second account. At some point, I realized I could toggle my profile in the Android Maps and it was pointing to my second account; when I toggled it to my core profile, all my saved locations were available. I later went back to the second account, tried to clear out old data and updated my stored home address. I'm still not sure how I toggled on the second profile.
The second issue was wildly inaccurate driving time--hours vs. minutes for relatively short driving distance. I think I figured it out: somehow the walking icon was toggled on; I'm not surewhen or how it happened.
The other TV/cable channels are transitioning to holiday content. one of the things I look for is classic movies like "Miracle on 34th St.", "Scrooge", and "It's a Wonderful Life". E! had a mini-marathon of the latter on Thanksgiving; I remember they had one at the end of season last year. I think NBC and/or USA generally bookends the same movie around the season. Now I have a licensed copy in storage, but I think all 3 are available in Prime Video.
Last weekend Lifetime joined Hallmark in showing new holiday content on weekends. So far, no new favorites, but I haven't watched all the new movies yet (sports or other content).
My ongoing series on favorite Hallmark holiday movies continues:
- "Five More Minutes: Moments Like These" The second in a series loosely based on former American Idol singer Scotty McCreery's hit song. Kaitlyn's husband Brian who seems to be experiencing migraines forgot to get their son Adam's new Christmas bike's bell and heads out on a snowy Christmas Eve road to buy the bell; the movie implies a fatal collision with an approaching truck from the other direction as Brian experiences a seizure. A few years later Adam is struggling with school, and widow Kaitlyn is still coping with their loss and prays for 5 more minutes with Brian, who never finished their Christmas dance as promised. She runs into Brian's high school football buddy Matthew, a bachelor and uncle to 8 boys, at a local park; is it just a weird coincidence? HMM
- "Home for Christmas Day". Jane, a single mom, is overly protective of her teen daughter Betsy. who works part-time as a waitress at a local diner. A uniformed soldier, Tyler, comes into the diner and sits at one of Betsy's tables. A long-distance romance between the two, over Jane's objections. Tyler is later assigned to a secretive mission. Betsy is in a local choir and during their Christmas concert, there's an announcement acknowledging local soldiers who have died in the line of duty--and the announcer reads out Tyler's name. HMM
- "Christmas Connection". Sydney, a flight attendant with aspirations to get reassigned to Rome befriends an unaccompanied minor (Sophie?) on her way back home to Chicago. A series of circumstances lead Sydney to visit Sophie and her widower dad Jonathan, a local newspaper reporter. Sydney asks for Jonathan's help in finding out the story behind how her parents met. HC
- "The Christmas Note". Gretchen moves home to Wilsonville with young son Ethan to stay with her adoptive parents while her husband Kyle, recently wounded, recuperates at an overseas military hospital. Ethan's biggest wish is to have his dad home for Christmas. Gretchen befriends neighbor Melissa whose mom has just died and left a mysterious note saying Melissa has an undisclosed half-sibling. Gretchen helps Melissa try to identify this unknown sibling. HMM
- "Five More Minutes". Clara's beloved grandfather has recently passed, leaving his candy cane confectionary in the hands of her mother, Bonnie. A teaching job setback leads Clara to go home for Christmas and help run the store. She misses her grandpa and longs for 5 more minutes with him. She runs into her old boyfriend Logan, who had joined the military when they broke up and finally left the military. She hires an eager young man as seasonal help, and he uncovers an unknown journal her grandfather had kept, of a long-lost love predating her grandmother. Logan and Clara try to find the woman. What does this have to do with Clara and Logan? And how does this seasonal worker fit into the story? HMM
- "A Christmas to Remember". Jennifer is a celebrity chef with her own television show. She borrows a car trying to get away from the stresses. She gets into a car accident and gets rescued by a local veterinarian widower. (Apparently, the local cable stations don't carry her show.) "Maggie" quickly bonds with the family; will she remember her identity or will somebody else identify her? HMM
