COVID alters flight attendant prospects: https://www.rd.com/list/things-flight-attendants-wont-be-allowed-to-do-anymore/ . So this job has always involved low pay in exchange for significant flight perks. As a long term proposition, that seems distinctly less appealing. The explosion in violence against flight attendants now ranks as another significant negative: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/flight-attendants-union-unruly-passenger-punishment/index.html . The Friendly Skies are now a thing of the past for the foreseeable future.
COVID and vaccination surges continue: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/health/us-coronavirus-saturday/index.html . More: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/20/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html . Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Kansas (among other states) remain hard-hit. In Louisiana, 28% of recent hospital admissions are children under 18.
DeMentis fails his mask test: https://news.yahoo.com/poll-americans-oppose-gop-push-to-ban-school-mask-mandates-by-a-21-margin-090056146.html . The majority of Americans oppose child endangerment, Ron.
WSJ: The GOP fixation on illegal border crossings fueling COVID spike is nuts: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-illegal-u-s-border-crossings-likely-arent-fueling-the-covid-19-surge-11629547201 . Um, “likely” does not belong in this article. The spikes are being fueled by refusal to follow public health advice, period. One tires of this ongoing, irrational production of conspiracy theories by the Orange Julius crowd. Are y’all entertained by all of your compatriots who are dying? Great, read on.
Cardinal Burke off ventilator but still hospitalized: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-08-21/cardinal-burke-off-ventilator-still-hospitalized-with-covid . Did this vaccine skeptic learn anything in the hospital? For some others, the answer is no: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/republican-lawmaker-attends-anti-vaxxer-rally-just-days-after-his-unvaccinated-wife-died-of-covid-19-reports-say/ar-AANzAue?li=BBnb7Kz .
Phil Valentine, conservative “vaccine questioning” radio host, dies of COVID at 61: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/us/conservative-talk-show-host-phil-valentine-dies-covid-19/index.html . So his question has been answered. Do his listeners get the point?
Ditto for another anti-vax radio host, age 65: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article253370118.html .
Ditto for anti-vax South Carolina GOP tea party leader, age 64: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/south-carolina-county-republican-party-leader-dies-covid-19-n1277355 . Pressley Stutts is about as Southern a name as you can find.
Alabama congressman contracts COVID, remains opposed to mask mandates: https://www.mediaite.com/news/alabama-congressman-blasts-mask-mandates-day-after-announcing-he-has-covid-19-if-i-died-of-covid-yesterday-i-wouldnt-want-to-force-my-beliefs-and-opinions-on-anyone/ . Some people apparently go through life devoid of both thought processes and personal integrity. As you can see from the photo, he also doesn’t know how to wear a mask.
Not too sexy: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/anti%e2%80%93vaxxer-in-hospital-with-covid-for-4-nights-still-refuses-vaccine/ar-AANzM9a?li=BBnb7Kz . Not too famous, either, but he can get another 15 seconds of fame by saying something revoltingly stupid.
Anti-vaxxers now fear transfusions from vaccinated people: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/anti-vaxxers-are-refusing-blood-transfusions-from-vaccinated-donors-because-they-believe-theyre-tainted-report-says/ar-AANzsbp?li=BBnb7Kz . Tainted by what – antibodies? Do you get that a primary drug treatment being received by the infected is monoclonal antibodies? Stupidity knows no bounds.
Jesse Jackson and wife hospitalized with COVID: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jesse-jackson-wife-jacqueline-hospitalized-covid-19-n1277392 .
Sweden suffers from the herd immunity mirage: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-year-and-a-half-after-sweden-decided-not-to-lock-down-its-covid-19-death-rate-is-up-to-10-times-higher-than-its-neighbors/ar-AANztEm?li=BBnb7Kz . The Swedes lack the social nature needed for rapid transmission, even if that was ever a good idea. However, Italy and India are better societies for that model. The result was disastrous in both those cases.
WSJ: Hey, did you hear about the salmon?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/declining-salmon-population-threatens-fishing-tourism-in-pacific-northwest-11629554404 . As an Oregon native, it is insulting that the Journal has just discovered this decades-long problem. The reader comments following this article are even more appalling, if that’s possible. We’ve been demolishing dams and creating better fish ladders for most of the last 50 years. It’s not enough. The declining water flow (less snow in the mountains) and rising river temperatures are close to finishing off the salmon runs. Everyone here who fishes (I used to) knows that.
US has evacuated 2,500 Americans from Afghanistan: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-says-2500-americans-evacuated-kabul-past-week-2021-08-21/ . Comparing this to previous metrics, the evacuation is going too slowly. It is less than a quarter of both the Americans and the others estimated to need evacuation. Evacuating everyone to Qatar has proved impractical, as predicted. And the problem of getting the intended 100,000 evacuees to the Kabul airport continues to remain unsolved.
Islamic State threats cause US to change evacuation plans: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-evacuations-kabul-11e1590d8f9976fae13e7ee83a6b193a . Still, Biden must get almost all Americans out. We will stay past until that goal is met, probably after August 31. If the Taliban do indeed want to join the international community, they need to facilitate this result.