I am old enough to have been at work when the airplanes hit the twin towers. A friend called me, and I turned on the TV in time to see the second plane. Having left New York less than 10 years before, seeing the buildings collapse, the wall of ash, and the hordes of people walking uptown on streets I had once stood on made it very real for me.
Not much work got done that day. Video streaming wasn’t a thing yet, so because I had one of the few TVs on the floor, so people kept coming in to watch for a few minutes and then go back to their desks and try to get some work done.
I think it is a shame that they will not let the traditional memorial service be held this year. It would do us well to remember how that attack united us as a country and even Democrats were proud to fly the flag and call themselves patriots. (At least for a while.)
COVID-19 is Back in the News
Perhaps the election news – with Joe Biden unable to read a teleprompter and Trump climbing in critical states — isn’t what the mainstream media wants to hear, so they have dug up a bunch of COVID-19 news to district us. But despite the flurry of news coverage, the important thing is that both the number of new cases and the number of deaths continue to drop in the U.S.
For example, The New York Times reports that there are 9 states where cases are higher and staying high compared to 35 states that are low and heading lower. The same media outlets that gushed about the rise of cases in July and then dropped the subject in August still aren’t covering this angle. Instead, they are now warning that the pandemic is about to enter a dangerous phase because people are going back inside and the winter ahead may be a bad one.
The same journalists who pooh-pooh anti-vaxxers write articles that warn about the danger of making COVID-19 vaccines available early.
By the Numbers
In the past 24 hours, the U.S. reported 37,786 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 6.42 million and 914 deaths, bringing the total to 191,572.
Globally, France reported a record 9,843 cases and takes the top spot for fastest growing outbreak in Europe, with Spain on its heels. To put the almost 10,000 cases into perspective, August averaged 3,003 per day.
The world is back up to averaging close to 300,000 cases of COVID-19 reported per day. The global total is now now more than 28.2 million cases with 910,292 deaths.
Natural Disasters Threaten
While COVID-19 may still sicken and kill, other natural disasters threaten parts of the country. Raging fires in Oregon and California are a more immediate danger for many. California has set a new record with more than 2.3 million acres burnt and is currently fighting 29 major fires. Oregon is also seeing a record number of fires and reportedly 12 percent of its population are subject to evacuation orders.
La Nina is not only contributed to one of the worst fire seasons ever, but the weather pattern is strengthening the Atlantic hurricane season. The national hurricane center is tracking seven systems, including two that have been named tropical storms: Paulette and Rene. The La Nina may extend the possibility of hurricanes into late October.
9/11 was a complete shock to the country. No one predicted it and the wars the followed. We’ve said this often, but it bears repeating: Stock up now to prepare for the unexpected. Use this window of opportunity to go to the grocery store, swing by Walmart or visit a warehouse club and buy yourself some nice canned and dry food that you can tuck away for a while. This is the first step in prepping, but it can make a world of difference when the water rises, the power goes out, the politicians put us all on lockdown, or we get attacked by terrorists.
If you enjoyed this article, you might like Global Coronavirus Trends Point to European Surge.
