Reality impinges

© Zapiro

News blues…

A new study by Stanford University researchers concluded that Trump rallies likely caused 30,000 new coronavirus cases and 700 additional deaths. “The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death,” they said.
[But] White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters … in September that Trump was always in a better mood after doing rallies in front of his fans. 
…Fifty-eight percent of likely voters nationally disapproved of Trump’s decision to hold large rallies, while only 34 percent approved, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll conducted last week.

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More evidence that Trump rallies are super spreader events…  (10:44 mins)

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Last week, Trump planned to pack his Washington hotel to the rafters with supporters hoping to celebrate his re-election. Alas, today’s plan: the president will be a no-show at his own event. Publicly, the reason given is that the “campaign was warned that it was about to break local COVID-19 restrictions about gatherings of more than 50 people.”
Isn’t it more likely, however, the Trump is forced to confront real reality (perhaps for the first time in his life?) and he’s realizing he’s lost the presidency? That does not mean, however, he accepts this reality.
Even 14,000 miles away, I tremble for my adopted country and country-people. The days from November 4 to January 20, 2021 could be a period during which The Donald wreaks his revenge on a nation whose majority voted him out of office.

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The Kiffness: Do You Believe in Life After Lockdown?  (3:24 mins)
Tell you goodbye  (4:35 mins)
The Lincoln Project: Priceless  (0:25 mins)

Healthy futures, anyone?

Most/least sustainable countries?

The Nordics once again dominated the biannual survey, with Finland and Denmark in third and fourth place respectively, and Switzerland in fifth, falling from the second position in the July 2019 edition, primarily on pension funding fears.
The bottom five countries are all in Africa, due to civil wars or political unrest in Yemen, the Central African Republic, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
… Notable absences from the top list among the major industrialized nations are the US and UK. “Both have seen their ESG performance gradually worsen since 2016, when the UK voted for Brexit and the US for Donald Trump, especially in terms of governance,” [as described] in the survey.
“This is a tendency that is strongly linked to the political situations in the two countries, which are characterized by increasing polarization, deeply divided populations, growing dissatisfaction with traditional parties, and increasing populism.”
…The BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – all appear in the bottom half of the rankings. “The ESG performance of the BRICS countries was particularly disappointing, all of which underperformed the universe mean.”
“Most of the worst-ranking ESG performers are located in Africa. This illustrates just how far behind the continent is in terms of sustainability issues. Even the continent’s two economic heavyweights, South Africa and Nigeria, performed poorly.” 

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

My love affair with rain is put to the test: perhaps too much rain now? Rain has fallen consistently for the last three days… and is predicted to continue after this morning’s lull. Too much of a good thing?

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Dizzying decisions. For now, my mother has agreed to delay her proposed move from the Care Center to my nephew’s multi-generational household.
I fully support this new decision – even while I wonder how long she will stick with it.
Things I’m learning? Not to opine. To present compelling evidence of other ways of thinking. To put big decision firmly on her shoulders. To be willing to bow out when I doubt the wisdom of her decisions.