Sunday, November 7, 2021

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 102 (602)

A federal court has temporarily blocked POTUS's vaccine mandate for businesses with more than 100 employees. This might raise a Constitutional issue. Who has the authority in this case? A Labor Department official claims that OSHA's authority trumps that of the states, but is that correct? Reading about the court action immediately brought the tenth amendment to the US Constitution to mind:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

So, is the right to issue such a mandate one that would be delegated by the Constitution, because unless it is, it sounds as if each state can do as they please. There is the phrase "nor prohibited by it to the States" in there. If the Constitution does not grant this particular power to the federal government, does it say that the states can't do it? 

Today seems to be a Number Day, or perhaps there just wasn't any new news. On Saturday, there were 411,296 cases and 6,306 deaths worldwide. The most deaths were recorded in Russia (1,179), India (506), and Ukraine (449). Over the course of the pandemic, cases and deaths break down as follows:

                                                        Cases                           Deaths
United States                               46,461,779                    754,279
Brazil                                           21,874,324                    609,388
India                                             34,355,536                    460,791
Mexico                                          3,825,404                     289,674
Russia                                            8,795,095                     246,814

Peru leads the world in deaths per capita with 608 deaths per 100,000 people. Following Peru are Bulgaria with 359, Bosnia Herzegovina with 357, the Republic of North Macedonia with 346, Montenegro with 342, and Hungary with 323. After Peru, it's all eastern European countries that are lagging behind other European countries in terms of vaccinations.

How are deaths and cases spread over continents or regions of the world? The developed areas really are being hit harder than the developing countries.

Latin American & Caribbean
    Deaths:        1,525,388
    Cases:        46,084,819
Europe
    Deaths:        1,424,434
    Cases:        76,202,176
Asia
    Deaths:        876,875
    Cases:        56,130,911
US & Canada
    Deaths:        783,411
    Cases:        48,189,463
Africa
    Deaths:        219,336
    Cases:        8,531,449
Mideast
    Deaths:        209,980
    Cases:        14,024,411
Oceania
    Deaths:        2,906
    Cases:        267,951
Australia
    Deaths:        1,597
    Cases:        just over 180,000

Things are looking up in Australia. Sydney is loosening more restrictions. Fully vaccinated people have no limits on house guests or outdoor gatherings. Cases are down in Victoria. The Northern Territory is about to end a snap lockdown it issued to deal with a small outbreak. Some 80 percent of the country is fully vaccinated. Western Australia will re-open with it reaches 90 percent fully vaccinated. 

Now, in the spirit of the approval of vaccinations for children between the ages of five and 11, a tweet from Big Bird:

I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.

Ms. @EricaRHill even said I've been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

In the spirit of the times, though, the tweet has already drawn criticism claiming that Sesame Street should not be political. I try not to get discouraged about such comments, but it's easier some days than others. 

Finally, a reader remembered my comments some months ago on picking out new curtains to go with the same furniture we've always had. Just as I tell people that I do not make heirloom quilts, I do not stage my house. Ease and functionality rule here. The grommeted curtains are so easy to open and close, and the blackout backing on the curtains means we do not also need shades for insulation. Here are the dining and living rooms.



There was also a question about the room filled floor to ceiling with furniture. I'll try to remember to take a shot of it tomorrow. The furniture has been replaced by boxes that don't go quite as high as the furniture did. Most of the contents of those boxes belong to The Sons who say they will go through them someday. I I need to warn them that someday I may want the space in that room and will deal with the boxes myself. Someday will come one way or another.

1 comment:

Janet said...

Re: the court case on mandates. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/08/vaccine-mandate-strong-supreme-court-precedent-510280