Monday, November 15, 2021

CoViD-19: Increases In Cases Before Thanksgiving | San Diego Zoo Beloved Hippo Otis Euthanized | Biden SIgns The BIB | Talks With China | Russia Blows Up Satellite |

 

RIP Otis the Hippo, b. 3.10,1976 (Taken 10.4.21)

I was devastated to learn today that Otis the Hippo from the San Diego Zoo was euthanized over the weekend after suffering from a degenerative joint and spinal disease. He had been so cute lately, swimming all the way over to the far side of the pool to say hi to onlookers, or just taking up residence in the sleeping corner while the cleaner fish did their work. He was six months older than me, so I guess I felt a bond with the fact that we are both bicentennial babies. As far as I know, he sired something like 7 or 8 calves, and I think he killed one of them when he was trying to mate, which I've heard is why the San Diego Zoo moved to having alternating days in the pool, sometimes Otis by himself, and sometimes Funani and baby Amahle. 

I mentioned I was at the Zoo on Sunday afternoon and went again today, but only for about an hour because work is a little hectic at the moment. Apparently every concert in 2022 that has been booked but not announced wants to make sure they do so immediately so you spend your money on tickets instead of wasteful junk for Christmas. 

Today I was asked when I think places should stop having to ask for proof of vaccines or negative tests or what the offramp would be to get there. As I wrote last week, our cases are actually higher now than a year ago. Our case rate among the vaccinated is almost the same as the case rate was last year when nobody was vaccinated, and about three times as much for the unvaccinated. And we were moving into the purple tier. So maybe we can talk about benchmarks for rolling back policies, but to be honest, I don't know why we aren't doing MORE: requiring vaccination with no opportunity for testing as an alternative, mandating masks indoors for unvaccinated, pushing for a third shot of the mRNA vaccines as normal course for vaccines instead of calling them "boosters" at all, having businesses post their safety plans, including any ventilation or lack thereof. It's not gonna happen but I wish it would. Instead, the news gives the anti-vax and anti-maskers massive segments, perpetuating this insanity. In the meantime, Nova is about to fly out to St. Louis for a week which I am NOT pleased about at all, and now she has this gross cough that as far as we know is not COVID but she'll be tested again at school tomorrow. Sometimes being really careful still isn't careful enough. COVID isn't the only gross illness going around this time of year. 

Stay safe out there.  



Posted by Rosemary Bystrak at Monday, November 15, 2021
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)