Kumbh Mela: how a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India | India | The Guardian

Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the Ganges during Shahi Snan at Kumbh Mela amidst the spread of the coronavirus in Haridwar, India, 14 April. as festivities got into full swing in March, testing capacity was criticised as inadequate. Masks, though mandatory, were largely absent. The Uttarakhand BJP chief minister, Tirath Singh Rawat, who had earlier told devotees that “faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus”, was among the millions pictured taking part in the rituals wearing no face covering. Police overseeing the event said that were they to enforce social distancing, “a stampede-like situation may arise”.

Devotees sit and pray in the evening on the ghats of the Ganges on 12 April

By the time the festival ended, on 28 April, more than 9 million people had attended.

The true toll of the Kumbh Mela will never be known, due in part to an alleged effort to stop collecting data. Thousands of pilgrims returned home without having been tested or quarantined and without any track of them kept by the government.

Some states began a belated effort to trace and quarantine the returned. In Madhya Pradesh, 789 pilgrims were traced from eight districts and 118 tested positive.

But as media attention focused on Covid-19 cases among the Kumbh returnees, the officials were ordered to stop counting. Four officials in different districts of Madhya Pradesh, as well as officials in Rajasthan, confirmed to the Guardian that their seniors called them off for political reasons.

“We were told to concentrate on the general Covid situation, and not focus on surveys and tracing of Kumbh pilgrims,” said a senior district official in Rajasthan, who requested anonymity, fearing reprisal.

Source: Kumbh Mela: how a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India | India | The Guardian

How a Facebook video recorded by a dying gamer helped expose flaws in Thailand’s fight against COVID-19 – ABC News

A person with brown hair lies on a yellow pillow with a tube in his nose. A 34-year-old video gamer filmed himself live on Facebook begging for help after he noticed he had COVID-19 symptoms but struggled to reach hospitals. He died just days later.

Source: How a Facebook video recorded by a dying gamer helped expose flaws in Thailand’s fight against COVID-19 – ABC News

Jack in full color with Red Trillium

Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Brown dragon is an apt nickname for Jack-in-the-pulpit, captured here with Red Trillium on the forest floor of Fillmore Glen State Park. I was down in the mud for the closeup,

Click any photograph for a larger view.

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Click me for a post with more information about Jack-in-the-pulpit. There is a great deal more information about Jack-In-The-Pulpit on my previous post, at the above link. Try it out!!

Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

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Words of a textbook

Inhale Peace; Exhale Love. Joy will Follow! - RUELHA

I am a textbook.
Knowledge you will gain if you open and look.
The children of yesterday.
Ignored me to go out and play.
What can I say about today.
These children look at screens all day.

Some people liked holding me.
There was a certain joy in owning me.
Dispayed proudly on some book shelf.
Of their personality and interests, their own selves.
With pride, they'd display as a reflection.
Caressing every page with such affection.

There were some who'd look at me with respect.
Some others would draw lines, add summaries and correct.
Like hand-me-downs, I'd teach the younger ones.
From the elder kids, they'd keep circulating me; it was so fun.
But now I lie in a desolate library.
My binding has fallen apart, will you rescue me?

-RUELHA www.ruelha.com © Copyright Protected. All Rights ReservedImage source and credit:fluentU.com

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Remember These Names!

Filosofa's Word

Yesterday, the following 44 republicans and two democrats flipped us the proverbial bird …

State

Senator

Party Affiliation

AlabamaRichard ShelbyRepublican
AlabamaTommy TubervilleRepublican
AlaskaDaniel S. SullivanRepublican
ArizonaKyrsten SinemaDemocrat
ArkansasJohn BoozmanRepublican
ArkansasTom CottonRepublican
FloridaMarco RubioRepublican
FloridaRick ScottRepublican
IdahoMike CrapoRepublican
IdahoJim RischRepublican
IndianaMike BraunRepublican
IndianaTodd C. YoungRepublican
IowaJoni ErnstRepublican
IowaChuck GrassleyRepublican
KansasRoger MarshallRepublican
KansasJerry MoranRepublican
KentuckyMitch McConnellRepublican
KentuckyRand PaulRepublican
LouisianaJohn Neely KennedyRepublican
MississippiCindy Hyde-SmithRepublican
MississippiRoger WickerRepublican
MissouriRoy BluntRepublican
MissouriJosh HawleyRepublican
MontanaSteve DainesRepublican
NebraskaDeb FischerRepublican
North CarolinaRichard BurrRepublican
North CarolinaThom TillisRepublican
North DakotaKevin CramerRepublican
North DakotaJohn HoevenRepublican
OklahomaJim InhofeRepublican
OklahomaJames LankfordRepublican
Pennsylvania

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The Week’s Best Cartoons 5/29

Filosofa's Word

Naturally the main topic of this week’s editorial cartoons was the Republican filibuster that put the brakes on the much-needed investigation into the origins and events of January 6th.  As I have said previously, those who voted to kill this bill must have had some role in the attack, something they are desperate to hide.  The cartoonists had a field day with this one!  There was other news, however, such as mass shootings, the new Texas open-carry law that allows any fool to carry a gun without even having to register it or pass a background check, the ‘Matt Gaetz-Margie Greene show, and more.  And so, as she does every week, our friend TokyoSand has searched the world over and found for us the best of the lot!  Thank you, TS!

Be sure to check out the rest of the ‘toons over at Political Charge!

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Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

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