Thursday, March 4th, 2021
I am not sure what it is like for other people, but for me the busier I am the more energized I get. And things are starting to get busy. In addition to my attempts to develop business in Ethiopia and Sudan a couple of strategic initiatives are rearing their head, all of which promise to be very interesting and engaging; I am very much looking forward to the next few weeks. I enjoy working on strategies and the development of new approaches (and business of course). I thrive when I need to do a million things at once.
In addition to work being busy there is also news from the student governing body at school with regards to the senior graduation celebrations. The car parade, a sub-committee I am not on, is definitely a go. It was so fun and special last year, that I am thrilled to find they will do it for our graduates also and as the designated driver I get to participate. How cool is that? Likewise, the survey conducted with the student body indicated a strong desire for an alternative Prom (a sub-committe I am on), so the planning done to date has not been in vain. The next step is to secure a permit for the National Mall. To do so one (I have) needs to think through the flow of the event, managing crowd control to maintain social distancing and so on. And finally, the SGA also agreed to look at a drive-in graduation celebration at Wolff Trap if MCPS will allow for a virtual graduation ceremony only. Again, filing for a permit to secure a venue was not in vain.
With all these activities I feel super energized today. Plus, I had a solid fifty minutes in the pool, and I think I was faster than usual which made for a great work out. I even managed to squeeze in a call with mum, who is thankfully doing well.
The only point of frustration is with US politics. The Biden administration is trying to push a reform agenda which is very popular with Americans, even 50% of Republican voters like it. This however, does not translate into the cooperation of Republican lawmakers, who are set on obstruction and will not support the American Rescue Plan, much less legislation against voter suppression and so on. This means all Democratic Senators will need to support any Biden legislation, and weirdly they do not. This is inconceivable in Germany. Plus, there is this concept of Filibuster which means most legislation requires a super majority, giving the minority a de facto veto right over most initiatives. No wonder this country cannot reform and is going nowhere. It is very frustrating to watch. But not my country so I guess I should not care so much. As I keep saying, I have a very civilized nation I can return to when my job here is done.
The other frustrating discussion is related to the virus. This is not limited to the USA, but to seemingly most of the Western democratic countries. It appears to be impossible for us to get with the program and wear masks, maintain social distancing and #stayhome in a concerted effort to beat the virus and return to a semblance of normal. People do not seem to understand that re-openings will only prolong the misery for all. More authoritarian countries have fared far better in controlling the spread. I fail to understand why wearing a mask is such a controversial issue. I do it to protect myself, if not others. It would be nice if others did so too though.
Amidst spreading mutations, which is the case in Texas, to stop wearing masks increases the chances of virus variants resistant to the vaccine, which means more misery for everyone, and I for one would be glad to see this confined life go.
As it is, scientists are worried at the level of evasion the current variants pose, increasing the likelihood of COVID becoming endemic and causing deaths and illness for a long time to come. This means masks will become part of our everyday lives and mask wearing will become the norm rather than the exception.
Also, scientists are trying to understand how Corona affects the immune system, especially why in some patients it seems to completely derange the immune system. As a result the immune response turns against healthy cells causing destruction of nerves or affecting blood clotting abilities. The confusion of the immune system can potentially lead to permanent autoimmune diseases and may be an explanation for the long hauler syndrome, i.e. recovered patients who feel the effects of COVID for months and months after their recovery.
Virus infections persist to hold reasonably steady at a high level with 67k new infections reported over the past twenty-four hours to bring the US total to 29.5 million. The state with the second and third highest numbers of infections, Texas and Mississippi, are none the less forging ahead, fully reopening and dropping mask mandates. I am still hopeful we will get vaccinated soon and return to some semblance of normal, including travelling to Turkey over the summer.
As such I am monitoring what the travel industry does. The travel industry is figuring out ways to revive travel. Whether it is IATAs testing and vaccination travel App or the vaccine passport discussed by the EU and China or now at home rapid antigen tests. This latest resource has been developed by British Airways. Supervised by a medical professional online oneself administers a COVID test under the watchful eye of a doctor who will then issue a certificate of the result is negative. The test result is uploaded to a BA App. Test kits can be taken on trips so the procedure can be repeated prior to the return journey.
I suspect self-testing will become the norm and I for one would be happy to test frequently.