The governor's race and the ballot question about ambulance fees are probably the closest issues today. I wonder why the Senate race isn't closer. I guess because Maryland has a certain vision of itself in terms of international affairs and federal government arrangement that is very, very stable (yes, feeding at the trough might describe it). In terms of local businesses and taxes and public services, the vision is more fluid.

We'll find out what the school system thinks about this storm.

Emily got her report card today. Mostly 3s and 4s (3 is good and 4 is above and beyond; 4s are not necessarily achievable in every subject). One 2 in "Understands the role of the individual and the group in the political process". I'm not exactly sure what lies behind that standard.

And I got "And the Band Played On" from the library. it is a classic now, but it was a barn-stormer for research into AIDS and for press coverage of AIDS in the 1980s.

There is a biomedical book club that I am hoping to join. That is the book for December. Some of the other books will be more recently printed (and hence, harder to get at the library).

I will be trying to read a reasonable amount in the coming year (including some fiction). It's not good to give up on something that was an important part of my life.

Another non-fiction work that I am interested in is "Reflections on the Revolution in Europe" by Christopher Caldwell. It's about the integration or lack of integration of Muslims into modern Europe.

I'm a Democrat.

Emily, mrmoosie and I went to a march  an event in support of the public option for health insurance reform. We were late, the bulk of the people were later. Eventually, the group paraded around the fountain. The group had had a sponsor for parading on the Mall, but at some point (maybe when it was clear that there would not be many people) the sponsor pulled out. It is probably just as well, the group would have been dwarfed by the size of the Mall. mrmoosie is trying to convince himself that there were 300-400 people there. I'm thinking 200. We "thronged" with them for several revolutions of the fountain. Emily was given a preprinted sign ("Standing together for Health Insurance Reform" on the front and "Thank You" on the back). We worked up a bit of a sweat (good for our personal health) and got a bit of a sunburn (bad for our personal health). Eventually, a PA system was brought out and people told their own health care horror stories.

The same group is going to try something bigger in October.

The technical difficulties were pretty severe, so they only *saw*, not *heard* the speech. I'm not sure that it was worth it for them.

There seem to be hundreds of people (all civilians of one sort or another) going there, coming from there or getting ready to go there. I wonder (to myself) how many people have cycled in and out of there in the 8 years the USA has had a military presence there. Is anyone keeping track of the civilians there?

CDC has gone to Mon-Wed-Fri reporting. They expect to go to weekly reporting soon. It makes sense. School will soon be out (those disease vectors with legs will soon be separated). The warmer average temperatures will result in less effective spread. There is a need to analyze smaller data sets to figure out risk of death/hospitalization and transmission rates in different environments.

I would have done one more daily update to clear the backlog from the three-day weekend, but maybe tomorrow will be the first time that they can actually clear that backlog. The state of Wisconsin (for example) has a much higher number on its public health webpage than CDC is reporting for it.

Rift Valley fever predicted by satellite. The transmission (from mosquitoes) is so weather-dependent that satellites can observe and protect people from the disease (if they follow the advice).

Maryland today kept two schools open. In each of those schools, there has been one probable case. (if you live near here and want details, look at Maryland's Health Department page). Each probable case has a two-step connection to travel to or from Mexico. This is probably the right call.

If schools are closed, they are advised to remain closed for 7 days.

I am still waiting for the complete testing of the school in New York. It may be that transmission was unusually easy in that environment, for some reason.


More information is available May 1.
Maryland has closed one school.
School closings are advised for 14 days. Cleaning of railings, buttons, phones and door handles is advised before reopening. (CDC).
The testing at St. Francis is not going to be complete. 88% of those tested were positive for the virus. Only severe cases or people with underlying risk conditions will be tested in NYC. CDC has a report on that cluster at its website under latest news.

Maryland has passed a new law, establishing two tiers of driver's licenses. One if you are in the country legally and one if you can't prove that. However, the beginning of the two-tier system isn't until June 1rst. Some of the state Senators believe that this provides a window for illegals to get a proof of residency before that date.

"Everyone east of the Rockies knows you've got until June 1rst to get a driver's license in Maryland." said Sen. Andrew Harris (R-Dist. 7).

I'm not sure I understand this. All the licenses before June 1rst, 2009 will not prove it one way or the other. When they come up for renewal, you will be asked to prove legal presence (I suppose, there was a bill for grandfathering in renewals, but the way the article was worded, I think it failed).

Yesterday was the special election in our district for County Council. Turnout may or may not have reached the 10% mark. It was pouring down rain for much (but not all) of the day.