Lindheimer’s senna leaflets turning yellow
From my neighborhood on December 16, 2021, come these two takes, one minimalist and the other busy, on colorful Lindheimer’s senna leaflets (Senna lindheimeri).
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Yesterday the United States Supreme Court heard a challenge to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) nationwide mandate that companies with 100 or more employees must require those employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The challengers, the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, contend that OSHA, not being part of the legislature, doesn’t have the authority to issue such a mandate, and that only Congress does.
During the proceedings, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the following about Covid-19: “We have over 100,000 children, which we have never had before, in serious condition, many on ventilators.” While it’s true that the rate of Covid-19 infection among children has recently climbed higher than at any previous time in the pandemic, the fact remains that children are still the least affected age group, and the claim that 100,000 children are currently afflicted and in serious condition is a gross exaggeration.
A Yahoo! News story from yesterday says that “The current number of confirmed pediatric hospitalizations with Covid in the U.S. is 3,342, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services released on Friday.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Data Tracker shows that for the entire 17-month period from August 1, 2020, through January 5, 2022, the total number of pediatric Covid-19 admissions in the United States was 82,843.
It’s unfortunate that a Supreme Court Justice would claim that the current number of pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations is 30 times the actual amount.
UPDATE:
What follows is part of an article from The Epoch Times on January 9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walenksy disputed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s claim that 100,000 children are hospitalized or seriously ill with COVID-19 during arguments made before the court on Jan. 7.
During an interview with “Fox News Sunday” on Jan. 9, Walensky confirmed that there are about 3,500 children in the hospital who have tested positive for COVID-19….
When asked about there being 3,500 children hospitalized as opposed to 100,000, Walensky said, “Yes, there are, and in fact what I will say is while pediatric hospitalizations are rising, they’re still about 15-fold less than hospitalizations of our older age demographics.”
© 2022 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
I like the colours and details, especially in the second picture.
rabirius
January 8, 2022 at 4:34 AM
When I looked at the second picture on the screen on the back of my camera, what I saw excited me.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 6:13 AM
I like those yellowed leaves with the green veins. The top image gets my vote for simplicity though.
There seems to be many lies and exaggerations out there. Most people are too lazy or maybe not concerned enough to do their own research, and instead just accept the narrative being fed to them. Personally, I don’t believe anything the government is pushing at us right now. There is no honor in the DOJ anymore. It’s not “unfortunate” that Sotomayor exaggerated. It should have shown everyone (who took the time to look at more accurate numbers) what a liar, or at the very least “uninformed” and ignorant person she is.
Littlesundog
January 8, 2022 at 8:12 AM
Simplicity has a lot going for it. I’ve often said that simplicity is a virtue. Not a virtue is claiming exaggerated numbers for something that can be easily checked. I toyed with using stronger words than “unfortunate.” One such is “outrageous,” which also applies to the injustices our “Justice” Department seems determined to inflict on people.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 8:20 AM
Outrageous is a good word. I’m probably less likely to choose “nice” words. I’m tired of putting on my kidskin gloves for a softer touch. A lie is a lie.
Littlesundog
January 8, 2022 at 9:32 AM
To let lies lie or not to let lies lie, that is the question, to follow Shakespeare’s famous model. As you’ve seen, since last year I’ve been marshaling facts and speaking out against the untruths that many media outlets, politicians, and even government officials have been promulgating. People can draw different conclusions from facts, but facts must be the starting point of any discussion.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 9:40 AM
Absolutely! A Supreme Court Justice surely has a responsibility to deal with the truth and to check that their ‘facts’ are accurate before making such claims. I find myself getting angrier at the untruths that we are fed by those who must know better, but would seem to be bent on misleading us.
Ann Mackay
January 8, 2022 at 10:35 AM
I find it troubling that a Supreme Court Justice would proclaim something publicly without first checking the facts, especially when the facts are available from the government’s own websites. That doesn’t bode well for the Justice’s rulings.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 11:14 AM
Indeed! Doesn’t give you much confidence in them!
Ann Mackay
January 8, 2022 at 11:20 AM
The plant with the German-sounding name looks beautiful with its autumn colours. I wonder if you will get a winter with lots of snow this year. If you are missing it, come to Canada, Steve.
Peter Klopp
January 8, 2022 at 8:31 AM
Lindheimer was among the “Dreissiger refugees who left Germany after participation in the failed Frankfurt Putsch insurrection in 1833.” He ended up settling in central Texas, where he identified many new plant species. You can read about him in this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Lindheimer.
After last February’s frigid temperatures and loss of power and heat for millions of people, everyone’s apprehensive about how the rest of this winter will play out. December was the mildest on record here.
We visited Canada three years in a row, 2017–19, and wouldn’t mind returning after the pandemic quiets down—assuming it ever will.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 8:51 AM
Let’s hope that the pandemic will have run its course. That is my hope and desire for 2022.
Peter Klopp
January 9, 2022 at 9:38 AM
Amen. So say we all.
Steve Schwartzman
January 9, 2022 at 9:58 AM
What beautiful leaflets! Very nice compositions, Steve!
Lavinia Ross
January 8, 2022 at 8:39 AM
Thank you. Both the simple and the busy composition pleased me.
Steve Schwartzman
January 8, 2022 at 8:54 AM
I enjoyed a recent podcast with Paul Offit at the ZDoggMD show about the push to vaccinate children. I do recommend the channel on YouTube (ZDoggMD) for those who are sick and tired of the news but want to remain informed on the current issues surrounding the pandemics. Numbers don’t lie but statisticians do.
Alessandra Chaves
January 9, 2022 at 8:12 AM
I found his website, https://zdoggmd.com, where he identifies himself as “healthcare’s alt-Middle voice.” That home page includes a link to his videos.
Elsewhere I found another version of your last sentence: “Figures don’t lie but liars [do] figure.” That’s the subject of a Quote Investigator article: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/11/15/liars-figure/
Steve Schwartzman
January 9, 2022 at 8:36 AM
It’s not for everyone, but I do like his podcasts, particularly when interviewing others.
Quotes do get twisted! 😂
Alessandra Chaves
January 9, 2022 at 8:47 AM
They sure do. The ease of copying off the Internet is a big factor in the spread of misquotes—and of course misinformation in general.
Steve Schwartzman
January 9, 2022 at 9:02 AM
Isn’t everyone sick and tired of the handling of this pandemic? Fourth vaccine dose? Masking 4-year olds? Closing schools? The world is gone nuts!
Alessandra Chaves
January 9, 2022 at 9:07 AM
Megyn Kelly has been good about covering that in her shows. Her most recent one on the subject may be this one.
Steve Schwartzman
January 9, 2022 at 9:27 AM
The inclusion of the seed pods in the second photo was a nice bit of lagniappe. I like the way their colors vary, and how the pods at the bottom pick up the color of the leaves in the upper left, helping to hold the image together.
This is another plant I remember from my first sighting. It was at a low water crossing on TX 16 between Kerrville and Medina, on the very weekend that I visited the Sophienburg Museum in New Braunfels to see the Lindheimer exhibit. Imagine my surprise when I found this very plant among his herbaria sheets.
I’m increasingly willing to agree with those who say this pandemic will be over when people decide that it’s over. Initial over-reaction has turned to hysteria. ‘Covid’ hasn’t undone our society; decisions made by people in positions of authority have.
shoreacres
January 9, 2022 at 10:47 AM
I also took separate pictures of a few individual seed pods and thought of including one in this post. I just never got around to it. On other occasions we’ve mentioned how we tend to remember the details of our first encounter with a given species. With Lindheimer’s senna you’re doing better than I am. I just don’t recall my first sighting of it. It’s common in my Great Hills part of town, so I see it pretty often, along with the two-leaf senna that also grows here.
On television I saw someone who proposed that we all just agree that on February 1 we’ll consider the emergency over. Even the President finally admitted last week that the federal government can’t end the disease.
Steve Schwartzman
January 9, 2022 at 6:48 PM
Very pretty foliage and color … especially against the black.
denisebushphoto
January 20, 2022 at 12:00 PM
I’ve been using black backgrounds a lot these past two years to emphasize my subjects.
Steve Schwartzman
January 20, 2022 at 4:53 PM