Life: The Ocean

Posted on by Thor

The new Life exhibit at the Orlando Science Center, 777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL, features three habitats, the Swamp, the Amazon, and the Ocean.

The Ocean features a huge cylinder shaped aquarium. The top is open and I am left wondering how long it will take before people start throwing coins in the tank. Of course the exhibit is still under construction.

There was one lone hammerhead shark swimming in the tank the day I drew it. I knew that the rest of the fish were in quarantine, waiting to be introduced to their new home.

The coral isn’t live. It consists of sculpted replicas. To grow live coral would involve a huge investment in bright halide lighting or direct sun light. I am guessing that the challenge of keeping fish alive is enough without also trying to grow live coral. Live coral is so beautiful though. I had a live coral tank and it was rewarding but a challenge. Granted 180 gallons if far less that this huge 10,000 gallon tank in the museum.

Since the fish were not in the tank yet, I contented myself with sketching the metal fish silhouettes hanging from the ceiling.

Tower of Babel

Posted on by Thor

On the evening of December 10, 2021, a huge series tornados ravaged central and southern states. The death toll has risen over 80. A stretch of more than 250 miles from Arkansas to Kentucky might have been hit by one violent, long-track twister, CNN meteorologists said.

In Kentucky alone more than 70 have been reported dead. The tornado hit the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory which had 110 people working inside when the roof caved in. Workers were working through the night to meet Christmas demand. Workers who heard warning sirens wanted to get home to shelter in place, but they were told they would likely be fired if they left. Some left despite the threat of loosing their jobs. Dozens are feared dead.

In Edwardsville Illinois, an Amazon warehouse was blown open killing 6. Walls on both sides of the warehouse collapsed inward, while the roof collapsed downward. Workers in the warehouse were banned from having cell phones which could be a life saving device if a worker were conscious and trapped under rubble. In such an emergency it wold be good to be able to get in touch with loved ones to see if they are safe. “After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe,” an Amazon worker from a nearby facility in Illinois told Bloomberg. “If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning.”

On December 10, 2021 the same day as the tornado, 2,064 people died from COVID-19 in America. That is like having 25 of these tornados killing people across the country every day.

20,000 Amazon Employees Infected

Posted on by Thor

Amazon said that more than 19,816 of its front line workers in the US have contracted Covid-19 since March 2020. This umber does not include all the front line drivers who might be infected. One 22 year old driver abandoned his truck full  of packages at a Detroit gas station and quit.

Amazon has kept its facilities open throughout the pandemic to meet a surge in demand from shoppers stuck at home. Amazon doubled its net profit year over year to $5.2 billion, compared to $2.6 billion at this time in 2019. The minimum wage at Amazon is $15 an hour but a newly formed Union is working to double that starting wage. Amazon had faced criticism from employees, unions and elected officials, who have accused the company of putting employees’ health at risk.

Staying open has proven very lucrative for the e-commerce firm, and has added tens of billions of to the wealth of founder Jeff Bezos, who is the world’s richest man. Starting in March, 2020 Amazon hired 100,000 new workers in a matter of weeks to meet surging demand from customers, and announced plans to hire another 75,000 in April, 2020. The company said that it  distributed more than 100 million face masks, and implemented temperature checks at its facilities around the world. Athena, a coalition that has opposed Amazon on a wide range of labor, planning and environmental issues, called on officials to investigate further. “Amazon allowed Covid-19 to spread like wildfire,” Athena’s director Dania Rajendra said in a statement. There have been at least 10 deaths among Amazon warehouse employees who tested positive for COVID-19.