Tuesday 31 March 2020

Why So Much of the Trump 'Show' is Like Wrestling

If you were to take four key wrestling personalities and blend them into one politicized individual....you'd have Trump.

The four?  WWE CEO Vince McMahon, wrestler Randy Savage, 'Mean Gene' Okerlund, and wrestling manager (evil guy) Bobby Heenan. 

McMahon is a 50-50 solution.  He's pure executive-decision making and always engaged on bringing a bigger show to town.  He's also the guy willing to go to the cameras, and create a trend by himself.....dragging public attention into the spot-light.

Randy Savage?  He's been dead nine years now, and was mostly retired out of wrestling since the late 1990s.  Randy was the talker....the guy who would mouth the threat against the opposition.  He wasn't there to utter Shakespeare-like commentary....he was the original Twitter-talker (the 140 letter guy). 

'Mean Gene'?  He was the announcer who was always in the middle of the action....never harmed or placed in some task beyond his ability.  He could accurately....with forty words....describe the incredible situation before the public, and give you inspiration that the good guy would win in the end.

Finally....to Bobby Heenan.  He was the strategist....not the wrestler.  He had a 12-act show planned out days ahead of time, and how the crowd would feel all was lost (with evil in every dark corner).  Then the last act of his theme would bring 'victory' to the good-guy enthusiasts. 

People have a love-hate thing about wrestling.  There are people there in the background who are designed to be hated and abhorred (the news media and the Democrats).  There are good guys who labor to draw your attention and you pull for them even in the darkest moments.  Then there are the talkers and announcers who are there to keep you hyped-up and thrilled. 

Trump has packaged all of these, and delivered something of a show.....built for 365 days a year....around the clock.  And people seem to be strongly attached to this show. 

Sunday 29 March 2020

The Possibility of a National 'Lock-Down'?

Zero chance on success.

First, I would probably go and say that one out of three Americans might hold to that idea for two to four weeks.  The rest would just look the other way. 

Those who own businesses (coffee shops, bowling allies, theaters, dry cleaners, or gift shops?  Most can't afford more than two weeks of shut-down time. 

Maybe if you'd packaged the stupid 'gift' money and said everyone gets $3,500 for a month but you have to play 'lock-down' in order to get it.....that might have been the enticement to make it work.

Then relying on the police to enforce the lock-down?  We already have enormous disrespect for the police going on.....you'd go and add to the disrespect? 

Bringing in the National Guard?  How many?  100,000 for the NY region alone? 

Colleges and schools?  Shutting them down for the whole month of April?  They'd all tell you that it would mess up their schedule of operations.

Go to the Hollywood region and ask how many would play along with a lock-down?

So.....zero chance it'll happen (even though we need a three-week lock-down). 

Saturday 28 March 2020

New York City: End of Civilization?

Whether the governor of NY grasps it or not.....he's mostly preaching a opera which is entitled 'End of Civilization'.  It's a theme that doesn't sit well with a lot of people.

Unprepared?  As of mid-January....he should have read the script and started preparation.  You get the impression that they they wandered along, without any idea about plans or hospital capability in the city.

In plain simple talk....the governor is mostly a figure-head and lacks any real capability to run anything. 

Friday 27 March 2020

Ten Observations over the News

1.  Cuomo doubts stay-at-home tactic for those with the Coronavirus.  Well, here's the thing, if you are obsessed that only hospital-care will work (even if you are 25 years old and without any of the normal big symptoms....diabetes, poor liver, etc), then you throw 100-percent of the sick folks toward the hospitals....they will fail MISERABLY.

The German system of having roughly 85-to-90 percent of the positive folks do their time at home WORKS.  You reserve the hospitals only for the folks with the big symptoms or the aged. 

2.  The BIG massive mess that NY City appears to have generated....has made the German news (page one) and they can't fully understand how so much chaos can be generated.  The blame-game?  In full attention....leading one to think it's a national issue. 

3.  If I were a NY City resident right now?  I'd pack the bags and head off to Florida or to some relative who resides out of state.  The healthcare system in NY City appears to be in a state of collapse.

4.  The odds that a complete and successful convention can occur in July (Democrats) and August (GOP)?  The Republicans could cancel out, but it'd really screw up the contracts with the city of Charlotte.  The Democrats?  There's a lot of theatrical stuff to occur (Joe will step back and a new candidate would occur). 

5.  Somewhere out of thin-air, some lady accuses Joe Biden of sexual assault.  Just what you needed for the campaign.

6.  The baseball season?  Totally shot.  For some teams, it's a financial loss that they can't handle. 

7.   The odds that pro-wrestling will shut down for six months?  I would be betting on it.

8.  The use of curfews?  It's like a forbidden topic.

9.  The election in November?  Of the hundred-odd things that it ought to be about....it'll be mostly about the Coronavirus.  Go and try to explain that to people in thirty years.

10.    Fear of the unknown.....is what is dramatically selling via the news media.

Thursday 26 March 2020

The "Joe-Exit" Strategy

The last primary state is Kentucky on 23 June.

The Democratic Convention starts on 13 July. 

I expect on 26 June (Friday) an announcement to occur that Joe Biden is withdrawing his name because of 'health' reasons.  The entire weekend will be maximum turbo power discussion over the replacement candidate and how the open convention will be run.  Nothing else will occur that weekend.....otherwise, it'd kill off the whole 'hype' necessary.

The likely list?  Hillary, Warren, Stacey Abrams of Georgia,  and Governor Cuomo of NY. 

So all that money and time, with the debates.....totally wasted?  Yeah.  That's really the part that Democrats should talk about. 

Poll Tax Story

Yesterday, the topic of 'poll taxes' popped into my head, and I was curious....what exactly did they amount to?

Well....after review....in the state of Alabama (from 1877 to 1966), the tax that you paid at the polling station as you voted was $1.50.

The most costly states?  Main and Massachusetts, at $3.00.

Most southern states had a tax that varied from $1 to $1.50 at the station.

What'd it pay for?  Mostly clerk cost to maintain the voter rolls and vote 'forms'.

What happened after it was outlawed in 1965?  Well....the cost of the clerks, and the maintenance of the voter rolls simply went to regular taxation.  So one tax disappeared and made folks happy, and the other tax came to replace it (via sales taxes in your local country or city).  If you asked people about this....they wouldn't really grasp that there is a cost factor and someone is paying for that maintenance. 

So, how many states still had voter taxes existing into the 1960s?  Oddly....just seven.  Yes, the bulk of them had already dumped it in the 1930s and 1940s.  California dumped it in 1914.  Louisiana dumped it in the Huey Long era (1934).

Confusing?  I think a lot of people have been told grand stories, and if you lay out the whole landscape.....the bulk of the emphasis is marginal. 

Biden's Newest Claim: College Professor

In the last day or two....Joe Biden has spoken of his past again....over something that may or may not be true.....that he was a college professor after being VP.  Over the coming weeks, I expect other backgrounds to be mentioned by Joe:

1.  Amazon River explorer

2.  Rodeo rider

3.  Worked on the wrestling circuit as 'Doctor Evil' after VP years

4.  Spent one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a Shortstop in the 1960s

5.  Did long-haul trucking for six weeks in the 1980s

6.  Tried his hand as a Baptist minister for five days in 1980

7.  Asked the History Channel to do a reality show over politicians-turned-shrimp fishermen

8.  Wrote a bawdy tale about alien women landing on Earth and having affairs with drywall guys

9.  Was a part-time gourmet chef in New Orleans for three days

10.  Wrote some poetry under an anonymous name....mostly over cats and dogs

Wednesday 25 March 2020

The Fantasy of a 1,400 Page Congressional Bill

The statistical average for a person to read any material....in an hour....is about fifty pages (double-spaced).  If this is science, engineering or medical-related material....it's in the 35 to 40 pages per hour.  If this is some teen-vampire-fantasy stuff....maybe seventy pages per hour (if you were obsessed with the stuff).

So when Pelosi introduced her 1,400 page funding document bill.....the reality is that no one in the House or Senate is going to read the entire bill.  You can imagine this pdf-document arriving at Senator So-v-So's office, and Wanda (the secretary) goes and prints out the whole thing.  The staff would gather around this document, and the Senator would shed a tear or two.....knowing that they might be able to read five-hundred pages of this at best.

Personally, I'd to see a House-Senate 'rule' to be created, that no bill can be more than what you can read in a two-hour period (roughly 100 pages).  Then put this up to vote upon.  Then proceed to bill #2, bill #3, and so on. 

What the Pelosi team wants....is a document that is too broad and demanding....so that no one reads the whole thing.  A democracy running on the creation in an average year of 32,000 pages....of which no one ever reads more than 10-percent of the documentation?  Yeah.

Then you toss in the fact that almost one-third of the Senators are over the age of sixty-five, and just asking them to read fifty pages over an entire day.....is a joke. 

Tuesday 24 March 2020

Skepticism, Distrust and Disbelief

One can spend a week watching through the Sunday political talk shows, the regular news via CNN/Fox/MSNBC, and read through newspapers....to reach what I'd call an era of skepticism, distrust and disbelief.

In simple terms, the general public in the United States has reached a level where they just don't believe news that is dished out to them.

Polls are constructed and don't reflect reality.

Journalists behave like cheerleaders or a fifth-grade class of kids.

Dramatics seem to be the most anticipated part of a 30-minute newscast.

Half of the nightly news people are acting like Richard Burton, Joan Crawford, Robert Redford, or Rock Hudson.  A few are in the Will Ferrell category, and could be talking seriously to you about marshmallow diets one minute and Republicans having a higher fart-rate than Democrats the next minute.

Survey and polls are done on an hour by hour basis...to project something....often of no value.  The fact that gospel singers prefer Fords over Buicks.....probably doesn't matter.  The fact that dogs can't tell the difference between 2-star treats and 4-star treats....probably doesn't matter.  The fact that bigger boobed waitresses get better tips than guys.....well, it shouldn't matter.

We are in the age where skepticism is dawning upon people daily, and they seem to question virtually everyone....even their spouse, their local minister, or the local bartender who used to be a 'beacon of light' during chaotic life events.

Where will this lead?  Unknown.  But it's a segment of the future that is cloudy and full of strange curves.  We might go to another reality in 2024, and hype up a former NCAA football coach....to be President.  Don't be that shocked.

What Happens When You Are Smarter Than the Intellectual

This is one of those thought-provoking essays that I tend to write three or four times a year.  So, the question is....what happens when you are sitting there and come to realize that the professor or intellectual in front of you (who used to always have knowledge, wisdom, debate skills, and reasoning ability)....he or she, just isn't much smarter than you.

Thirty years ago, I would have suggested that this would be something of a rare nature to notice....today, I might notice it five times a day.  As you span out and view people with university degrees, those awarded professorships, and the intellectual crowd....it's often questionable if they can match up to you, the mere mortal....with your personal wit and normal debate skills.

What really happened over the past thirty years?  I will offer three observations:

1.  Colleges downgraded the stamina requirements for a degree.  Oh, it might still be the same hard situation to be an engineer or doctor, but in most other degree programs.....debate and reasoning have been more or less downgraded....often to the level of a seventh-grade high school class.

2.  'Expert' status used to be a big deal....but between the news media and fake journalism....we'd handed out 'expert' status to literally tens of thousands of Americans, and the bulk really don't deserve the status.  There are individuals who had one single remarkable period in the early 1970s for maybe three years of 'expert' status, and we wake up to find this guy being recycled and thrust back into the limelight fifty years later, and noted for 'expert' status.  Then three minutes into this Q and A session....we just laughing at the poor judgement of the network, and 75-year old guy dragged in for purely entertainment reasons.

3.  Some type of brainwash affect has occurred, where people think four years in some college has given them some gift, and they immediately feel the power of intellectualism makes them 'smarter' than normal people.  Never once do they question this behavior.

Are we in for a rough ride?  I think so.  If you try to use facts with these people.....they get all confused and then resort to illogical arguments, with no real basis for a conclusion.

Just An Odd Story

Years ago (around the early 1990s), I was in the Air Force, and a fair amount of my time each week was consumed with exercise or fitness routines.  I won't say I was that positive with the time dedicated to this, it's just that you were kinda forced into the routine of fitness and weight management.

What's curious about this is that you'd arrive at a gym....sometimes at 6 AM, and you'd kinda notice about every ninety days or so....some dramatic injury or accident....requiring a medic or ambulance team.

The first ever that I witnessed....was some old retired guy on the jogging track at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.....around noon one day, with the heat near 115 degrees, and he collapsed.  Ambulance folks came out, and carried the guy off....heat exhaustion.  He was lucky.

Around six months pass after that, and in the weight-room.....we had some going to lifts with weights, and couldn't handle the weights, with the bar crashing down on his upper chest.  Ambulance crew had to come and pick him up.  He was lucky.

I was looking at some story this morning, and they brought up this curious number.....114 people dead, from free weights and weight machines.....from 1990 to 2007.

No one says if they were mostly men or 50-50 with women involved.  Just taking a humble guess that it's mostly all men.

Sunday 22 March 2020

Ten Things You Can Do on 'Lock-Down'

If you were on some 14-day wait-and-see virus watch, or just sent home for two to four weeks?  This is my list of things to do:

1.  Do that self-help re-sod job for your lawn.  Figure with basic landscaping and everything involved....a good two weeks of work for everything.

2.  Pick up White Fang, Call of the Wild and The Little Lady of the Big House.  All books by Jack London.  Note on 'Big House'.....it's a bit naughty and a bit depressing in the end.

3.  Re-watch all the episodes of Seinfeld.  All 180 of them.

4.  Buy a Van Gogh paint-by-the numbers kit, with the 36 colors. 

5.  Watch CNN around the clock.

6.  Write a 600-page novel on a trailer-suburb, lost love, freaky nutcase women, and what would happen if everyone had to stay in their little 'world' for a month.

7.  Buy a broken lawnmower and rebuild it from scratch, using YouTube videos.

8.  Watch the weather channel around the clock.

9.  Order up a case of PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon beer) daily from the local grocery, and just hang out on the patio with some R E M tunes, and some blue grass classics.

10.  Just put a chair by the mailbox, and count cars all day. 

I'm pretty sure at the end, you will be ready to return to work.

On Lori Vallow Daybell

For about six weeks, I've been watching this case in Idaho play out, with these 'lost' kids and the whacked-up mother (Lori Vallow Daybell).

So I've come to this conclusion.

What you have is an extreme case of paranoid schizophrenia, and nothing Daybell says is fact or fiction.  She's living in her own world and unable to fit into reality.

The kids? Probably dead.

What'll happen?  The judge (in my mind) will come to grasp this, and require a mental exam (figure 60 days of this).  It'll come back and the doctor will sign the papers to say she's a full-up 100-percent case of schizophrenia, and the court is just wasting its time.

Off she'll go, for a locked-up compound, for the rest of her life.

This guy who married her?  He wanted to believe her....badly.  Maybe he knows some pieces to the story, but I wouldn't put him into the schizophrenia group.

Her life?  I think she puts herself into the position of being a Jesus-like figure, and that's her little world. 

So we are all wasting our time on this story, and simply drawn to the crazy-factor. 

The Vaccine or the 'Game-Changer' Drug?

A vaccine for the Coronavirus?  At best, it might come along in early 2021....virtually everyone agrees on that.

The 'game-changer' drug deal?

Here's how this works.   A mixture (probably two to three current drugs on the market for other things) is applied to a sick guy, and the pneumonia-like symptoms are cut down.  There's no way to say 30-percent, 50-percent or even 70-percent.  But you'd get the virus, see the doctor for a test, and once confirmed....get a likely ten-day dose of the game-changer drugs. 

You would then go through a lesser situation, and the death rate would likely be cut in half or more.

How long away for this?  If the game-changer drugs exist already....you could be talking about an end to the threat by May-to-June. 

An acceptable end to the mess?  Some people will say 'NO'.  There will still be deaths.  Here's the thing....there would be deaths with regular flu, meth-use, or diabetes anyway. 

The positive?  Within ten days after the announcement is made over the game-changer drug situation....you could re-open airports and get back to normal business.  Yeah, you'd still get the stupid virus and be out of work for probably five days (like the flu would have done you)....but things would go back to a normal situation. 

The journalists hyped up that the virus threat lessened drastically?  That's the comical part of the suggestion.  You'd still have 2,000 journalists across the nation hyped up (anti-Trump, pro-Coronavirus, etc).  The odds that the Europeans would fall in line and accept the game-changer drug?  I think they would drag their feet for about six weeks and then discover that the US has emerged out of the mess, and a massive discontent would exist with regular people over stupid leadership. 

So yeah, the game-changer drug thing....is a big deal.  You just haven't reached the impact yet.  Oh, and the cost factor of the game-changer drug?  Unknown, and that's another curious part of the story.  It might be as low as $20 per day for the drug-combo, or it might be $75 per day for the combo.  Or it might even be free via some Trump-deal. 

Saturday 21 March 2020

Sometimes I Offer Advice

I noticed in the news that some naive 'cult' individual suggested that there is "tremendous confusion" in America today. I've sat for three hours this morning thinking about that suggestion.

It's kinda bothered me. I'd like to offer three observations:

1. Outside of the beltway, beyond the metropolitan landscape, in roughly 90-percent of the rest of the nation....there's zero confusion. Things happen, you evaluate your situation, determine your path, and proceed on.

If it were that crazy, you might consult your minister, your local farm product sales-guy, your cousin Larry who does sheet-rock, or your local Bolivian-palm-reader gal who wears a rather lusty open blouse. They'd offer some optimistic view of the situation, and you'd just reset your compass.

2. If things were of some extreme variety of "tremendous confusion", the last people on Earth that you'd consult and feel 'good' from....would be Hollywood personalities, some local meth user, or your crazy aunt who is three steps away from being put into a state nut-house.

3. If you seem to be living every day in terror or confusion, it's been that way for more than a year or two....maybe even going on for ten years or more, then you got a personal issue, that no religion, mental specialist, or TV cult figure can 'heal'. In this case, you might want to dump the TV, cable options, Twitter, and all social media.....retire to some remote Tennessee Valley (Appleton would be my suggestion), and just read Jack London books, listen to Sinatra tunes, and work on Briggs and Stratton lawn mowers.

My Advice For White House Reporters

1.  Probably around 20-percent of Americans now watch the White House 'events' from Youtube, Twitter, or C-$PAN....raw and complete.  We don't watch the evening news folks chop it up or select something to hype their 'theme' or message.  We talk about this to the folks who don't watch the raw coverage.  We also talk about the poor behavior of journalists.

2.  If you waste 60 seconds (two-hundred words) talking about your alternate 'facts' before getting to the question of 30 seconds (ninety words), then react shocked when the President dismisses everything with five words....then you probably weren't prepared for your profession. 

3.  Your facial expression 'game' makes you look childish and immature.  The camera is catching everything and the Tulsa barber, or the retiree from Miami, or the bartender in Cleveland is just sitting there and laughing his ass off.

4.  Wasted four hours on getting one good 'gotcha' question to dump on the President?  That's the best you can do with your time?  Really?

5.  Most regular people are not that impressed with journalists today.  Wonder why?

6.  Personally, I'd limit the room to a dozen midwest newspaper journalists and maybe some semi-retired comedian from Vegas.

7.  Finally, I would make an estimate that out of every ten-thousand viewers watching the whole thing from a Democratic-voter prospective....your act is influencing them to question things, and may be five or six folks each day from that ten-thousand....are flipping their votes to Trump in the fall.  Maybe it's not a big deal, but if he appears forty times over the next few months....that's probably another one-million voters nation-wide....that weren't supposed to vote for him.  Thank about that. 

Friday 20 March 2020

Ten Observations

1.  The Coronavirus ought to be referred to as the 'Wuhan-virus'.  It should have started on day one.

2.  Any Senator, Congressman or political figure of standing who got insider virus info and sold their stocks at the peak.....needs to be relieved of responsibility, and resign.  Doesn't matter if they are Republican or Democrat. 

3.  If you told every resident of SF or LA to stay at home for the next two weeks....not to show up to work, and only go out to medical appointments or grocery shopping....it would fail in the most harsh sense.  More than 70-percent would just act as if it were normal.

4.  At least twenty-billion government dollars ought to be laid on the table for companies bringing drug production from China, back into the US.  Free money....not loans....to correct the mistakes of the past.

5.  The dimwit reporters at these White House Trump-Corona news pieces are asking a number of stupid questions, and the general public reviews these on a daily basis.  It just makes a 30-year-old guy or gal, look like a 9-year-old kid without any maturity.  To be honest, I think three-quarters of these folks need to freshen up their resumes and look for new work....maybe coding.

6.  People are OVER-USING these disinfectant wipes, and instead of putting them into the regular garbage can....they are trying to flush these down the toilet....getting their sewer system all screwed-up. 

7.  In this political season, your choices are Trump, or Dementia-Joe, to head up the virus period (it'll probably still ripple around in the first quarter of 2021).  Think about the implications of that type of race.

8.  If someone is trying to document fake-news, there's probably a 50-percent chance that they will 'fake' the fake-news report.  Think about that for a minute.....that you couldn't even lay the simplicity of the fake-news out for plain view, without faking some portion of it.

9.  Odds of airlines going back to a regular schedule before July?  I'd give it a 3-percent chance.  At best, you might see 50-percent of normal scheduling occur in June.  I see places like Vegas shaking of fright because they are missing the bulk of their business-year.

10.  For all the Senators who got insider virus info and sold stock early.....who did you call from your 'buddy' list and provide the insider info as well? 

Thursday 19 March 2020

My Favorite Scene of Seinfeld

There are a thousand different scenes which made me laugh from the 180 episodes of Seinfeld, but I have one scene which I often linger upon and think about.

Kramer has finally decided that he doesn't need a mail-address.  He's gone to the post office and basically tells the lady there....that's it.  No more mail....just cancel me out....don't list me....don't deliver....just make me disappear.

From the rear door appears Newman.  There is this 90-second dialog from Newman, trying to convince Kramer that you just can't do this.  In effect, civilization will fail, society will collapse, and reality will undo itself.

It's one of those thought-provoking moments because most all of us over the past decade have reached a point where we have thought about cancelling out our mail address as well. 

Monday 16 March 2020

The Coronavirus $1000?

Romney came up today and suggested a $1,000 check for American adult.....for Corona.

I sat and pondered this.

First, how would most spend it?  On toilet paper?

Second, why only $1,000?  Why not $12,000?

Third, wouldn't a lot of guys just spend it on women, booze, or casino operations?

Fourth, how do you handle homeless folks and drug addicts on the street?

Fifth and final....why only a one-time deal?  Couldn't we make up a rule that said upon getting the flu or cold.....you got another $1,000 check? 

Just Pondering

By the end of April, with temperatures rising and increased sun....I kinda expect the virus numbers to max out, and by the 20th of April....be downward.

But this brings up this question.

When you go out on the 25th of April and open the garage door.....there's around 24 packages of toilet paper there (enough for 15 months), and well over a 7-year supply of hand sanitize.  You also probably have 18 months of canned soup and 200 pounds of flour which will expire before you can ever use all of it.

What do you do at that point?

There's a serious problem coming up, if the experts are correct on warmer temperatures and sun affecting the virus outcomes. 

The Joe and Bernie Show

I put in 30 minutes trying to watch the Biden-Sanders debate.  It was a pretty dismal situation, and I'll offer four observations:

1.  If you had assigned some political point to Joe Biden over the past six months....that point disappeared and Joe appeared as some far-left guy.  Maybe it was an accident, or just the political gaming going on....but it probably left regular older Democrats just shaking their heads.

2.  No audience left this as an odd debate.  Neither got applause.

3.  CNN moderators marginally worked.  I emphasize....marginally.

4.  Joe went well....without screwing up (much).

Odd Note Comparing Coronavirus to Gulf War Philosphy

Upon arriving in the Gulf War zone in 1991, the threat of chemical weapons was a big deal.   So about an hour after arriving at the Saudi site....we were basically told that even if chem weapons were used.....the heat would dissipate the chemical 'stuff' in a matter of 'minutes' (usually spoken of 10 minutes or less).

 So I look at the Coronavirus chatter, and kinda see the same suggestion....that as spring comes and goes, with increased heat....the virus won't be able to rest on surfaces for any real amount of time.

All of this worry to dissolve in a matter of four to six weeks?  Well, maybe....at least until the fall arrives, and the threat returns. 

Sunday 15 March 2020

Trump Card Down, Now What?

Once they completed the Coronavirus test on President Trump.....it put both Bernie and Joe in a harsh position.  Sometime in the next week....they both need to do a public gimmick and take the 'challenge'.

If either come up positive?  Well....for Bernie, it doesn't matter....his election chances are rapidly declining.  If Joe came up positive?  He'd have to sideline his campaign for 14-plus days, and Bernie would gain.

If both decline?  I think that is the outcome....just pretend that Trump's episode doesn't affect them. 

Saturday 14 March 2020

Just Something to Think About

Someone brought this up, and it's pondering upon (with a decent cocktail or chilled beer):

Somewhere in Wuhan (China)....maybe in a 2-star lounge with dancing girls and free biscuits....some local guy got the Wuhan-virus (hopefully, he wasn't kissing a lounge-dancer).

Sixteen weeks pass, and now the Prime Minister of Canada's wife and Tom Hanks of acting fame....have the Wuhan-virus....while bypassing 99.99-percent of the rest of us.  Even Brittney Spears and all of the current New York Yankees squad seem to be Wuhan-virus-free.

After much reflection....it just remains a mystery how that single Chinese guy drilled down into society and in twelve weeks....is connected to the PM's wife and Tom.

Note, I haven't been to Wuhan, or been in any 2-star lounge in decades, or hung out with dancing girls, or been at any establishment with free biscuits.  Nor have I contracted the Wuhan-virus.

Friday 13 March 2020

The Friend Dilemma

I noted over the weekend....someone did a survey and came to find that 97-percent of conservatives say it's possible for them to have liberal friends.  The same survey suggested that liberals did have a problem in finding a conservative friend....with the numbers up around forty-percent.

It's a curious dilemma.  Thirty years ago....it would not have mattered.  You'd shuffle into work....talk baseball or football with folks...repeated some scene you saw off of Barney Miller from the previous evening....then had a beer with several folks.  Political chatter would simply have not happened.

But all of this goes to an even bigger problem....having regular relationships. 

So what should you do, as a conservative?  You should go and admire liberal folks....even in the face of adversity and being bull-headed.

If they were chatty and willing to share a beer with you....you should go the extra mile to talk on baseball, religion, tornado news, strange rashes you've had, your dog's health, the brakes failing on the truck, the condition of your yard, your favorite character from Lost, loves lost, WWE wrestling, and regular unimportant stuff. 

Tell them that you just lost all interest in politics.  I know....it's all fake, but you have to understand....if they've chosen you as a 'bud'.....it's a hard thing in the matter of statistics.

Ten Things I Think

1.  Jussie Smollett is going into a court episode, and likely to get a minimum of 90 days in some jail situation, and a hefty fine.  All of this will be wrapped up into a movie production for the fall of 2021. 

2.  A dozen US senators will have the Coronavirus by mid-summer, and at least three of them will not survive.  Senate hearings will be cancelled for an entire month, and MSNBC/Fox/CNN will be unable to get any Senator to appear in a studio situation for at least a month.

3.   The cruise ship industry will cease to operate by the end of June.  Some will restart in early 2021, but it'll take half of 2021 before operations get to a normal state of affairs.

4.  Joe Biden will be removed from contention by the end of the convention, with a 'sub' picked to run.  Most of the Bernie-crowd will be furious that the system won't allow him to stand as the 'sub'.

5.  New Pope by end of 2021, because of the Coronavirus.

6.  At least three Star Wars movies will be released by the end of 2022....all deemed as less-than-successful, and the the planning for more releases goes into a long delay period.

7.  More people will die from regular flu in America in 2020.....than the Coronavirus.

8.  Some idiot will pull a prank Coronavirus 'kiss' and the affected party will shoot them dead. 

9.  The delivery of the four-patty McDonalds Big-Mac will trigger massive health expert warnings and doomed health advice.

10.  One of the Trump 'kids' will stand as a candidate for Senator in the 2024 election, and win.

Thursday 12 March 2020

I Had a Case of What-the-Hell

In the summer of 2015, selling me on the idea of Donald Trump was more or less a joke.  Course, having 15-odd Republicans....of which half were 'fake' in some way....cluttered up the campaign season.  By January of 2016.....I come to view Trump in a different way.  So I was sold on three factors:

1.  I wanted the 'bull-in-the-china-shop' situation.  Not just a regular china shop....but the literal 25,000 square feet china shop.  I didn't want the 1,500 pound bull....I wanted the 2,500 pound bull who had rage.  I was fed up with both the Republican and Democratic Party.  Both had done enough silly things over thirty years to deserve the 'bull-treatment'.  I wanted NAFTA to get the full bull-treatment.  I wanted China to get the full bull-treatment.  I wanted sanctuary cities to get the full bull-treatment. 

2.  I wanted someone who would drag the news media into a 24-hour-7-day-a-week tirade....where nothing of news worthiness would be assembled or talked about in any way or shape....except the destruction of the President.  And after six-odd months of that, I figured that the fake news media units would be in a pit of zero-profitability and unable to get any viewers for their theatrical production. 

3.  Finally, I guess I just liked the approach of the Apprentice Show.....where folks got fired for incompetence.  Either you performed, or you left the show.  Since day one of the Trump-period, there's probably been over two-hundred folks with a status in DC.....who have left the 'show' on their own....some were fired.  All throughout the Clinton, Bush II and Obama years.....there were dozens of folks who deserved to be fired, and just stuck around. 

Oh I agree....it would be nice to have some intellectual who quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson or Rocky (from Bullwinkle) on a daily basis. 

It would have been nice to have insider who had all three of the secret telephone numbers to Chancellor Merkel of Germany (even her super-secret phone in the bedroom).

It would have been nice to have some pretender President with the acting ability of Liam Neeson. 

It would have been nice to have some spark-plug character for President who repairs Chevys on his weekends off, and always has a Sunday bar-b-q. 

It would have been nice to have some President who did a once-a-year grizzly-hunt in Alaska, and had three journalists who hiked with him for twelve hours a day....sipping whiskey while resting, and spicing up the conversation talking over Baton Rouge hookers or eating beef jerky at the nightly campfire.

It would have been nice to have some President who had a PhD from Harvard, a masters degree in Aerodynamic Design, a bachelors degree in Aztec art, and an associates degree from some Nashville landscaping school. 

The problem is....we've been faked-out so much....that folks are applying for the job with a resume that seems to fit on a 3x5 inch card.  Your muffler guy (Larry) might be as talented as half the folks who ran in the past sixteen years.  Your whacked-out cousin who mostly sells meth....seems to talk more coherently than two or three of the candidates on the Democratic platform for 2020. 

So I went with the bull-in-the-china-shop situation, and figured....what the hell. 

The Hillary as VP Odds

A year ago, I would have a 1-percent chance.

Three months ago, I would have given a 10-percent chance.

Presently, with Biden's movement, the mental impairment situation, and the luck of the Democratic Party....I put the Hillary odds at 50-percent that she will be coming to the convention and around day four......be the VP choice. 

The script in this case?  I think Joe will go down one of two paths....the first announcing shortly after the convention that he can't do the job, and resigns from the campaign.  The second is to reach the 'win', and resign by summer of 2021 (if the House hasn't kicked him out for impairment by that point, and Hillary moves up.

The odds of a debate between Trump and Biden?  I would now put it at less than 30-percent chance.  Joe is a wild-card on open discussions and he could say dozens of things in two hours....to make people at home shake their heads.

As for the public buying off on the Hillary scenario?  Most Republicans would laugh.  From Independents.....they'd listen to the scheme and wonder how it'd all work.....mostly agreeing that Joe is nuts.

So having Hillary rise....with the fake Joe campaign vehicle?  It's a five-star comedy script for a movie, but in reality.....it just might work.  Could she win in 2024 under this script?  No. 

As for who would be Hillary's VP choice?  As amusing as it sounds....I think Beto would get the call and be the fake Mexican to fill out the rest of this crazy scenario. 

Wednesday 11 March 2020

The Sins of Tubby

This week, President Trump came out in the Alabama GOP Senate race and endorsed 'Tubby' instead of Sessions.  Some folks think it's a big deal....some folks think less so.  If Tubby wins this run-off?  I would speculate that somewhere along June/July....we will learn of Tubby's sins (compliments of Senator Jones and his staff).  This is my list of the possible sins:

1.  Tubby had a illegal Mexican liaison/paramour back in 1988 for four weeks.

2.  Tubby hung out in college with two British gay guys....never aware that they were British or gay.

3.  Tubby will be accused of plastic surgery being done, on five different occasions (one of which was to lessen butt-fat).

4.  Tubby's third-cousin (on his dad's side) got drunk in New Orleans and married a distant cousin back in the 1980s.  Tubby was the best man, but doesn't remember much of anything other than he missing his socks the next day and had gotten a University of Alabama elephant mascot tattoo on his back while in this drunken stage.

5.  Tubby has a secret passion for Salsa music and dancing.

6.  Tubby got cut-up in a knife fight in Memphis back in 1993, arguing over Alabama-Auburn games with a black dude named Corvis.  They later became best friends, and attended rattlesnake church meetings over at Sand Mountain, Alabama.

7.  Tubby smuggled French perfume into the US in the 1990s that was untaxed.

8.  Tubby has admitted behind closed doors that he's an idiot on college football, and he's been faking his abilities for over thirty years.  He admits along the way that he knows more about Briggs and Stratton lawn mower engines....than football.

9.  Tubby's dating history includes some Florida woman who was 16 years older than him, and a nutty Okoloana, Mississippi gal who felt she was half-demon, half-Indian warrior princess and half-Dolly Parton.

10.  Finally, Tubby will be revealed as a warlock-demon-unnatural guy.

In the midst of all these accusations....some Alabama folks will turn to Jones and ask if he has ever done anything exciting like Tubby, and he'll admit 'no'.  That will be the point where most folks turn to vote for Tubby. 

Joe and the Wins

Looking at yesterday's primaries.....with Joe Biden having won four of them (for sure) and there's a possibility that a fifth will be called for Joe.....I think the primary season has basically ended.  You may still have over twenty states yet to go, but it may not matter.

Some folks will stand there and suggest this is why all fifty primaries should be held in the same ten-day period. 

The discussion for this last debate between Bernie and Joe?  Well....the rumor is that Joe wants it to be a sitting debate, with no audience there.  There's talk that it might only be sixty minutes long.  Some suggest that it should not be held at all.

How this is lining up? 

I would suggest that Bernie will be financially finished in the next ten days.  Joe should have more than enough votes to win on the first ballot of the convention.

As for Joe's mental condition?  It's more than obvious that he can't assume the Presidency, and if things go forward.....the House will step in on the first day there, and start a hearing to remove him.  So the VP is the big deal, and will likely be the President if Joe were elected.

So you have to ask yourself.....if you were a Democrat....would be you be crazy enough or determined enough.....to vote for Joe, knowing he won't really be the President in the end?  This question would both the vast majority of Democrats.

Can Joe even sustain his campaign for the final 100 days before early November?  They'd have to hand him a script and literally beg him to only read off the script.  Personally, I'd have doubts that he'd appear more than five times a week during the campaign final run. 

The real question here goes to the DNC.....they had to grasp back in the summer of 2019 that he was losing his edge, why didn't they come and say something to the guy?  At this point, even the fake Mexican-Beto would be a better choice than Joe. 

The Toilet Paper Shortage

With this Coronavirus crisis business, and the national shortage of toilet paper....I'm going to suggest two ideas:

1. No-crap Wednesdays.  You avoid coffee and eat as little as possible....to sustain yourself throughout the day, and avoid a 'number two' situation until Thursday morning....thus saving on toilet paper.

2.  Two-sheet Saturdays.  Try to limit your normal 20 sheet usage on Saturdays to just two sheets.  Double-fold if necessary. 

Monday 9 March 2020

What Could Happen

Lets say we arrive at 6 June 2020....the last primary of the season...with five weeks to go to the convention (13 July), and it's now become obvious that Joe Biden has a minimum of 2000 delegates, which logically would crown him as the primary candidate for the party.  But let's add this scenario....that Joe is mentally not alert enough for the job.

Could the party enact some exception and void the first round?  In theory, they could make up such a rule....if this was the business of day one of the convention.  So this would open up the entire convention to a new candidate out of thin air?  Yes.

I'll admit.....it would be a crazy idea, and would require a majority of the delegates to pass such a 'deal'.

Destruction of the whole process for 2024?  That's really the hurtful part of this idea, why bother running if such a rule could be invented out of thin air.

So this is where someone like Bloomberg or Hillary Clinton would appear?  In theory, yes.

The problem here is that appearance that Joe Biden makes.....is a fifty-fifty shot at no dementia issues.  I would make a humble guess that one-third of Democratic voters are dismayed by the Biden-problems and can't really form anything positive about the election. 

Sunday 8 March 2020

Final Words On Warren's Campaign

I've waited a few days to comment on the exit of Senator Warren on the presidential campaign.  So my five observations:

1.  Maybe talented at debates....her campaign never caught on 'fire', and it limped along for the most part from spring of 2019 to this past week. 

2.  Once you went and looked at the Indian heritage chatter...that basically went on for three decades, you come to realize that she used to gimmick to get a 'step-up' at every stage.  You could call it a fraud or just useful fake, but it worked for the most part. 

3.  Her hope of convincing not only Democrats of her ability, but independents?  It never connected to the common guy/gal....the working-class person.  Among blacks or Latinos?  It was almost a zero.

4.  As much as I hate to use the term.....the candidate often appeared like some college professor. 

5.  As each week went by in 2019....it seemed like Warren was the ideas-person, and you got a new idea each week.  Maybe by design, or by personality....it doesn't matter because you eventually questioned each idea over cost or anticipated gain.  That made her campaign drift around without any clear direction. 

Running again in 2024?  I kinda doubt it. 

Saturday 7 March 2020

Could Have Been a Slut

It came out this week that Bill Clinton chatted over his womanizing to some degree and admitted that he needed 'lusty' women around to help his anxiety problems. 

I surveyed the discussion, and came to this humble thought.....what if Bill had been smart in 1974, and met up with a lusty trampy Little Rock gal, who was a absolute nutcase on bedroom affairs, and had married her rather than Hillary.

Bill would have gone onto the Little Rock political career, and probably even to the White House, with this trampy gal as the President's wife.  She would have dressed in scandalous attire, talked trashy in public, uttered harlot thoughts, and oozed lust on a hour-by-hour basis.  Bill could have sent her to Senator meetings and with low-cut blouses....she would have entertained those old Senators in various ways. 

Putin would have admired her from afar.

The slut would have been on the covers of Playboy, Newsweek, and Readers Digest.  Christian ministers would have talked over her convictions.  Women across the nation would have bought tantalizing outfits to look like the 'First Lady'.

Instead?  We are stuck with Bill in this dismal relationship with Hillary, and a long history of political intrigue with no real outcome. 

Friday 6 March 2020

If Hillary Was the Biden VP Choice

This is one of those scenarios which would typically require half-a-bottle of gin, or a complete bottle of cheap Italian wine. 

I don't give it much of a chance.  There are a minimum of fifteen individuals which I'd rate higher (Warren isn't even on that list of mine). 

However, if you go with the scenario that Joe Biden is in a light dementia stage.....knows it, and is just on this run to win, and hand it to Hillary, then it might make marginal sense. Adding to this, by October, I expect the Ukraine to be asking for sworn statements by Joe Biden and Hunter (his son).

The three issues with Hillary in 2020 as the VP?

1.  Her cough has never gone away.  She can't go more than 15 minutes of talking, without sipping something. 

2.  The email server business has never gone away.  Yep, four years now....and it's still there as a problem.

3.  She doesn't thrill that many Democrats.  Ask a Bernie supporter, and they mostly just laugh.

Here's the thing though....it would be Joe Biden doing the massive amount of public appearances after the convention.  Joe is in great physical condition (if not mentally).  Joe could carry the campaign to November easily. 

Joe's comments hurting?  Well....he's ten times worse at screw-ups as Hillary, and that's a major problem.

If Hillary lost this election as well?  I think she might finally go into full retirement and settle down in the Ozarks....visiting the casino on Friday evenings, and sipping premium coffee. 

Calculating Story

I watched this 90-second piece on MSNBC with Brian Williams and his guest....Mara Gay.  So the comment was made...that this $500-million that Bloomberg spent....could have been spent, and given all 327-million Americans a million each, and still had money left over.

I watched it twice....to make sure what I heard.  Then I did the math.  I'm not a rocket scientist, electrical engineer, or physics PhD guy.  My high school math teach did give me some basic math tools, and they still linger today.

If you figure up the Bloomberg money, and gave it to the public.....we each would have gotten around $1.53.  In basic terms....it would pay for a cheap cup of coffee and one cheap donut (not even the Dunkin type).  You couldn't even buy a bucket of popcorn at the theater, or a premium beer at the bar, or a table dance with that Memphis stripper visiting Gadsden this week.

In fact, you couldn't even buy a six-pack of Pepsi, unless it was on sale at Wal-Mart.  You might be able to buy ultra cheap bottle of discounted wine.  English Leather cologne?  It would have only paid 40-percent of the cost of that bottle.

So this exchange between Williams and Gay?  It was like two marginalized 3rd-grade kids and talking over numbers but not able to grasp the value of numbers.

This is the sad dilemma for Americans today.  They watch people like this and sit there at the kitchen table with their Tandy calculator for 30 minutes....trying to figure out how you'd get a million from Bloomberg, with MSNBC numbers, and it never adds up.  Eventually, you figure the Tandy calculator is crapped out (after 38 years of service and you throw it into the trash).  Then 'Randy' (your 8-year old son) comes in and looks at the data and says the Tandy calculator was correct.  You wipe a tear away.....drag the calculator out of the trash and thank Randy for his insight and brilliance. 

Randy might be going off to college one day, and inherit the Tandy calculator.

Thursday 5 March 2020

What I'd Do For Chuck

After reading over the chatter by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his chatter toward the Supreme Court.....I'd go to three solutions:

1.  I'd treat him as if he were an employee of mine, and ask the guy to take a anger-management class (as soon as possible on starting this).

2.  I'd mark him down for a week of leave....due to stress.  I might even suggest camping out in the Smokies, or bass-fishing in Mississippi.

3.  Then I'd warn him that he'd be denied entry into the Senate for a month, if he ever repeated that type of chatter again.  If he wanted to stay around his office, or just make campaign stops in NY....fine. 

A lot of people are reaching the level where they can't be civil or courteous anymore.  If they don't like the President....tough, because it's a four-year deal, and you have to work with what the Constitution gives to you.  If you aren't made of the 'right stuff'.....maybe you ought to get into real estate, or professional rodeo riding. 

The Problem With the Second Amendment

It reads quiet simply:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

It was written purely as a right, not as a limitation.  In fact, it literally took the city, state and federal government out of the discussion over 'arms'.   If they had stopped at the word 'State' and said that should not be infringed, then this whole gun discussion would have ended fifty to one-hundred years ago, and various weapons would have been seized already on tens of thousands of occasions.

The problem now?  The term 'militia'. 

You don't call a militia up to restock grocery shelves.

You don't call a militia up to re-sod a baseball field over at the school.

You don't call a militia up to fill sandbags for the approaching flood.

You don't call for help from a militia because of a blizzard, or hurricane.

You don't ask a militia to stop a forest fire, drain a swamp, or resolve a failing dam.

In fact, for most people....you'd rather not be in the situation where a militia resolution is required. 

You'd rather not be standing in the midst of house where the front-door has been busted down at 1 AM.  You'd rather not be standing at a grocery where some nutcase has threaten to kill some grocery clerks or retiree customers.  You'd rather not be standing in a church where some meth-fueled nutcase has quoted John the Baptist while waving a shotgun around.  You'd prefer not to be standing in the coffee shop when some deranged nutcase has a machete and threatening to kill Rita....the gal who has served you coffee daily for the past five years. 

The sad thing is that in the late 1700s....when you needed a militia....it came to resolve problems.

For the past 200-odd years, the militia (sometimes numbering just one single guy) has been the difference in resolving a threat. 

For those with opposition to the 2nd amendment....if you wanted to make your case, all you have to do is eliminate the need for any militia to exist.  Bring world-peace to your neighborhood....erase nutcase threats in the literal sense....and make every single inch of the nation 'safe'. 

Once you've accomplished that....then perhaps the need for the militia can finally go away. 

I know....it's a big challenge.  But if you were like the Gandhi-guy, wouldn't you desire to go out and bring peace to every inch of the country, and ensure nutcases never threaten anyone?  Just stop assaults, robberies, physical threats, and house the mentally insane who threaten people. 

And just a tip....if your peace approach on the non-peaceful people fails.....maybe you ought to remember a member or two (militia folks), and ask briefly for their help.  It's not a terrible thing to know that they are around. 

Wednesday 4 March 2020

Bloomberg Path Finished

Yep.  Over $500-million spent.  And as of this hour, he's resigned from the campaign. 

It's strictly a race between Sanders and Biden to reach the convention now.  Neither, I suspect, will have the numbers on the first ballot. 

The Brokered Convention and the VP Choice

At this point, it's safe to say that it's a race between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.  Bloomberg?  He has the money to carry the race onto the end, and willing to spend another quarter-billion easily, but if he doesn't win at least five or six states....he has zero standing in a brokered deal.  Can you imagine getting to the second round of the convention and his name is put up as the brokered candidate, then the number of state wins is only two or three?  Bernie and Joe delegates will just be standing there and laughing.

So the question comes down to an important part of the race.  Joe Biden is in serious trouble still with Ukraine deal and facing a likely impeachment once (if) he wins.  On top of that, a second impeachment charge could come up, over his mental state (dementia).  So the VP matters.

Then the question arises over Bernie Sanders if his health is crappy, and maybe he'll need to be replaced in the first twelve months. 

So as they emerge out of the first ballot at the convention....the real discussion is....who either would choose for a VP, and the likely odds that they'd end up as President (under the various issues).

Is this going to be more of an election of Trump running against the VP?  Yes.  That's the funny part of the path ahead. 

Five Things From Super-Tuesday Efforts

1.  Bloomberg may have picked up a delegate or two.....but the results of the day suggest that he hasn't changed the race in any fashion.  The millions spent?  Worth nothing.  He should have held out.....gone as a independent, and waged the billion dollars on a 3rd party effort.  At this point, if he shows up at the Convention as a marginalized candidate....the 2nd ballot gimmick would be a joke if he were the nominee.

2.  Bernie Sanders 'social-vision' doesn't sell in the south.  The numbers from various states suggest that.

3.  If you'd asked most political analysts the worst duo to run in the 2nd half of the primary season.....Biden and Sanders are it.

4.  Zero chance that a first round ballot will conclude at the Democratic convention with a 'winner'.

5.  The real winner out of the Super-Tuesday voting?  Donald Trump.

Tuesday 3 March 2020

Why the High Death Count in Wuhan?

I've sat and pondered over the numbers by the WHO.

Roughly 67,000 cases of the Coronavirus in the Hubei Province (Wuhan City).  Of that.....2,803 deaths.  If you use the latest WHO data....in the past 24 hours, there's been 42 deaths in the city from the virus.

But here's the thing....then you enlarge the data from the rest of China (the rest of the provinces)....it's only 13,000 more cases of sick people, and roughly 100 dead folks. 

So this makes one ask the stupid question....why Wuhan got the bulk of the infected, and the bulk of deaths?

I would suggest that three significant factors fell into play:

1.  Somewhere back in October of 2019....a couple of sick folks (probably from the fish market operation) showed up in serious condition and everything seemed to be pointed toward pneumonia.  Doctors and nurses in the initial treatment area didn't protect themselves much in that initial round. 

So a week into this.....as those seriously affected passed on, the medical staff, nurses, and doctors who were treating these folks became infected, and started to pass it along to others they were associating with and treating.

Adding to this initial period....the pneumonia-like folks were passing the disease onto other regular patients of the hospital system across the city.  Folks who were there for knee operations, car accidents, or whatever....got infected, and went home to pass their coronavirus onto family members.

By mid-November, there was a heck of a lot of pneumonia going on....way more than the statistics should be, and triggered more of an investigation.  By this point, it was too late.

Those doctors and nurses affected?  They got pretty sick by mid-November and were checking into the hospitals themselves.  More doctors and nurses were called in, and they were infected as well....passing it along at a hearty speed.

By early to mid-December, the authorities probably figured out the virus business, but the infection rate was way beyond their control at that point, and a massive number of nurses and doctors were missing....who would have helped patients to survive. 

2.  The pollution factor of Wuhan?  This rarely gets brought up, but if you dig up the numbers....it's one of the densely polluted areas of China.  It's been that way for at least two decades.....as the city of 11-million crew at fantastic speed.

No one talks about weakened breathing issues but if you were a guy who worked outdoor, or had the window to the office open.....you got a big dose of pollution daily. 

I suspect with weakened lungs.....your odds with the medical system and the virus were severely limited. 

3.  Finally, I come to something that a lot of Americans and Brits talk about when visiting China....bad sanitary habits.  Poor hygiene habits are often discussed and you will be given a list of a hundred things which visitors observe when going into China.

In the case of this virus.....it got plenty of help from local people, and the hygiene situation.

All of these three things add up. 

I'll add this comment over the Italian numbers which might fit in as well.....when you look at the 35 Italian deaths (to this point)....I suspect if you listed the ages of these people, the bulk are over the age of 65.  I suspect Wuhan's death count....with those over 65....is fairly hefty.

So if you were to look at comparisons.....I don't think a serious death count in Europe or the US will occur.  When you do find rates going higher, it'll be because of poor sanitation, poor hygiene, over the age of 65, immunity issues, and lung problems. 

Monday 2 March 2020

More Deaths Than the Coronavirus

As of today (2 March), 52 people have been murdered within the city limits of Maryland for 2020.  Police stat's.

Total dead from Coronavirus, from bulk of Asia (not China) and all of Europe....since 1 January (to 2 March)....is 55.  WHO stat's.

What exactly should you worry about more in Baltimore?  Murder, not Coronavirus.

Then Poof, Mayor Pete Was Gone

It was just a sudden thing.....there was Mayor Pete for literally a year....all hyped up and ready to move up from Mayor to President.  Then suddenly, like a lightning bolt, he was gone.

Or maybe the question should be....was he ever really there? 

To be honest, Mayor Pete had a brand that wasn't really captivating to 90-percent of Democrats.  He had a weak resume.  He wasn't that highly regarded in South Bend.  Most blacks didn't have anything great to say over the guy.  And it seemed like his chief purpose was to be the first gay President (too late for that....Buchanan was the first).

He did do time as a military reservist.....although folks figured out that he skipped officer training, and maybe his whole story was 'weak'.

My guess is that Mayor Pete will end up on MSNBC or CNN....by the fall period, and stick around for four years as some special analyst, then try to emerge in 2024 again. Course, he might run for Senator, and end up as Senator Pete instead.

My Advice on Swine Flu From a Decade Ago (Still Good Today)

Back in the spring period of 2009....in the midst of Swine Flu being "HOT", I wrote this blog (remember, I typically write for Alabama folks):

What should a Bamaite do in the midst of Swine Flu? This is a curious question. Since we are the likely ones to sit and ponder....lets not waste any time on this effort.

First, if you were a Baptist church goer....drop it. You should stay home and avoid crowds who might give you the flu. Watch Godzilla movies....bar-b-q....restore furniture....or maybe even do that oil change that you've been talking about with the tractor. It wouldn't hurt to read a paragraph from the Bible like every other week....just to stay tuned into the Baptist theme. Plus you can pretend not to drink.

Second....lay in a supply of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.....at least twelve pallets. Tell the Sam's Club guy that things might get a bit serious and you want the pallets ASAP. Hide them under a tarp out back and ensure that few neighbors know about this.

Third....avoid relatives...especially the stupid ones or the ones in trouble with the law. This flu thing works out in your favor. You can even make up stories that you are sick when you aren't.

Fourth....get in a major supply of catfish, frozen ribs, and fried chicken. Expect to bar-b-q alot during this period. 

Fifth....get in a supply of "Quarantine" signs. My suggestion is to use them on your neighbors....after the sun goes down. Put it up and then in the morning....see how they react. Act curious as you approach the sign and then keep asking how long they've been sick. When they deny they are sick....tell them that you heard that some medical folks from Auburn were around and think they quarantined a number of homes but you suspect its because they were identifying anti-Auburn football freaks. Then leave in a hurry.

Sixth.....whenever around Democrats...tell them you heard over Fox News that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to get the flu...something about sanitary practices. When they ask which show....tell it was O'Reilly. That'll get them to pinging.

Seventh.....while it is customary to shake hands as a southerner.....this might cause you to get the flu passed onto you. Always carry a small can of diesel around with you to wash with. If you start to have skin rashes....switch over to WD-40 and just spray it on.

Eight.....don't pass around or drink from the same whiskey bottle with anyone else under any circumstances.

Ninth....even if that neighbor gal is giving 5-star indications that she is free from her boyfriend, wearing a tube top, sipping whiskey from the bottle, and rather lusty....it just might not be the right time to get friendly with folks. But get a rain-check and tell her that you might be free in a month or two.

Ten....lay in a supply of cheap books on WW II, old-fashioned farming, how-to-make-whiskey and septic tank repair. You might be spending a fair amount of time at home.

What You Ought to See via the Coronavirus 'Fog'

1.  Based on the medical guys chatter....85-percent of folks affected will get what is a regular 'hard-flu' (seven day type), with 102 temperature for 2-to-3 days, coughs, and lack of appetite.  The 15-percent group will get serious flu conditions and are under a threat (mostly smokers, have a secondary problem already, or are over the age of 65).  Both groups however....are carriers and will pass the flu potential along....some even before they show symptoms.

2.  The bad nature at Wuhan?  Remember, they are a mega city at 11-million.  They had a total of 67,000 people (WHO stats) who got the virus, and of that number.....2761 deaths.   It's a fair number of dead.  But going back into December, they had no idea what it was....except people were having serious pneumonia-like symptoms. 

3.  From the 3736 folks in South Korea affected....18 have died at this point (1 March).  From the 239 folks in Japan affected....only 5 have died at this point.  It would appear that lesser numbers of dead for westernized nations.  Part of this might go to less air-polluted countries compared to China, or differing ways of handling what is basically pneumonia-like problems.

4.  The Ebola situation around five years ago scared the crap out of people.....yet it eventually fell under control.  MERs was the same way.

5.  An Israeli company says it's within a couple of weeks of wrapping up their vaccine. IF true?  They'd start production by May, and vaccine delivery would b accomplished by November. 

6.  The worst possible place in the US to be with this?  SF, LA, Seattle, and Portland.  With homeless people already crapping on the streets in this cities, this will pass through the system rather quickly and infection rates will shock even the experts.

7.  If you want to avoid it?  Pack yourself away in a house for the next six months, and avoid human contact. 

8.  There is zero need to put all infected folks into some massive compound run by the National Guard or some idiot federal administrator, you'd just make this ten times worse.  Send the infected guy home and put them on a quarantine (with their family). 

9.  Attempting to spend billions?  On what?  Unless you intended to make luxury compounds for the elite of the nation who fall sick.....there is no need to get wasteful.

10.  Use good sanitation habits....wash your hands on a frequent basis, avoid sick people, and use alcohol wipes a good bit. 

Sunday 1 March 2020

What Is a Hive-Mind Cult?

The best description is to up up the Star Trek episodes and observe the Borg guys/gals, and how they feel comfort  within their operation....by thinking alike and feeling safe in their complete community.  They don't want to challenge the tide, or reason through a decision, or suggest alternate versions of the path ahead.

In our present society, I would go and suggest that roughly 20-percent of people have gone to this state of mind.  Some, I admit....exist on the extreme right-side of life.  A fair number exist on the extreme left-side of life.

You can find certain religious people who've gone the extreme to indoctrinate their kids that they need to live within the religious 'zone'....to feel safe.

You can find certain environmentally conscious people who've done the same gimmick, and hype their kids to within the environmental 'zone'.....to feel safe.

You can find sexually aware people who've found the fellowship 'zone', and used various gimmicks....to feel safe.  Some of the gimmicks involve intimidation, shunning, and social media lies....to make their point.

So, has this hive-mind cult thing hit maximum altitude?  I would suggest that.

Part of this max hype goes to Eric Hoffer's 1950s book 'True Believer'.  Hoffer went through a long introduction....talking about various groups in history who'd bluffed their way to some maximum degree with the public, and then found the public asking questions or shifting their focus back to another agenda. 

With the hive-mind cults.....they done the same thing, and now face people asking stupid questions.