Ten Things I Kinda Expect By the End of 2022

1.  This Wuhan lab leak business will play out, and China will just stall.  Nine out of ten people will believe the leak business, but you can't really punish anyone.

2.  People will get so deep into the 'woke-business' that that they start talking in a positive way about Nazis.

3.  Unemployment in the US will edge up to around 10 to 12 percent as inflation affects the nation.

4.  More than 250,000 Americans will have contracted the Covid-19 virus, after being fully vaccinated.

5.  VP Harris will have dissolved all of her chances to run in 2024 as President, with a large segment of the Democratic voter base now wondering.....if a 'old' Joe Biden can run a second time, or they have to find a newer group of possible candidates to pick from.

6.   The NBA will have commissioned a private group to find out why their viewing numbers are so dismal.  

7.  Lawsuits start up in Seattle as crime increases, and the police (in low numbers) are no longer able to protect businesses, private homes, or people walking in public.  The cases will mount, and be near half-a-billion dollars in damages.

8.  An upturn in UFO reporting will occur, but the bulk of these new reports turn out to be false.

9.  Some discussion will start up about replacing air travel via planes, with blimps.  It'll fail rather quickly.

10.  Thousands will be on a mental treatment plan because of Covid-depression.

New Homeless Wave Coming

 I sat and watched a piece off YouTube which chatted to a state by state problem....people basically using whatever law or situation possible to delay rent, because of their pandemic/Covid situation.

In the last couple of months....the court system has begun to catch up and landlords are on the offensive....evicting people who haven't paid, and this presents an interesting side-story.

The amount of rent from 2020/2021 which is in this bucket (maybe never to be paid)?  CBS says it's near $53-billion dollars.  

So the question in mind (there are three really):

1.  What happens if the majority of these are evicted and the $53-billion is never paid?  Doesn't a crisis come out of that?

2.  If you add it up and there's 30-million in this category (mentioned in this YouTube presentation), what exactly will happen on eviction day?  Do they just move out on the street, or into their car?

3.  Finally, this would all start to occur on 1 July, unless Biden and the House/Senate went to some extension.  At this point, I think it's too late. The question is....where do 30-odd million people go to hang out?

So my two general predictions.  First, if you live in a red-state and have access to a job....you are going to get employed....find cash-flow and maybe side-step this mess.  If you live in a blue-state, you are going to live out of the car for the next six months (probably moving to a warm state like California or Florida).  Second, on that angle to hyperinflation and serious political chaos....Biden's charm has hit the high plateau at this point in 2021.  

As for things looking a lot like the 1930s?  Well....yeah....that might be true.  

How I Got Addicted to 'Fear Porn'

 It was a dark and gloomy day, somewhere in the early spring of 2020, and 'fear porn' came on TV (German public news) and the thrill/gloom/cold sweat/uneasiness swept over me.  

My pulse picked up.  My anxiety level went from zero....to almost 1.5 (out of ten).  I would compare it to the grocery store being out of Pepsi, or the McDonalds lady telling me that the McRibs weren't possible for that particular day.

The spin?  There's a worldwide epidemic and countless people will pass from this Earth (sooner or later). 

Within a few days, these doctors (virus experts) began to appear nightly on German news and chat forums.  Gone were the gloomy financial idiots, the climate change 'porn' makers, and the people talking of fear of far-right extremism (Nazis, Nazis, Nazis).

Part of me wanted to ask stupid questions, but it didn't seem to really help.

Three months later, then came the 'mask porn', the '1.5-meter social distancing porn', 'no known source in China porn', and the 'cough porn'.  Just standing at a grocery and hearing 'Martin' (the whiny German clerk kid swiping the groceries over the scanner) cough....was enough to set off 'fear porn'.

Having to wear masks in public areas set off more bells and whistles.  My addiction level had gone past '5' on the scale of one to ten.  I started to stay in the house alot.  Just accepting mail or packages from the post-guy.....meant a serious handwash and alcohol doused on my face.  Oddly, I started ordering more things....sometimes worthless items (a Covid-medal from some Italian gift shop, which I gave myself).  This meant the post-guy and Amazon delivery folks came more often.

By mid-fall, 'higher-rate of infection porn' started up, with 'death porn' discussed almost daily.  'Old geezers dying porn' became a regular thing.

I came to appreciate the effort by German public TV, the BBC, CNN, France-24, NBC, MSNBC, ABC and CBS on their 'fear porn' efforts.

Some veterinarian guy came on one of the networks and actually talked 'dog-and-cat infection with Covid-19 fear porn'.  Some weeks later, another guy came on to talk 'lions-get-Covid-19 fear porn'.

In January, my 'fear porn' level dropped a bit....simply because a vaccine now existed.  A month later, it was now obvious that I would not get to the vaccination until mid-summer-fear porn.  

Around Easter, Covid-19 finally arrived on my door-step.  I had it.  For around ten days, I had a marginalized feel-bad....number two-level flu-like situation.  On fear-porn levels....this was a '2' out of a ten.

To be kinda honest, ever since that point (maybe 5 weeks ago)....my fear porn level.....not matter what I read or see on TV....doesn't rise much above a '1' on a scale to ten.

My addiction?  Well.....it just kinda sits there.  I admit, I'd like to watch some CNN Doctor-Doom talk about Covid-19, but in terms of enjoying the fear porn....it's not there.  Did the addiction just go away?  I don't even need rehab or to join some Covid-Anonymous club?  Probably not. 

Amazon Buying MGM Studios?

 What's it mean?

Well....MGM has this vault of literally thousands of productions (from 1920s to now), and Amazon could go off and create another streaming network (or two) that features OLD movies.

An example?  You could start a network that only features movies from the 1930s.  There's probably a thousand movies from that era alone.  Another network could feature only movies from the 1940s.  

Taking streaming video to a whole new level?  

Binge Series

 Over the past five days, I've done a 'binge-watch' of a South Korean series (1-season so far made) of '100 Days My Prince'.  

Netflix in the past four or five months put it up and I decided to watch one segment, and then I was hooked.  

So, here's the thing....it's entirely in Korean....with English sub-text.  Some folks may have a problem with that.

The script?  Five star and it kinda surprised me on the angles to the story.  There's plenty of twists and turns.  

Landscape?  Interesting, and they made a lot of effort to convince you of a period from 500 years ago.

Acting?  Well....it goes from four-star to two-star.  The story carries the bulk of this series.  A second season?  The hint is that they will produce another year.  I should note it's from the 2018 season.  

So if you were sitting around and wanted a binge-worthily program....I'd strongly recommend it.  

Trump-Harris Polling

 It's basically a 3-line story with no real shock value.

A poll was done....Donald Trump in 2024, against Kamala Harris.

Trump wins easily.

Why?  That's mostly left out.  I suspect if you asked people about Harris's first 100 days in the VP chair and what she did.....there's not much other than attending meetings and being recognized as the 'border-guru'.

Did most Democrats expect anything otherwise?  I seriously doubt it.  I don't think she was selected for talents, skills, or past achievements.  She was the female of color among a dozen women, and Biden simply picked her.  Beyond that....on the VP lists of the past hundred years.....she's just not that well noted at this point.

Is this leading to a problem?  Well....if we get to November 2022 and the Republicans win the House back....it's going to be a five-star issue.  I can't see Joe Biden running again, and it's a fair short list for replacements.  

Ten Observations

 1.  Looked at gold prices today?  $1880 per ounce....probably highest of past four months.

2.  Rather odd....some admitting in the Democratic Party that house seats they lost in Novembers election....came because of 'defund-the-police' efforts.  Shocking, huh?

3. Total student college debt is $1.4-trillion presently.  Wouldn't shock me if it reaches 2-trillion by the end of 2022.

4.  Back in 2017....some journalists in Japan started to discuss openly....a 'mask addiction'.....where no mandate or rule existed, but people wore the mask because they were addicted to it.  

It's rather odd....we are reaching this point in the US now.

5.  ABC (the network) came up this week and kinda admitted....they are not that sure about advertising income for the Oscar Show.  Between the lecture business and impact statements made during the shows of the past decade....no one really cares to watch it. 

So the income from the Oscars telecast is crap.  It'll probably still go on in 2022, but if the trend holds....it wouldn't shock me if the three networks all decline it in 2023.

6.  This idea of a permanent National Guard presence in DC?  It's a hard sell to Congress in general.  There's enough votes to get up and running for the next two years.  I anticipate in 2023....with the GOP running the House....the concept will be dumped.

7.  US government hiring 'care-givers' for new Latino kids who arrived?  Yes, starting off with 250.  I would take a guess that by December...it'll be up near 3,000 of them.  Who is really qualified as a 'care-giver'?  That's not clear.  

I would go and suggest that half of the first 250 hired....will be gone within six months....too much stress and chaos for the pay-scale.

8.  Stacey Abrams writes novels?  Well....yeah.  Political thrillers.  Apparently, new contract coming up and she'll write two more political thrillers.  

How people get all excited or hyped with political novels?  Beyond me.  Course, people probably said this over Fred Gipson when he wrote Old Yeller. 

9.  Some people are talking over the quality of TV programs and suggest it's the lowest creativity point since the 1950s.  It wouldn't surprise me if we end up with a talking dogs show, or bringing back Password for prime-time.

10.  NBA ratings seriously down, and not expected to resolve anything.