caulfield12

How is it that your hair grows like a Chia pet while you manage to simultaneously talk in 3rd person like Bob Dole...Kansas’ most famous senator. You might want to forward that information on to follicle-challenged Trump. And reassure him there have been zero incidences of contracting the virus due to having Beatles’ or Beatnik hair, at least not yet.

Now Trump is claiming he’s seen evidence the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Of course, he won’t dare provide it. President Trump on Thursday claimed he’d seen evidence linking the coronavirus to a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan — but didn’t offer up any details. “Yes, I have,” Trump told White House reporters when asked whether he’s seen proof that would suggest the virus originated in the lab. When pressed on what gave him that confidence, he said: “I can’t tell you that. I am not allowed to tell you that.” Earlier Thursday, the US intelligence community said it agreed with the scientific consensus that the novel coronavirus was not “manmade or genetically modified.” The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of VirologyAFP via Getty Images But it confirmed that it was looking into “whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” https://nypost.com/2020/04/30/trump-claims-he-has-seen-evidence-linking-coronavirus-to-chinese-lab/

Yes, I am married to Sinead O’Connor. Shirley Manson, Dolores O’Riordan, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes were all unavailable. Flights to KCI, Topeka and Wichita unavailable.

Really went out for the first time today. Had wife shave off all hair with the electric trimmer we bought for our son when he was just one or two. Had a robot serve our food inside the restaurant...while playing Canon in D of all songs. That was kind of cool. They use/used them in hospitals to deliver food or medicine, protecting staff. Also in quarantine centers...to deliver food to hotel rooms. Temperature checks going into shopping areas, but not most individual stores. Everyone wearing a mask...just slip it down around the neck to eat or drink. Didn’t like feeling at first because it’s already getting really hot here...but got used to it. Just a regular surgical mask, not N95. Saw one goofball dressed in a hazmat suit with improvised gas mask in mall...more fashion statement or way of being anonymous than genuine fear IMO. Are supposed to sit just three on 5-6 person subway seat, but many are ignoring that and just sitting down. Subway was the emptiest I have ever seen it except 1030-1100 pm at night. Was stopped in subway for not having work permit...but wife quickly explained situation and I was able to go everywhere with green QR pass code on my cell phone. Didn’t see a single foreigner besides myself all day long. Our neighborhood is completely blocked in by massive metal gates...it will take me an extra 5-10 minutes to get to work now, meaning 40-50 minutes each way...especially with all the phone and document checks, temp checks, etc. Everything overall was about 30-40% back to normal...for the first day of May holidays (kind of like Memorial Day feeling), normally there would be tens of thousands outside instead of hundreds. Restaurants at about 10-20% capacity. Keep in mind, this is three full weeks after the city started opening, and one week after pretty much everyone came back this past Sunday.

It’s only that big if no vaccine is ever discovered...the country is hit repetitively by a series of pandemics combined with some epic climate change-related disaster that makes it impossible for the country to return to its previous position in the world (the opposite of 1929-1945, in that we would be decaying ala Rome, instead of ascending). That would require essentially defaulting on the Federal debt obligations to international Treasury/bond holders and going off the US dollar as the world reserve currency, with states splintering into regional groups like we are already seeing now...and eventually separate blocs within the country or even new countries (see The Man in the High Castle imagining of US split up had we lost WW II), especially California with LA and Silicon Valley/SF. Would have to kick Peter Thiel out, lol. But yeah, the Civil War/slavery, Revolutionary War and World War II would all have to rank higher on any reasonable scale. Even if the “real” death count today is 130,000 versus roughly half that, as many epidemiologists are asserting.

1) 77,000 votes, and those 3 states being taken for granted as they (Mook) foolishly tried to add to the scoreboard in purple and red states, especially ceding WI without a single appearance 2) Hillary Clinton being hated more than any recent history...and sidelining her husband (see Gore, Al, 2000)...they spent a billion dollars and still lost because the majority of Dems didn’t really even like her THAT much 3) He either partners with OANN or starts his own network, having the opportunity/platform to eclipse Rush and throw rocks and grenades from the sidelines, only increasing the value of his brand to that roughly 15% of the country who are fanatical followers. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-allies-eye-buyout-of-one-america-news-network-wsj This was the direction that Bannon and Trump were going in the fall of 2016 when defeated appeared inevitable (Billy Bush week in particular.) He’s more like the PT Barnum of branding. Bill Clinton runs rings around him as a pure instinctive political animal.

Fair enough. Thanks for the clarification. It’s frustrating when you are trapped for months on end in a foreign country...but can’t go home either. Or at least going home doesn’t even guarantee being able to see family members (in assisted living). Or, if you go home, you have to leave your wife and five year old, not knowing if you can ever return. Then, having to guess if Iowa’s political strategy will wipe out July, and if Trump will insult China to the point that the current flight ban on any foreigner into China might actually last into the fall semester (meaning you lose your job, in all likelihood)...then, on top of that, paying thousands of dollars for intl. flights that used to be $800-1200 typically.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/29/florida-medical-examiners-were-releasing-coronavirus-death-data-the-state-made-them-stop/

I have to re-convince myself every day that those who are unwilling to listen will one day, eventually, realize the truth of what is happening to their country. Yes, I realize the odds of Greg reading Noam Chomsky are probably 1 in 10,000. Perhaps less. And there’s not going to be any hardcore Trump supporters changing their minds, that much is certain. But it’s worth it to me if just a FEW become more open-minded. I have zero illusions about Joe Biden even being able to reset the world back to November of 2016. I was a high school senior in 1988 back when he first ran and I participated in the Iowa caucus. I didn’t like him then, not do I particularly like him now. But something has to change, eventually. The country can’t keep going on this way and continue to be a shining beacon for the rest of the world, the greatest remaining hope for the future. Maybe it doesn’t matter. That’s fine, too. Next Thursday I have to do the nose swab and nucleic acid test here in Wuhan despite not going outside once since January 20th. Every teacher and student needs to do that before we can all go back to school on May 11th. Then my life will finally return to the new normal and I won’t have nearly as much free time. I will spend an hour each way going back and forth to work. So you can relax and turn your focus to bigger problems in the world than me. Good luck.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/opinions/trump-treats-meatpacking-workers-as-disposable-reyes/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/politics/executive-order-meat-processing-plants-latinos/index.html Last August, in a record-setting sting operation, immigration officials swept through seven chicken-processing sites in Mississippi, rounding up 680 mostly Latino workers. It followed a similarly high-profile raid, in April 2018, on a meatpacking plant in Tennessee, where, according to a class-action lawsuit, "(ICE officers) forcefully seized and arrested approximately 100 Latino workers." Fast-forward to 2020, and meat-processing plants function differently in the national narrative. Suddenly, they're portrayed not as supposed vectors of criminality but as vital tools for keeping Americans hale and hearty in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. And yet, in the absence of greater workplace protections, it seems all but guaranteed that President Donald Trump's new executive order to keep meat-processing plants open will put employees at even greater risk (including protecting corporations from liability and invoking the Defense Production Act for the first time to actually force or compel workers to report, my add.)

If you divide deaths (and Florida is already deliberately trying to cover up their numbers already) in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark (2462/206/443/207) and divide by country’s total population, then multiply by that rate to apply to it the US (where we don’t have universal health care/hospitals with built out capacity/a massive amount of preexisting condition or obese population) you’d get the equivalent so far in American deaths: Sweden 78,216 (27% worse than the US) Finland 12,133 Denmark 24,798 Norway 12,533 US actual number as of now (according to worldometers) is 61,618 deaths. Sweden is fighting to get to 20-30% herd immunity, but with a total population smaller than the entire city of Wuhan and not close in terms of population density (which is primarily why major cities are getting smashed.) The US is instead choosing no coordinated national or Federal strategy...just a patchwork quilt of differing approaches, which means we are essentially forcing ourselves into herd immunity, one way or the other. The UK calculated these herd immunity scenarios early on and determined the same philosophy was going to lead to disaster there and (relatively) quickly reversed course.

Do you really expect that states who fail aren’t simply going to follow the Trump playbook and blame that divergent data on “interstate commerce” or travel/tourism or “imported cases from neighboring states”? Buried deep in Chomsky is something that cuts to the heart of the matter on the current vaccine efforts as well (this has been already discussed, with Balta taking the most extreme position on why public health might not be prioritized over pharmaceutical industry profits). The depth of the pathology is revealed clearly by one of the most dramatic — and murderous — failures: the lack of ventilators that is one the major bottlenecks in confronting the pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services foresaw the problem, and contracted with a small firm to produce inexpensive, easy-to-use ventilators. But then capitalist logic intervened. The firm was bought by a major corporation, Covidien, which sidelined the project, and, “In 2014, with no ventilators having been delivered to the government, Covidien executives told officials at the [federal] biomedical research agency that they wanted to get out of the contract, according to three former federal officials. The executives complained that it was not sufficiently profitable for the company.” Doubtless true. Neoliberal logic then intervened, dictating that the government could not act to overcome the gross market failure, which is now causing havoc. As The New York Times gently put the matter, “The stalled efforts to create a new class of cheap, easy-to-use ventilators highlight the perils of outsourcing projects with critical public-health implications to private companies; their focus on maximizing profits is not always consistent with the government’s goal of preparing for a future crisis.” We’ve already witnessed this particular conflict play out in the realm of testing (prioritizing those 3 immense commercial labs vs. public hospitals and health centers.) Currently, we are building out an additional stockpile of around 65,000 ventilators at around $15,000 a pop through GM and Ford....and they MIGHT be ready in June or July, MAYBE??? It was all eminently avoidable, and had even been anticipated as a future need by HHS, but broke down with a corporate response Ayn Rand herself likely would have delighted in.

Noam Chomsky is more appropriate today. https://truthout.org/articles/chomsky-covid-19-has-exposed-the-us-under-trump-as-a-failed-state/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=7135e5f4-c0e9-486f-9b96-d6576625d16d He is certainly no fan of Biden, Obama, Clinton and the neoliberal world order...it’s quite painful to read, and extremely LONG, but a stark reminder of how much still needs to be done in order to leave a better world (and more abundant opportunities) for the next two generations of Americans.

Mass layoffs begin in cities and states https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/29/cities-states-layoffs-furloughs-coronavirus/ In fact, the calls for federal aid have been bipartisan, And many states entered the latest economic downturn in a far better financial position than they did the 2008 recession, thanks in part to healthier cash reserves. The data has not assuaged Republicans, including McConnell, who told Politico in an interview that the Senate would not “finance mistakes they’ve made unrelated to the coronavirus.” His office declined to comment for this story. Other Republicans led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) similarly have mobilized in opposition to open-ended aid to struggling city and state governments, breaking with local officials even in the states they represent. “We believe additional money sent to the states for ‘lost revenue’ or without appropriate safeguards will be used to bail out unfunded pensions, reward decades of state mismanagement, and incentivize states to become more reliant on federal taxpayers,” Scott wrote in a draft letter to the president, which he has circulated among his colleagues for signatures. His office confirmed the letter, which attacks New York and Illinois for their financial decisions. Ironic how much of the Federal financial assistance went to corporate stock buybacks and executive bonuses/golden parachutes in 2008-09...forcing us to bail out many of those industries once again. But that’s white collar corporate socialism....only Bernie Sanders supporters and left wing nut jobs really care about that, right? At any rate, here comes the next emerging financial tsunami. Roughly 1/3rd or 1/4th the state and municipal authorities being furloughed as financial austerity measures are increasingly imposed. It’s totally reminiscent of the EU arguments between Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and France that are adamantly opposed by Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The key difference here in the US is that most of these coastal states pay a lot more in Federal taxes than they receive back (see earlier discussion up thread), with the majority of of those “socialist welfare” benefits redistributed to poorer, rural, Red States with a disproportionate influence in Congress. If you are elderly, work for a small business, are unfortunate enough to live in a Blue state, are surviving on fixed income programs like Social Security or Medicaid, work in retail/fast food/minimum wage jobs, are an immigrant or minority, hold public sector or union jobs...you suddenly have a massive target on your back. And you can pretty much forget nationwide contact tracing through public health agencies with all these layoffs. But hey, the stock market was up again today despite all this horrific economic news, why worry?

Simply because Finland, Norway and Sweden are always in that very top tier in “world happiness” rankings, much higher tax rates, lower (generally) social inequality, more investment in public education (Finland especially), etc. Heck, even Trump once made the comment about wanting more “quality” immigrants (or models?) wanting to becoming US citizens from that same region, right? Basically, those three are the gold standard of “socialistic” utopias on earth...along with Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia/NZ. Maybe Germany, Switzerland and Austria as well in that next tier down. Have never really seen Italy, Spain, France and UK accorded the same status. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/business/meat-processing-plant-workers-reaction-executive-order/index.html Meat pack workers to Trump: We Aren’t Going To Show Up...uh oh

LOL. It’s east to say that when all the testing resources are “kidnapped” by the Federal government to award them to commercialized for profit labs that charge whatever they can get away with. Btw, six weeks ago, VP Pence apparently didn’t promise 4 million tests performed and analyzed...just the theoretical capacity to do that, which basically means absolutely jack shi$ to those critically needing a result. With hospitals and public health centers struggling to even acquire 100 measly swabs at a time when they need thousands...and no reagents in sight with everyone in the world bidding against each other in a dystopian Ayn Rand nightmare , it’s quite easy just to throw up one’s hands and say it’s pointless. Our Federal response has strategized, and determined that delegitimizing the need for testing to open up (at least as a consistent press talking point) is the best way out of this mess. Really! Probably another brilliant Kushner idea. At least he’s sitting there contentedly on his stockpile, king in the castle (channeling Borat voice here.)

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/amc-refuses-play-universal-films-015726351.html This is an extremely interesting topic IMO....with Trolls going straight to VOD for $19.99 and crushing it, you have the perfect storm brewing against the movie theatre model. AMC/Wanda makes the perfect villain. Chinese owned, and they were already planning on skipping out on rent payments. They have to be hemorrhaging money, and the real estate/shopping mall/cinema model is equally under threat here in China due to online platforms with nearly instant and delivery. AMC is in big trouble. Fighting with studios is just surrendering market share to other theatre chains. And conservatives should realize if Sweden actually comes through their “let ‘er rip” social experiment, they will then be forced to extol the virtues of a socialized health care system, lol. Bernie Sanders ultimately gets his revenge. The GOP walked right into that one.

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2020/international/ Top 30 intl. list, Cespedes’ brother #1...no mention of White Sox with top 5 so far #20 dude from Cuba sporting White Sox cap https://www.mlb.com/news/top-30-international-prospects-2020?partnerId=zh-20200429-156906-47943&query_id=1026&bt_ee=34AAHe1mXL3D8Av1GRW36opqOEVTrRcugBlINUVB4V%2BSyVVTgqQN%2B4LPmnoAVV3s&bt_ts=1588159952198 Full article, Cubs favorite for #5 guy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/his-name-on-stimulus-checks-trump-sends-a-gushing-letter-to-90-million-people/2020/04/28/04143a62-8999-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html I’ve figured it out, finally. The real plan all along was to bankrupt the USPS by sending out 90 million free/taxpayer subsidized Trump reelection advertisements, many to millions of Americans who’d already received their payments through Direct Deposit. That way, when September and October roll around, Trump can then shut down the entire post office system in the middle of a pandemic so only the most ardent supporters will vote in person, giving him enough of an advantage from his lunatic fringe voters to eke out another Electoral College squeaker, this time over Biden. It would be the fifth it happened in US history. Each time, a Republican over a Democrat (I know, I know...but who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory?) 1876 Hayes over Tilden 1888 Harrison over Cleveland (rife with corruption) 2000 Bush over Gore 2016 Trump over Clinton 2020 ??? https://time.com/5579161/presidents-elected-electoral-college/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/28/politics/testing-coronavirus-hospitals-commercial-labs-invs/index.html Favoring the Big 3 commercial/for profit labs over public hospitals and health centers pretty much ensures it will be months and months before we have enough testing. And it’s quite intentional, so they can continue to argue they have sufficient testing...just without the swabs, reagents and diagnostic lab technicians. Great work! Putting profits over people should be the motto, not MAGA or KAGA.

What’s the point of comparing the US to Sweden when they have entirely different health care systems...levels of socioeconomic inequality...demographics...population density, etc.? Whatever they’re doing, you would have to apply it in a way that would work out unfavorably for the US, where we have the highest rates of obesity and underlying conditions, not to mention lowest amount of preventive care investment. The only thing we do “more” of is spending a higher percentage of our GDP, and more $$$/capita...but that’s so skewed by the standard of care and quality of diagnostic equipment and access to pretty much everything that the top 15-20% in the US currently enjoy. According to Forbes Magazine, Sweden is the 2nd healthiest country in the world with an average life expectancy of over 80 years. It also has one of the lowest obesity rates in the Western world, half of that of Australia according to OECD. So it seems that the Swedes are doing something right. Organization: OECD

Not to mention the correlation with vaping... But the rate is 20% among those 18 to 29 years of age compared with 8% among those 30 to 64 years of age, and less than 0.5% among those 65 and older.

He’s not talking about consumer needs vs. wants, and My Pillow Guy vs. Nike. It’s how can the economic livelihood of one person be put ahead of the health care concerns of another...? Money can always be gained and regained. You can’t say the same thing about a human life. And there’s a multiplier effect here at play, too. For every suicide or family breakdown due to economic circumstances, there’s a highly trained doctor or nurse feeling even more intense pressure when we overload hospitals with our self-centered, me first decision-making. What will your attitude on this topic when you or your family can’t access a doctor because too many Americans are putting themselves individually ahead of the collective good? A cavalier dismissal...that’s just life? Some inevitably have to die to save the rest of us? Why are you the arbiter who gets to make these life and death determinations? An entrepreneur is always going to be a risk taker taker by nature. They will succeed no matter what obstacles you place in their path because it’s our way of life. Cycles of boom and bust repeat. We will eventually replace capital, printing more money and injecting additional stimulus/liquidity into the system. What we can’t easily or as quickly do is replace our best, most experienced doctors who have been burned out compensatating for poor judgment.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/04/28/pence-mayo-clinic-mask-nr-vpx.cnn Really, not wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic, Mr. VP? Just do it to set an example, instead of being stubborn/macho or whatever not wearing a mask signifies these days...

At the very least, a Waffle House. Doing that might help him clinch Georgia, Florida...and protect Sen. Kelly “Insider Trading” Loeffler simultaneously. Plus, the cholesterol numbers are right in his normal fine dining wheelhouse.