YES, I’M CONCERNED ABOUT THE CORONA VIRUS, but mostly due to my age and that of my wife! The unknown nature of it is what concerns everyone. See more later!
HOW TO WASTE PRIMARY VOTES? VOTE EARLY!
Millions of Americans must be looking with dismay at the mass exodus of the many Democrat Presidential hopefuls. We knew it was inevitable. Few expected so many would drop out so quickly. Anyone who voted early for, for Warren, for Bloomberg, for Buttigieg, for Klobuchar, or Steyer…and possibly a few other marginal candidates—
YOU “ALMOST” WASTED YOUR VOTE. I say almost because the fact you voted for one of these candidates, may have driven the consolidation down to the “two old white men”: Bernie Sanders, 78, (not even a Democrat!), and Joe Biden, 77.
THE MOST IMPORTANT VOTES YOU WILL CAST THIS FALL: PRESIDENCY (TRUMP) AND SENATE (NO DEMOCRATS), AND HOUSE (TAKE BACK CONTROL FOR GOP)
Local votes will also be important, especially those that elect the state offices who control the redistricting choices (in OH, it is Governor, Auditor, Secretary of State, and two people selected by the legislative leaders of each major political party.
THE LATEST STAGGERING STUPIDITY FROM THE "DESPERATE DEMOCRATS”—BRING BACK HILLARY!??! Scary!!
Monday AM rumor…a move (by whom? The Clintons, of course!) to slot Hillary as a VEEP candidate to backup sleepy Joe Biden. If you can’t get in the front door, come in the side or back door. Biden is picking up steam as the candidate with the folksy, you can trust me, demeanor. Expect him to choose a female, younger Veep running mate, maybe ever a “person of color?” (Not named Clinton or Warren)!
POLITICAL OPINION
While MAD Magazine's iconic Alfred E. Neumann, (now only 60 years old, with a motto of “What me worry?”) actually resembles Mayor Pete—his simple, smiling countenance is also how Joe Biden will campaign. “You know Joe…he’s familiar and friendly…
Biden has been telling made up, convoluted stories for so long, he will be able to fabricate whatever story combination he can recall—no matter how factual or fictional it might be….
(I’m reminded of the 1979 movie Being There, where Peter Sellers plays a clueless, sheltered gardener “Chauncy Gardner” whose knowledge comes totally from watching’ TV, and whose modest, unaware nature accidentally casts him as a person of great intellect, and elevates him to incredible political heights. Watch it on StreamingTV…Prime, YouTube, etc.)
The "anybody but Trump party" (aka Democrats) will choose one of these two. One is a scary Socialist revolutionary (Sanders), the other (favorite) is a tired, worn out warrior of too many campaigns—both are well beyond their “use by date” —and both are dangerous to the USA, just in different ways.
IMPORTANT QUOTES:
“Never make predictions, especially about the future.” (Sam Goldwyn); "When giving a forecast, give a number or a date but never both." (A British Prime Minister); “Nobody knows anything!“ Willian Goldman; "Resist the temptation to substitute commentary for reporting.”
CORONA-VIRUS—YOU’VE ALREADY HAD ONE—THE COMMON COLD.
We had the good fortune to have Dr. Greg Poland of Mayo Clinic speak to our Marco Island Noon Rotary this past Thursday. See bio below. Go see this Youtube on how to wash your hands! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfsyhQ0oBs
His message was clear. Don’t panic. Be responsible—get your FLU shot, stay away from large crowds in confined spaces, don’t look for masks, since they are either ineffective or if really effective, so uncomfortable that most people (even medical pros) can’t stand wearing them for very long (an hour)— and most of all, wash your hands, often and correctly.
His point in doing this was that hand washing is done wrong—universally—and is the most effective method to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Public bathrooms are full of viruses and bacteria. So are many widely used public appliances that many people touch often. The short summary conclusion of his talk was that “we don’t know enough yet” about whether this is a seasonal virus (like flu & cold), and it will be over a year—maybe 12-18 mo. before a vaccine is available. Refrain from touching your face and eyes with dirty hands too.
WATCH THIS ON YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfsyhQ0oBs The right way to wash your hands—Jimmy Kimmel and Dr. Greg Poland.
(Gregory A. Poland, M.D., studies the immunogenetics of vaccine response in adults and children. Dr. Poland and his team within the Vaccine Research Group aim to improve the health of individuals across the world by pursuing challenges posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism through clinical, laboratory and epidemiological vaccine research.)
In Fact WE (earthlings) ARE SUFFERING FROM BOTH A “PANDEMIC” AND AN “INFODEMIC!” CAUSED IN THE FIRST PLACE BY CHINA’S TERRIBLE IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR
China has long been unreliable as a source of truthful, timely information (followed closely by Russia and Iran). Now CHINA’S IRRESPONSIBILITY threatens the whole world. It has already poisoned its people’s water, air and arable land with industrial waste, and lied for decades about theft of intellectual property and financial growth. It needs to be expelled from the World Trade Organization where it is mis-classified as a “developing country.”
NOW—It is the source and major causal point for a new virus, for which there is currently no known vaccine and a shortage of responsive ways to test and confirm or deny its infection! Worse yet, information is being spread too widely coming from a huge range of sources, many of them unreliable or dangerous. MIT calls it the first true social media “infodemic.” with global media whipping up a global “pandemic panic.” That might be the biggest danger of all.
WHAT CHOICES DO INSTITUTIONS HAVE BUT TO CANCEL GATHERINGS AND DO ALL THEY CAN TO SLOW THE SPREAD—in the USA at least!
Fear of the unknown is a terrible fear. There is no certain course of action for humans. Since my wife and I are in one of those vulnerable age groups (elderly) we are especially concerned
A POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF THIS "PANDEMIC PANIC” IS THE DEMISE OF TRADITIONAL OFFICES VS. WORKING FROM HOME.
Many businesses will fail, because they work so close to the fragile edge of insolvency.
I won’t predict things yet, but everyone should realize the extreme possible outcomes of this virus and the related media driven panic over the global coronavirus spread. Stranger things have happened. (The spread of air conditioning and TV totally wiped out the “front steps & sidewalk summer socialization of urban America a half century+ ago.) The effect of this PANDEMIC PANIC will be a global economic recession, in which no one wins and everyone loses.
PRAY...THAT THE HUMAN IMMUNE SYSTEM COMES TO THE RESCUE, AND THAT SCIENTISTS RACE THE CLOCK TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE ANT-VIRAL VACCINES TO HELP THOSE OF US WHOSE IMMUNE SYSTEM CANT BEAT IT. I KNOW OF NO OTHER PROACTIVE SOLUTION. Note also that viruses mutate over time to Protect themselves making anti-viral drugs harder to develop.
BIG SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS THAT RELY ON CROWDS OF FANS, WILL SUFFER AND PERHAPS FAIL BADLY.
That’s tragic for the participants and the sponsors and venues. Don’t be surprised to see a massive international action against China. It is both morally and economically liable.
GOOGLE’S $21BILLION (Adsense is 75% of revenue) ADVERTISING MONOPOLY IS UNDER SCRUTINY
If Google (Alphabet) doesn’t do something to divest part of its control, it could face being “broken up” by the Federal government under anti-trust and privacy laws. It must hold onto DoubleClick/Ad Manager, but watch this battle unfold.
FYI—CHINA WAS BEHIND THE EQUIFAX HACK LAST YEAR THAT STOLE ID INFO ON 150 MILLION AMERICANS
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army hackers did this large invasive hack. China has also gained control of many critical materials essential to global production—especially in the USA (e.g., “Rare Earth” minerals is one of the big ones.)
FYI-2: MEAT IS BAD FOR YOU (AGAIN) AFTER IT WAS GOOD FOR YOU, AFTER IT WAS BAD FOR YOU
Confused? You should be. Eating is simple and most of us know it—but ignore what we know. Balance of carbs, protein and fat is necessary. Red meat in moderation at most. Lots of veggies and most fruits. Oat grain products are better than Wheat. Refined white breads, cakes, cookies, etc are bad. So is high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. Coffee is good. Alcohol not so good. Sugars, which we have all been conditioned to eat too much, are also bad for us. Sad but true.
LESSON FROM IOWA CAUCUSES AND NH PRIMARIES
Don’t rely on a bunch of untrained political staffers to develop and use a totally new APP. It failed in Obamacare; it totally made a mess of Iowa caucuses. BIG QUESTION: WHY PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON TWO SMALL STATE’S EARLY PRIMARIES.
BETTER: Use a rotating calendar lottery to rearrange which state primaries go in which order, by size and region of the country in four quarters spanning 8-12 weeks.
WE KNOW AFTER TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES—BIDEN GAINS A LARGER LEAD
Biggest concern (as I write this I am just a year older than Biden & Sanders) is the stress of the presidency and the impact of the age related loss of mental acuity—which Biden is already exhibiting. I have learned that my normally sharp memory, sometimes, struggles to reclaim long familiar names—for a minute or two—after which it pops into my head. This is a normal part of the aging process. Like a Hard Drive…as you get older it fills up more, and the "search function" slows just a little making instant recall slower. That’s OK for us normal citizens. Not OK for the President of the USA!
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN THEIR MID-LATE SEVENTIES—A CONCERN?
FYI—that quick short term recall is what is most impacted, and on the podium or campaign trail, don’t be surprised to see Biden (77) filling with an answer that allows time for instant recall to work. Is that a “disqualifier?” You decide. So far Sanders (78) seems “sharper” in that regard, as does Trump (73). How does memory work? I wrote Rocketships & Parachutes, entirely from memories. I would occasionally blank on a name or place or event, note it on a Post-It, next to my computer, and a short time later, it would “come to me. It was in my memory banks, and the search function took a while to retrieve it.
MAKE A NOTE OF A NEW TERM: "MIS-REMEMBERED”
My guess is that you might hear this term often from the Biden campaign—more and more as he gets deeper into the stump speeches, and the Town Halls with Q & A. An easy out for facts that are misstated in defense of his positions is for the campaign staff to say that Biden simply "mis-remembered." This would be his version of Trump’s “Fake News” claims. Ready for a wild ride?
READY FOR MORE FUN TOPICS? —MEASURE “RESULTS" NOT "DIMENSIONS"
Joe Burrow, LSU QB who set or broke every NCAA record there was in LSU’s march to the National Championship, “has hands that are too small” according to NFL recruiting gurus. This is like the claim that Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks is "too short to be a successful NFL QB.”
Note: Wilson has been named to seven Pro Bowls and has started in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLVIII. He holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through seven seasons (75) and is one of two quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100.
(He does have slightly bigger hands than Burrow, but Burrow is almost 4 inches taller, but perhaps a tick slower on foot than Wilson!)
DO "SHOES MAKE THE MAN (OR WOMAN)?”
Maybe. Nike’s Vaporfly Running shoe has been proven to provide runners with a measurable advantage. Rules will be changed in an attempt to negate this, but for now, it’s true. Watch for more news as the summer Olympics approach.
FACTS FROM HISTORY: Many years ago (1985-1986) Huffy designed and built bikes for the World Championships of Cycling. Americans using these bikes (finally) beat Eastern Europeans (and everyone else) in earlier International Cycling events. Before the US Team could compete on the Velodrome in Colorado Springs that year (1986), the UCI (Union of Cycling International) ruled the bikes illegal under an obscure rule interpretation that prohibited equipment that offered a competitive advantage—which the ultra-light, stiff, aerodynamic Huffy Bikes certainly did—to the tune of 1-second in a 1500-meter match sprint race (a huge margin, in a race where winners are usually determined by tenths of a second.) I know because our company, Huffy Bicycles designed and built the bikes, and sponsored the World’s that year. We had to dig out the 1984 Olympic bikes (old technology for sure) and use them. Team USA did OK because the Europeans didn't compete that year—banned for other reasons.
LAST TIDBIT:
Over a century ago Josh Billings said: "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Since 1851 we have used Carl Wunderlich’s “normal body temperature of 98.6 F.” Over the past 150+ years, our bodies have cooled (.05 degrees/decade) and measuring methods have improved. Today’s normal body temperature is 97.5 F. Billings quote also applies to a wide range of things in business, science and life. Pay attention and don’t get fooled by it.
THAT’S PLENTY FOR ONE DAY
NOW GO WASH YOUR HANDS—"THE RIGHT WAY.” ...AND DON’T TOUCH FIXTURES AND HARDWARE IN PUBLIC BATHROOMS. ...FIST BUMP OR ELBOW BUMP OR WAVE VS. SHAKING HANDS. Avoid shoulder to shoulder big crowds! Cover your mouth if coughing or sneezing (into the crook of your elbow—then wash up ASAP.
PRAYING FOR A VACCINE....
BEST, JOHN
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