1/ Andrew Sullivan on the Trump virus response....
“How should they have given a thought to anything like plague, which rules out any future, cancels journeys, silences the exchange of views.” Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
Plagues routinely start with denial. In his great novel, The Plague, Albert Camus describes a scene at the very beginning, after several rats in a town started dying identical deaths:
‘These rats, now?’ the magistrate began. [Doctor] Rieux made a brief movement in the direction of the train, then turned back toward the exit. ‘The rats?’ he said. ‘It’s nothing.’ The only impression of that moment which, afterwards, he could recall was the passing of a railroadman with a box full of dead rats under his arm.
This is not to excuse the negligence of the Trump administration and the CDC. But it helps explain it.
2/ This is what might be coming for our healthcare system - chaos and triage decisions of who to treat...
A frightening story, especially if you are in the 5% of most vulnerable...
In this case the incidents we are talking about are the coronavirus infections that are spreading rapidly. And if you think that doesn’t threaten to overwhelm our medical system, consider this: Every day U.S. hospitals — and in particular Intensive Care Unit beds — are near capacity as they deal with the normal national baseload of heart attacks, strokes, and accidents. Every day we are critically short on bed space. The capitalism of for-profit health care means baseball analytics have erased any “excessive” bed space.
Given what’s coming, we expect a surge in demand: Estimates are five percent of infected coronavirus patients will require an ICU bed. If that happens, the way we experience the medical system is about to radically change. Forget about having the convenience of single-patient rooms. Forget having someone fetch drinks or make sure cable television is working.
3/ Daniel Craig's opening monologue with a filmed skit of James Bond at a crap table....amusing, five minutes....
4/ Oh we hope so.....Peter Werner argues the Trump presidency is over....
When, in January 2016, I wrote that despite being a lifelong Republican who worked in the previous three GOP administrations, I would never vote for Donald Trump, even though his administration would align much more with my policy views than a Hillary Clinton presidency would, a lot of my Republican friends were befuddled. How could I not vote for a person who checked far more of my policy boxes than his opponent?
5/ Trump is accusing Biden of being confused.....here are two videos that make you wonder ....
Trump the happy wanderer....3 minutes....
Incoherent Trump....3 minutes...
6/ There ARE competent people in Government...and this is how the virus should be dealt with....
As President Donald Trump takes intense criticism for his hamfisted response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus crisis, many are lamenting what might have been if the United States were led by an experienced and rational executive, rather than a conspiratorial buffoon.
Kentucky offers the same stark contrast ― but in reverse. The state is not the epicenter of the United States’ novel coronavirus outbreak, or even the site of that many cases ― there were 14 confirmed as of Friday evening. But since then, Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat who is only four months into his term, has held near-daily news conferences to update reporters and Kentucky residents on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
7/ Tom Tomorrow nails it again....
8/ An 'Honest Government" ad on how to stop the spread of the virus....amusing and actually informative - 2 minutes...
9/ Which corporations give sick leave to their employees.....not many who pay by the hour.....
Most American restaurants do not offer paid sick leave. Workers who fall sick face a simple choice: Work and get paid or stay home and get stiffed. Not surprisingly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2014 that fully 20 percent of food service workers had come to work at least once in the previous year “while sick with vomiting or diarrhea.”
As the new coronavirus spreads across the United States, the time has come for restaurants,
retailers and other industries that rely on low-wage labor to abandon their parsimonious resistance to paid sick leave.
10/ A very funny SNL skit "The Sands Of Modesto", with Daniel Craig and Kate McKinnon....five great minutes....
11/ Umair on the origin of wealth....and the answer to the question "why are people poor?"
As usual, some provocative ideas....
There’s a question as old as economics itself: where does “wealth” really come from? Now, this question isn’t asked in the late-night infomercial sense. But in the genuine one: why are some countries rich, and others poor?
12/ A classic SNL with the wonderful Leslie Jones and Martin Freeman....
We are all going to have a lot of time to kill, so here are some suggestions below....
13/ The best Sci-Fi Tv out there from Rolling Stone.....I recommend The Expanse....excellent!
It’s odd to think that, once upon a time, a TV show set in space — one that declared, in its opening narration, as the cosmos being the “final frontier” — was considered the pop-cultural equivalent of an unwanted party-crasher. Yes, a concept like Star Trek was both of its time and clearly ahead of it; history has more than vindicated Gene Rodenberry’s notion of boldly going where no man had gone before. But given the number of top-notch shows set in the far reaches of the galaxy and that used genre for pulpy and profound purposes over the last 30 or so years, it seems crazy to think that one of the most groundbreaking SF series was a network pariah and a ratings dud. Today, there’s an entire cable network devoted to this kind of programming. You can’t turn on your TV/Roku/cut-cord viewing device without bumping into spaceships, alien invasion and wonky sci-fi food-for-thought.
14/ Best TV on Amazon Prime.....
Photo: Vulture and Amazon
This post is updated regularly to reflect the latest shows to leave and enter Amazon Prime. *New additions are indicated by an asterisk.
So you probably paid for Amazon Prime for the free shipping and exclusive sales, and now you’re wondering what you could get out of its streaming service, too. We’ve already highlighted the 100 best movies that can be streamed free with your Prime subscription, but maybe you’re in the mood for a TV show? Amazon Prime has a growing catalogue of original series, including shows that have already won Emmys, and it has the most robust catalogue of HBO hits of any streaming service.
15/ A must-watch movie for these times...."Contagion"...
It starts with a cough. You’ve heard the sound a million times before, in the same way you’ve seen people grip a subway pole, hand over a credit card, pass someone else their phone a million times before. Only this slightly hoarse, barking noise plays out over a black screen, it’s currently the sole object of your focus, and vaguely ominous. Oh wait, no worries, it’s coming from Gwyneth Paltrow.
16/ What to binge during the quarantine, from Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone....
Sports are shut down. Live theater is shut down. A visit to a movie theater sounds downright terrifying. Group activities are a nonstarter. But you know what we still have as America begins The Great Shut-In?
We’ve got TV.
Suddenly, the overwhelming quantity of television has gone from something that provokes anxiety to something that soothes it. Most of us won’t be leaving the house much, if at all, for the next few weeks, and an easy way to stay both calm and safe is to find a new binge. Or 12.
Todays Marines joke
At a wine merchant's warehouse the regular taster died, and the director
started looking for a new one to hire. He posted a sign at the entrance
to the building... EXPERIENCED WINE TASTER NEEDED -- POSITION STARTS
IMMEDIATELY.
A retired Marine sergeant named “Gunny”, drunk and with a ragged dirty
look and smelling of last night's rounds, strolled by the building and
saw the sign. He went into the building to apply for the position.
Aghast at his appearance, the director wondered how to send him away
but, to be fair, he gave him a glass of wine to taste. The old
"jarhead" held the glass up to his left eye, tilted his head toward
incoming sunlight and studied the contents looking through the glass.
He then took a sip and said, "It's a Southern California Muscat , three
years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers.
Somewhat low-grade but acceptable."
"That's correct," said the boss. Glancing at his assistant he
said..."Another one, please."
The old Marine took the goblet, full of a deep red liquid, stuck his
nose into the glass, sniffed deeply and took a long slow sip....rolling
his eyeballs in a circle, he then looked at the director and said...
"It's a Cabernet Sauvignon, eight years old, south-western slope, oak
barrels, matured at eight degrees. Requires three more years for the
finest results."
"Absolutely correct. A third glass." said the director.
Receiving another glass, again, the Marine eyed the crystal, took in a
little bit of the aroma and sipped very softly.... ''It's a pinot blanc
champagne, very high grade and exclusive,'' said the drunk calmly.
The director was astonished and winked at his assistant to suggest
something.
She left the room and came back in with a wine glass half-full of urine.
The old Sergeant eyed it suspiciously...a color he could not quite recall.
He took a sip, swishing it over his tongue and across his teeth, musing
upward all the while.
"It's a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant, and if I don't get
the job, I'll name the father."
Todays retiree jokes
You're getting old when you don't care where your spouse goes,
just as long as you don't have to go along.
Statistics show that at the age of seventy, there are five women to every man.
Isn't that an ironic time for a guy to get those odds?
Old age is when it takes longer to rest than to get tired.
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's
too old to go anywhere.
Old age is when you have stopped growing at both ends, and have begun to grow in the middle.
Old age is having a choice of two temptations and choosing
the one that will get you home earlier.
A man has reached old age when he is cautioned to slow down
by his Doctor instead of by the police.
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
You're getting old when "getting lucky" means you find your car in the parking lot.
Todays religious joke
She's chatting it up with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates when all of a sudden she hears the most awful, blood curdling screams.
Don't worry about that,' says St. Peter,
'It's only someone having the holes drilled into her shoulder blades for the angel wings.'
The old lady looks a little uncomfortable but carries on with the conversation. A few minutes later, there are more blood curdling screams.'Oh my Goodness,' says the old lady, 'now what is happening?'
'Not to worry,' says St. Peter, 'She's just having her head drilled to fit the halo.'
'I can't do this,' says the old lady, 'I'm going to hell.'
'You can't go to that nasty place,' says St. Peter. 'You'll be raped and forced to do oral sex.
'Maybe so,' says the old lady, but I've already got the holes for that.'
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