We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I'd really like to take in a ballgame this summer. I know I won't be able to. Which is odd, because if this sport were played indoors, I think I MIGHT be able to understand why not having fans was a reasonable step to keeping people safe. But as I've watched the protests over the last several weeks - all far more crowded than the Sandy Hook beach I sat on during the July 4th weekend - and the crowded beaches themselves, I've noticed there has been no spike in NY/NJ of any meaningful nature.
Obviously what were told originally - distance is important - really only plays a large role indoors, not outdoors.
But let's stick to baseball (or football, soon enough) and mull over the possibility of sitting in a crowd cheering. Is it safer, or less safe, than marching to protest Trump, or the US in general? I'm going to be a heretic and say it's just as safe. Oh I know some people will cry "condemning people to die" or some such nonsense. The reality has been quite the opposite, though. As testing has increased, new cases have (naturally) increased. Like a witch hunt, when you search for something, you tend to find more of it. This, of course, is particularly true of a natural spreading event like a virus. What must be driving the lockdown supporters nuts is the lack of increase in the mortality rate. Recent spikes in mortality were simply delayed reporting. (see chart below fold)
"In his first and exclusive interview for Polish media, Elmer Yuen, an influential Hong Kong businessman, reveals the true motives of the CCP for the #NationalSecurityLaw in Hong Kong, the #CCPVirus pandemic, Chinese influence in the Vatican and much more."
The man (now speaking from NYC, I think) is completely unreasonable to imagine that the US has any interest in interfering with the sad future of Hong King. His speculations about the Vatican's links to China are also strange, but who knows?
I lived on their black beans with rice during college, and still love that combo with some garlic and chopped celery or carrots and maybe some hot sauce or chopped chilis.
The founder loves America. Complimented Obama a few years ago, now compliments Trump too and gets criticized.
Instapundit always says "Just consider them to be activists with bylines."
Conrad Black begins:
There has never been a presidential campaign in the United States where the administration was so massively opposed by the principal press outlets as in this election. Nor, in at least a century, have the national political media so widely and thoroughly discarded the traditional criterion for journalistic professionalism: the clear division between comment and reporting.
At first, I found it galling in the extreme that Trump's magnificent Mount Rushmore speech was smeared as "divisive" by the Democrat-Media Complex as well as quite a few flunkies and traitors among the cuck-servative set. But, as the saying goes, you take the most flak when you're right over the target. How could defending the greatest nation and society (warts and all) that has and will ever exist in history, be divisive unless one believes the exact opposite? As I stated yesterday, no other president or Republican leader in my lifetime, with maybe the exception of Reagan, ever defended the nation so forcefully and eloquently when it was under direct assault from internal enemies as Trump did.
You can't go to Europe. You can't rent an RV - or even buy one right now due to demand. Very tough to find a runabout boat this year. Many hiking areas are closed. National parks are open, but state parks are iffy.
I am hearing ideas from people. Skill-building is good. New things are good.
- Take an adult driving course. I mean on a track, not on the road. Learn to really drive safely like a pro.
- Learn to camp. REI or Outward Bound. If you want to try roughing it, best to learn how first, or it will not be much fun.
- Make a fitness and nutrition program and get in perfect shape.
- Get your physical exam - doctors have time right now. Dermatology check too. This summer, doctors in most places have nothing to do, believe it or not.
- Take day hiking trips. Nothing wrong with Motel 6. Better than a tent. Around here, the White Mountains.
- Plan a pizza party for friends once/week. Reconnect with cheap pizza and Corona (with lime). Lime prevents corona.
- Find a shooting range or shooting school. Handguns, rifles, and shotguns are great fun and basic life skills. So are fly-fishing lessons, but it's late in the season for actually catching fresh water fish.
- Take some riding lessons. Is handling horses a basic life skill? Maybe. Any new skill is worthwhile.
- Take a boating course or sailing course. Water is wonderful.
Please add your Summer 2020 life-enhancing ideas in the comments
President Trump has an excellent record to run on. His tax cuts, trade deals and deregulation generated the strongest economy, probably, in American history. Overseas, we are at peace while still strongly advancing American interests.
The USMCA, the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico that replaced NAFTA, goes into effect today
Webinars can be hit or miss. The New York Adventure Club, due to the obvious difficulties of getting out these days, have some on offer. I took in one on Five Points that was excellent, and there is one on July 21 about the Brooklyn Bridge that I have signed up for. $10 isn't too much, I guess, though I'd rather do tours on foot (boy I miss the Urban Hike and I hope we can pull one off in the Fall...I was thinking of focusing on movie locations this time).
If you're interested in spending an hour and learning about NYC's history, here's a great way to do it. Just click the link and see what they have to offer.
Social media has messed with our minds. The madness of crowds used to be limited by geography, time, and transaction cost–all of which have been lessened by social media. As a result, the crowds are now bigger and madder. And our brains, which are finely tuned to listen to the crowd (meaning the tribe or village ala Dunbar’s number), are overwhelmed when the crowd is in the thousands or millions. We should discount signals which come at the cost of a tweet but we can’t and so the pressures to conform are intense. If your job isn’t protected, stay off social media or at least use a pseudonym. Even if you do nothing today, the crowd may come after you years later so you can never feel safe.
Roger K is a smart guy, but I think he's wrong about this. This sort of power stuff has gone on, on and off, since the 1800s. Race just happens to be the hook right now.
99% Stunning, 100% Brave: 
Buying Goya this weekend?
