We bring you more about depression all around us, compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve cards, how to visit Taipei, do Travel Local USA, we get to cash out in more ways using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, visit Georgia the country, all the money in the world in one graph, more about investing uncertainty, amazing evolution videos, incredible life story about a guy trying to save us all who did amazing things in his lifetime and so much more for you for freeeeeee!
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I’ll see you Friday. Be excellent to each other.
COVID-19
With so much going wrong this year, you may wonder Is Everyone Depressed? Post starts out like this and, you know, you may empathize too perhaps? The article is very educational about the subject.
The word I keep hearing is numbness. Not necessarily a sickness, but feeling ill at ease. A sort of detachment or removal from reality. Deb Hawkins, a tech analyst in Michigan, describes the feeling of being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic as “sleep-walking through my life” or “wading through a physical and mental quicksand.” Even though she has been living in what she calls an “introvert heaven” for the past two months—at home with her family, grateful they are in good health—her brain has dissented. “I feel like I have two modes,” Hawkins says: “barely functioning and boiling angry.”
Zero? Yeah, good luck to us…Some Countries Have Brought New Cases Down To Nearly Zero. How Did They Do It? You know, we could have been like New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam. South Korea. But…nope. Never ever underestimate the value of leadership and governance!
From a doctor: The Risks of Normalizing the Coronavirus. What do we lose when we become numb to mass death?
I still see so many not wearing masks. I will not go back to a business if its employees do not wear masks, come on! Can we finally put this to rest? Why We Wear Masks. Everything you ever wanted to know about the mask.
I look around me and on TV and online and I see so many instances of people NOT practicing social distancing and not wearing masks. The George Floyd protests erupting all over the country is a major sign that in a few weeks we should probably not be questioning why Covid-19 cases are going up. Same thing with Greece, it appears the people there feel so confident they beat the virus and hell yeah we are all going back to our habits and drink coffee in cafes. See pics of my hometown in Larisa, Greece…like nothing has changed, SAD!
Talk about an industry that faces some major change! How Covid-19 Will Shape the Future of Senior Living. New Models of Care, More Aging in Place.
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: New: The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum now offers 70k AA miles. The IHG Rewards Club card offering 140k points too, highest ever. For a standard workhorse card I recommend the 60k Chase Sapphire Preferred card. For a standard premium card I recommend the 50k Chase Sapphire Reserve card. For a standard 2% cash back card I recommend the Citi Double Cash card. Available with my links. Lets move on!
If you need the money and you do have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can now redeem your points at 1.5 cents per point to offset purchases for dining, home improvements and grocery stores (until September 30).
Newbies: If you wanted to learn more about these two cards: Battle Of The Chase Sapphire Cards: Should You Go Preferred Or Reserve? If you were to apply, please use my links, thanks!
Update: Make sure you register for a Double Miles promotion in your American Airlines AAdvantage account. Click the “Promotions” tab.
There is a card for, please sit down, startups. I think it has an exclusive sales relationship with The Points Guy. They just let 62 people go…No doubt the card is still amazing #sarcasm
TRAVEL
Just in case you visit anytime soon: 25 Incredible Places to Visit in Georgia (the Country).
This is kind of unique Travel Local USA: A concise, travel-like-a-local guide to 74,762 attractions, according to 9,526,193 reviews.
It looks so…amazingly new! Ancient Roman Mosaic Floor Unearthed Beneath Italian Vineyard.
If you go: The 13 Best Things to See and Do in Taipei.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Wow, must click: All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization.
A follow up from Howard Marks: Uncertainty II. Must read.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Mile Nerd with his monthly post. Must read as always. I was not sure where to place it so I stuck it here under Oddz & Endz because it sure was odd…and powerful.
I have no idea how many hours this guy worked on this, unreal! One of the Most Ambitious Outdoor Rube Goldberg Machines and the Camera Work is Great.
It sure is: Evolution Is the Greatest Show on Earth. And they sure are! These videos are a gateway drug to science.
Amazing story! Into the Wild. Twice. For Mankind. And you thought you have a full life, lol!
Part Indiana Jones, part Anthony Fauci, part That-guy-who-thrives-at-every-damn-sport-he-tries, Dr. Johan Hultin is the hero we need now. He may be 95, but his work as an adventurer/pathologist—two times traversing the Alaskan wilderness to solve the riddle of the 1918 pandemic—is helping fight the coronavirus today.
The porn industry has actually pioneered lots of technologies. And they may be at it again in AC (After Corona) times. Porn Takes On a Personal Touch in the Pandemic. Do you think the banks will let The Points Guy post stuff like this huh?
The coronavirus has shuttered the adult entertainment industry, so enterprising performers are turning to platforms like OnlyFans to sell their product directly to consumers. It’s a trend that could change the way the industry works forever.
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
I think the country is going from bad to worse. And it starts at the very top. You know, the buck stops there, right? Watching George Floyd die like that was of course extremely disturbing. Seeing the protests happen was understandable. Seeing the riots and looting and destruction was very upsetting. I could go on and on…And if you thought the President will show leadership and try to help the situation without, well, making it worse…you have not been paying attention!
I really liked this raw emotional speech by Atlanta’s mayor. I am having a hard time dealing with it all lately, the global pandemic, the major disruption to our lives, the continued racist incidents unfolding and now the major protests exploding and some elements taking advantage of them to do major damage to private property which absolutely blows and is being responded by extreme use of force with scenes resembling some third world banana republic out there, yikes! And this photo captures it all…
I have been thinking about getting a gun to protect my family ever since Trump was elected. That does not mean I will go ahead with it of course. My anti gun views are well known. Because I am a lover, not a fighter. Ok, bad joke. Ok, maybe before I take this drastic step…I buy pepper spray. Anyone knows where to buy it? Of course with my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, sad!
And, for crying out loud, I of course am aware of my white privilege as I do not have to put up with racist shit my fellow black Americans have to deal with every day. Watching the George Floyd video sickened me and if it did not provoke the same feeling to you…what can I say? We need to change this shit, enough!
And be careful out there, especially online. The BS “info” apocalypse is alive and kicking: We’re Keeping A Running List Of Hoaxes And Misleading Posts About The Nationwide Police Brutality Protests.
I can not wait to vote in November and take my revenge in the ballot booth and also mailing in my five ballots!
I know it is hard…but I prefer to focus on the positives…51 Photos From George Floyd Protests That Will Restore Your Faith In America.
We are in June already, wow! Lets get ten credit card conversions this month so I do not lose my links you guys. If that happens, I think I am going to check out Substack and take this baby to a newsletter as I reset my strategy to beat back the intense competition by The Points Guy Inc. Lol.
Update: Few minutes before posting this, I received my weekly blog traffic update. Lowest numbers ever. Not even one Amazon click yesterday and of course no conversions. Lowest point in my blogging career. Like everything else around us…it just sucks. And I did not even get close to sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night…smh.
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
American giant is famous for its sweatshirts but it has gone into mask production. I’m a huge fan although they sell out fast. I bet I’ll be wearing one for quite some time.
Thanks for the links.
Let me know if you see affiliate links from them 🙂
Just kidding.
Just added into the post that there is a Double Miles AA promotion, register by clicking on the Promotion tab in your AAdvantage account.
Very odd as I am pretty sure I clicked the Amazon link yesterday, but maybe it was the day before… I highly recommend Georgia, it is amazing.
And wow, Mile Nerd. We never find out if the kid is really his and if they still have a relationship?
There was never a kid. Or a hot blonde he lasted 93 seconds 🙂 But sure got our attention!
I have to say that I understand what Mile Nerd was trying to say at the end, but I also did not like his style of doing so. When you create a parable, you tell people it is one at the start. Not set it up like it is a real thing. Frankly, that column really put me off my feed for his stuff.
As far as Amazon, I have your TBB links page saved AS my amazon link so I always go through it when I shop Amazon. I didn’t shop Sunday but hope that the link always works! Yeah, it means an extra click but it’s worth it to try to help out.
Yeah…I forgot it was Sunday…hardly ever get any Amazon click on Sundays.
Yeah, that was a weird sequence…but it worked I think in the end.
93 seconds was the funniest part!
Thanks for using my link, hope everyone did, make Bezos poorer! 🙂
Agreed That mile nerd post was awesome
Our imploding hobby, our imploding country.
You can find pepper spray at well stocked hardware stores and places that sell guns and cater to the hunting crowd. We carried some for years while walking our small dog in case a big dog came after him. Warning: Since dogs can’t really rub their eyes effectively, a sprayed dog will just run and run until he/she drops. And may die.
The Mile Nerd article is great. The Chase cash out is even better.
Thanks for the info on pepper spray.
Implosion is probably the perfect word right now…
Your friends over at Ritholtz appear so touchy lately after being challenged online (where else?) taking PPP money:
https://thereformedbroker.com/2020/06/01/this-is-simple-and-straightforward-unless-you-are-committed-to-misunderstanding-it/
31 families emailed us last week asking for information about how they could become clients of the firm. So I’ll be busy with that. Talk soon.
But a firm managing $1.5 billion and always touting their marketing pipeline…somehow it felt threatened they just had to get the PPP money to cover 2.5 months of payroll. WTF is wrong with these guys?
You watch, they will give the money back and get a lot more clicks that way 🙂
I did not apply. I did not need any money. End of story.
Arrogant to start an article with “ This is simple and straightforward, unless you are committed to misunderstanding it.”
And then he continues with a lengthy article. Nothing simple about that approach.
There’s nothing illegal about taking advantage of PPP. And I can understand why some of that was needed (albeit I prefer the European approach). Barry, the author of bailout nation, suddenly lacks moral clarity in this case. Oh, the irony.
By the way, why does the PPP cover salaries up to $100k.? That’s a rediculous amount. 5-10x more than unemployment compensation in many states. And still we have ~25% unemployment rate.
One of Barry’s fav quotes:
Who is swimming naked? “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” — Warren Buffett
Turns out it’s “Everyone” (who borrowed a lot of money).
What gets me is…we pound on having a very well funded cash emergency fund. And then they felt threatened…to cover a few months of payroll, seriously? So…if you did cover payroll with the money you “borrowed”, why not ask for forgiveness then?
I think Steve got it. Probably the most well know RIA firm in the land, managing more than $1 billion…worrying to cover payroll for a few months? I mean, 31 new clients just rode in…that just does not happen anywhere else and worrying about covering payroll and not doing any hiring to service them. Smh here.
Barry interviewed TPG himself in his Master of Business podcast. Not even a word about cocaine though 🙂
Fox Labs pepper spray is what you want. That crap they sell at Walmart, Target or hardware stores is only going to piss most people off. The Fox Labs stuff will drop and mark your attacker(s). I believe you can get it in Grenade form as well if you want to clear a path though a rioting mob such as they have in places like Detroit, Baltimore, DC, NYC and Atlanta.
My opinion on your mask and lockdown fetish, it is a bit overblown. If you truly feel your life is in danger from people NOT wearing masks, you are in for a long, long quarantine. The powers that be still haven’t found a vaccine for the original SARS (i.e. 2003) version. Covid-19? Probably going to take forever.
Countries that wear masks tend to do better.
Regarding SARS vaccine, there are more than 125 different vaccine currently in development. One is bound to perform pretty well. It’s about increasing the odds and throwing money at it. $100B in vaccine development and manufacturing cost (world wide) is nothing compared to the total financial losses so far. Most scientific experiments fail. We barely spent anything on MERS/SARS vaccines. There’s a triennial international conference on nidoviruses (includes MERS, SARS, CoV et). There used to be 100-200 participants from the entire globe. The meeting will be massive next year (it was cancelled this year). This should tell you how underfunded virus research and vaccine development has been.
Fox Labs Pepper Spray it is, thanks Kevin.
I think my mask thing is…more on the attitude of the business to do the right thing. If they do not have masks on…I would rather go to other businesses that actually care.
ABC: I agree on the vaccine funding. Everyone is focused on this one this time. We ”ll get there eventually. But first some therapeutics will come, hopefully soon…
Is it just me or…is it that pretty much everywhere people out acting like we beat back this virus or what? Is it really weakening or are we all just sick of this quarantine thing?
I guess we will find out…
Nothong illegal about grabbing PPP money.
If that’s as low as your bar goes
Phucking moron clearing his way to go for a photo op with a Bible…
Just when you thought this guy could not go any lower…he always delivers.
This is not going to end well…
When I saw that happening, the first thing I thought how he was just asking to get made into a meme and the internet did not disappoint.
However, you cannot shame the shameless. Just another day in America.
Is FTG officially dead? No post since March 23rd.
Certainly it appears so…
It just lies there…
What a legacy. When this happens here will I just let it lie or take it offline? TBD 🙂
Thanks for the first credit card conversion this month!
Second best thing happened already this morning. First was FB Messenger video call with my mom after her eye appointment, she looks good!
Now waiting for the A/C service guy…
I could have published the next blog post today…so the one coming Friday is shaping up to be a killer post. I miss Wednesdays here…
The credit cards available with my links are getting less and less, SAD! No more CSP oh no! WTF is going on?
No Amex Hilton Aspire link either…I wanted to go for it this month…yikes.
So tough to compete against TPG
Covfefe!
The Bible, we’re doomed.
Have a great day!
We rage when we see mullahs do that with the Quran in Iran type countries…
I am starting to have positive feelings about George Will LOL.
Agree about George Will. Still he’s been wrong for so many decades.
Stock market is about to hit an all time high. Trump must be doing something right……42M unemployed. I don’t get it. The stock market didn’t go up in the beginning of the Great Depression.
The old saying “sell in May” doesn’t apply during a pandemic?
Stock market is living in its own alternative reality…
I think this is true on so many levels…
I was just ordered to go buy fruits and veggies by my wife…
Yuge blog post tomorrow.
73 cents earned on Amazon tomorrow…how do I spend this windfall? Lol
George Will is a cool guy, conservative bent notwithstanding. I saw him speak about 10 years ago and he told great stories about policy, and his second love baseball, about which he has written books.
He closed his talk by addressing the estate tax, which he opposes. He told of the great baseball player Tug McGraw. After winning the World Series, a reporter asked Tug what has planned to do with his winning prize of $100,000. Tug said“ I’m gonna take $25,000 and put on a big party for all my friends”. The reporter asked “And the other $75,000.”. Tug thought for a minute and answered “Oh, I’lll probably just piss it away on booze and women”.
Will then noted that Tug McGraw could do anything he wanted with his World Series check.
Except leave it to his son.