We bring you accounts of Covid needless deaths, how United tricks bankers, the best camp sites, Trump cult keeps rolling, visit Central Asia, the best Covid-19 coverage and photography as always, we fly on F16s, we talk about the economy vs the stock market, the history of in-flight entertainment, the new Public Enemy video, we meet the cave kingpin, we meet some heiress fraudsters, a wonderful story about a dude who wanted to be a DJ so he was one to himself for over 40 years before, well, you gotta listen to the sweet ending, bisons stampede, countries housing refugees and much more for not sure how much longer I can do this!
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MUST READ MVP PICK
There are some reads that blow you away. This was one of them. Remember the fall of Communism in Romania and the execution of the certified mega asshole Nicolae Ceaușescu and his mega bitch wife? When the world discovered the thousands of abandoned orphans and the horrific conditions they were living in? Many from abroad adopted some of them. This is the absolute stunning story of one of them. If you are going to read one thing today, make it this one. You will see why. The couple adopting kids like that are heroes, I could not do what they did.
30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies of Human Contact
COVID-19
Ever since the mayhem started, we knew what we had to do. Take drastic measures very early, test like crazy, isolate positive cases and contact trace like never before. And yet…we have not really done any of these things. And many continue to die, the fear is out there and therefore we just can not reopen the economy as fast as we could have. No leadership to give it to us straight. On the contrary, it appears our present federal leadership is functioning in some alternative reality. Which is just complete batshit crazy. It was all fun and games before as the economy was kicking ass and our 401k plans were only going up. Not anymore, we have lost almost 120,000 of our own citizens in less than four months, WTF! How many needless Covid-19 deaths were caused by delays in responding? Most of them.
Our analysis shows that with the same actions actually taken by other nations large and small, from East and West, the U.S. could have prevented 70% to 99% of its Covid-19 deaths. This has been a needless tragedy.
We can beat up on China of course on so many levels. But controlling the pandemic (even after the slow initial response that effectively turned it into a pandemic of course) afterwards is probably not one of them. As of the time I am typing this, China has about 83,000 cases and 4,634 dead (yeah, they are likely low…and so are ours, sad lol). And they have managed to almost get their economy back to normal. New outbreaks are handled amazingly fast and in a strict manner. I don’t know, maybe this is what it takes to control this phucking virus which is proving, well, so phucking difficult to control! The way Beijing tracked its second wave is a lesson for us all. Read this and see how many of these measures we are not doing. Hell, we have managed to make wearing a mask a political statement here, smh!
We all want it fast. Maybe fast is not a good idea. Best read on vaccines: How — and When — Can the Coronavirus Vaccine Become a Reality? I think we will get there eventually, all the scientists are locked in!
Not to ruin your breakfast (or whatever meal ) you are enjoying but…Covid-19 Is Bad. But It May Not Be the ‘Big One’. Hopefully, we do not have a short memory after this one is over…
“Covid-19 should make the case that, at the highest level, political leaders and health leaders should never let pandemics off of their priority list again.”
I am learning more about the 1918 pandemic. We had mask deniers back then too! We call them maskholes, back then they were called mask slackers. Watch this clip! During the 1918 flu pandemic, “mask slackers” were arrested, anti-mask protesters stormed city council, and a bomb was found outside a doctor’s office. 100 years later, the War Against Masks rages on.
Since we are on the subject of masks, we get another post about them, this one by the Lazy Traveler: Masks on a Plane: It’s Up to Airlines to #MASA — Make AirTravel Safe Again. Good advice but hey, logic is missing in our toxic political environment. But this should have never been about politics, it is about our public health!!!!!!<——exclamation marks indicate I am phucking screaming!<—–this one just because it fits right here in that spot ok?
There are enough holes in threats from A4A, American, Delta, and United to fly a few planeloads through. If you want something to be done, don’t just threaten a maskhole whose goal is to circumvent your rules here and now with “future flight privileges.” Make it more difficult for them here and now, not in the future!
You know, the other day I wondered tweeted out loud: What if the first wave never ends? U.S. reports more than 30,000 coronavirus cases two days straight, the highest number since May 1. Can you imagine this would happen when states reopened so early, wow, just wow! wow=smh And in the world stage WHO reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases. Yikes!
Get used to this for a while: Dr. Fauci says normalcy may not return until next year following Covid-19 case spikes. Do you think Dr. Fauci will write a book too? He should 😉
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: The Citi Business American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard offer is 65,000 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!
I have added above the 65,000 AA miles offer for the Citi Business American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard. If you decide to get it, please support the blog by using my links, thank you. Ask in the comments or email me with questions.
I don’t have anything….so, how about watching F16 flights filmed in 8k instead? I am sure you won’t mind!
Wait, I do: Did IHG make a mistake with dynamic reward pricing? The best redemptions have been pulled ….I warned you this was coming, sad lol.
In the last TBB post, I kindly asked if someone had time to get into the Powerpoint presentation United used to get a $5 billion loan so they can do a guest post. I was ignored as expected and gave yet another blogger a valid reason to dig and come up with some juicy information. I would have done the same but since I am not paid minimum wage here I declined 🙂 United’s Creative MileagePlus Accounting Gets Them A $5 Billion Loan, It Also Gives Us A Fun Insiders Look Into Their Program.
TRAVEL
Breaking:We all wish we were traveling again, this is by far the longest since I have flown and I am sure we all hate it! So, in the meantime, we are resigned to just click on links and pretend we are there…24 Astonishing and Historical Places to Visit in Central Asia.
But wait, we can instead drive to Best Places to Camp in All 50 States. One day I am going to make it to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.
Another one involving the 50 US States: Photo collections from every state in the Union.
Very interesting read on the history of in-flight-entertainment. The in-flight entertainment system was once a novel idea that kept passengers enthralled. Now in the COVID-19 era, it’s both outdated and a serious germ hazard. The movie projector aboard started in 1961.
At first, he convinced one single domestic airline, TWA, to offer the service to its first-class passengers. (The first international airline to try it, Pakistan International Airlines, offered it to every passenger.) [Pakistan International Airlines, really?]
PERSONAL FINANCE
There are some really good thoughts here: In Our Own Way.
My advice: Persevere with these battles when they’re important. But don’t expect to be the perfect citizen. Occasionally have that third slice of pizza. Go ahead, have another glass of wine. Sure, skip the occasional workout. What about also skipping the IRA contribution? Hey, let’s not go crazy here.
We all know the political environment is batshit crazy. But this has now extended to The Economy Is A Mess. So Why Isn’t The Stock Market? Doing a lot of reevaluating right now…on everything. This time is different 🙂
CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS
This may make you depressed. So many disturbed morons out there that have come out of their holes it is unbelievably and sadly shocking! “He’s the Chosen One to Run America”: Inside the Cult of Trump, His Rallies Are Church and He Is the Gospel. I lost count how many times I screamed WTF after reading an article, seriously! When I got to the end I wanted to cut myself!
Public Enemy is back and they are really pissed off! Public Enemy releases new anti-Trump protest video. And I love it!
ODDZ & ENDZ
In this world we are aware of many kingpins. Did you know there is a cave kingpin? He is confined to Minnesota for now…I did not even know that state had any caves in the first place! The Cave Kingpin Buying Up America’s Underground.
This is about some women fraudsters who fooled people for years pretending they are rich. We are talking about elaborate frauds involving the cooperation of others pretending about inheritances that are coming. I was always fascinated by the question “Are you born this way?”…Is it in the genes or something? Probably…An Invisible Crown: How to Be an Heiress. I shook my head a lot but not as often as the article about the Trump cultists above.
This is one of the sweetest stories you will read/listen to. It is about a guy so obsessed about being a DJ he had his own show for 40 years broadcasting to himself! The DJ Who Broadcast to One Listener for 40 Years. And then the story took the sweetest turn after so many years! Listening to him in his 70’s say at the end “Living the dream is more enjoyable than realizing the dream. Live the dream dude!” should bring a big smile to your face. If not, there must be something wrong with your face. Dude! 🙂 Wait…Living the dream of making it big as a blogger is not as enjoyable dude, in fact, it is a nightmare! #notreallybutclose
Can you imagine being in the car? Drivers in Yellowstone Get Caught in Middle of Bison Stampede
Very interesting chart: The Countries Hosting the Most Refugees
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.
This week I finished with 29.3 miles. Here is my long one in my favorite local park in Dexter, Michigan. Must start early these days before the heat makes it too unbearable!
Yesterday it was Father’s day and my birthday. Best present would be if you got a family member a Chase Sapphire Preferred card with my links. Ooops, Chase took that affiliate link away, yikes!
Song recommendation alert! Some good old ska music for you from the 80’s. And this song is so appropriate in these quarantine/lockdown pandemic days we are all living through! Lyrics in one of the comments below.
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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Happy father’s day!
The mortgage of frequent flier programs makes sense after the article in the WSJ sometime back giving estimates of how valuable they were. This has to make it interesting for airlines the devalue the miles.
The Specials – Ghost Town
This town (town) is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs have been closed down
This place (town) is coming like a ghost town
Bands won’t play no more
Too much fighting on the dance floor
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown
This town (town) is coming like a ghost town
Why must the youth fight against themselves?
Government leaving the youth on the shelf
This place (town) is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can’t go on no more
The people getting angry
This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town
This town is coming like a ghost town
Love this song!
Happy belated birthday Buzz.
You would think his followers in this day and age would embrace science, more so than the average American. Last time I checked, science makes phones, trucks and guns.
Thanks for the post.
Greeting from Munich. Went to my office again after 15 weeks. Wore my mask everywhere and have the official government contact tracing app on my smartphone. This weekend we booked a trip to ATH for Oct 31-Nov 4 at a killer 118€/person fare. 🙂 Life is good in the developed world… 🙂
PS: Munich only had two new cases test positive over the weekend. Just fyi. 😉
Loyalty Traveler (Ric Garrido) has finally posted again, after a long hiatus.
https://local.theonion.com/city-enters-phase-4-of-pretending-coronavirus-over-1844037065
Could be a real press release for some states.
@ DML: The frequent flyer programs have been bailing out the airlines for decades 🙂
@ David: Every day I shake my head that they keep falling for this crap…Hopefully he will be left with the hard core racist idiots only…
@ Oliver2002: Checking the Athens marathon site everyday, still no update…Who knows what happens until November!
@ Masked Poster: See, it worked! 🙂
@ Josh: Yeah, lol. Love The Onion
Weekly stat indicators all down again for the past week. CC conversions stuck at 5. Less than $2 made at Amazon over the weekend. I think I am doing something very wrong…consistently lol.
If my wife could read my blog and finally intervene, sad lol.
Robert Redfield (CDC) and Fauci (NIAID) testifying before Congress wearing mask NOW. You are only 3 months and 120000+ deaths late.
Our government leaders have failed us in every aspect. Can’t wait for Biden to clean this sh!t up…….
Robert is a religiously deluded moron way over his head.
I think Fauci calculated that he will end up helping if he…accommodated the dotard enough. Same with Dr. Birx. Maybe these two calculated it wrong…maybe a resignation and then taking off the gloves in a speaking tour speaking their minds would have sent a stronger message. I don’t know…
Bottom line is: So much hardship, so much money spent and…we are having cases go way up along with the body bags. Complete disaster…In normal times, a govt like that would resign in shame. Instead, we have the phucking moron speaking to a bunch of young morons in a church without any social distancing and masks…it is like pretending they are living in an alternate reality…
I am so angry it is ridiculous…
Lost another two email list subscribers today. Made $2.34 on Amazon. Just 5 cc conversions this month. The end is near, sorry folks…
Just spent $200 on Amazon using your link. Hang in there!
Same here. Ordered a gloving didlø because what else are you supposed to use at a protest during a pandemic. If you only knew what they used in 1918!!!
Yep, we’ll have to wait for a vaccine in the US. Maybe most of Europe may be safe this summer. It’s been interesting to read about Airbnb’s new approach. Massive layoffs and a new focus on shorter distance (3-5h drive) vacation. The CEO is surprisingly honest about the new reality. And he cut marketing >$1B.
Right on about Fauci and Birx.
Fauci knows that if he doesn’t toe the Trump party line he will be fired. I suppose he thinks that for the greater good it is better when he stays in charge rather than a trump appointee in his place. Look at how Rick Bright at BARDA was fired because he stated his opinion about hydroxychloroquine. BARDA is crucial in the quest to produce a vaccine and the removal of the head over this statement is a facepalming moment….
More about BARDA: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815307821/planet-money-why-the-market-for-emergency-vaccines-is-like-no-other
Fauci is 79 (at high risk) and a medical doctor. He should be in the “I don’t give a fcuk” stage of his life.120000+ deaths so far. Many could have been prevented.
Thanks Christian, much appreciated.
Thanks for the laugh ABC…about you ordering a glovingdildo LOL. Yeah, the Airbnb CEO is a very interesting dude indeed.
I added that to the to read queue Oliver2002. Certainly confirms my thinking based on what you posted…
It is either Fauci or some incompetent asskisserMotherFracker…
As an admitted layman, though I’d say informed one, I continue to be mystified how the world markets are seemingly ignoring what is going on from the effects of the pandemic. This article certainly won’t help anyone sleep at night but I thought it was a thoughtful analysis of what is going on:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/second-great-depression/613360/
TL;DR version: the average household will continue to not be able to spend at previous levels, small businesses will close at an exponential rate and state & local governments (mostly) are required in stature to have a balanced budget = recovery might not happen till the 2030s.
*statute
I read when it first came out. Good article but, imho, way too pessimistic. We are very resilient here and so is our economy. Are the markets disconnected from what is happening on the ground? It certainly appears so…or maybe they are looking ahead for the vaccine 🙂
It did not make the cut for the Friday post…but it was close. Maybe because I have another one linked to travel which is even more pessimistic than this one. And I thought having both in the same post may be a bit too much for the weekend 🙂
Just checked what is happening today in the markets…and wished I had the alerts from Jim Cramer lol.
I hope you’re right about the resilience of the economy. But I worry about the adult gamblers looking too much at economic indicators from behind a computer screen instead of what the general populous is actually experiencing. For all the rent and other bills that the average person has been able to defer for various reasons over the last few months – those aren’t going away. And when the bills come due…well we already know about the state of most emergency funds.
Nice plots of the Corona virus status in every state.
https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-TRENDS/dgkvlgkrkpb/index.html
Good link, thanks!
I urge people to quit following/worrying about the number of infections—it’s a fully meaningless metric *at this point*. Right now the only real metrics to use are deaths, hospitalizations, and test positivity percentages (which are way too big in a number of places).
Odds are very high that you will end up getting it before a vaccine is ready. And chances are it won’t kill you. So don’t freak out.
Here’s a good primer on who is generally more at risk:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/income-emerges-as-a-major-predictor-of-coronavirus-infections-along-with-race/2020/06/22/9276f31e-b4a3-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html
Massively increasing infection rates in FL, TX and AZ are worrisome. Especially FL with a lot of retired folks. I think you are overestimating the odds of getting it before a vaccine is on the market (early 2021?). Many thought Sweden and especially Stockholm would be much closer to herd immunity. However, only 5-10% had the antibodies. Consequently SE is banned from traveling anywhere within the EU. I am not sure how young Greek men will survive this summer. I doubt Helga from Bavaria will show up and give them a hand.
For those who don’t like wearing a mask, you REALLY won’t like a ventilator.
Thanks for a lot of the comments…if they only were conversions I would not be whining about the 15 cents the blog earned yesterday, sad covfefe!
Michigan cases yesterday hit 300+, highest in June. We were down to the 200s but…It does appear the phucking virus may actually not just disappear/go away you guys…
Tomorrow’s post is developing nicely…but this whole blogging thing is getting really tiring. Amazingly, no other blog has officially called it quits…If the virus continues and quarantines/lockdowns keep happening, travel industry is in for a major depression…which is already happening actually in some parts of the world…I would laugh at this comment by ABC a lot more if it was not for the devastation in the Greek tourism:
>>>>>>>I am not sure how young Greek men will survive this summer. I doubt Helga from Bavaria will show up and give them a hand.
TPG published its diversity data on LinkedIn (scroll back 6 days) which is interesting. 77% white. Full credit to them for publishing the data though.
Actually, if you look at Brian’s accompanying blog post, he admits that there are no non-white senior staff at TPG.
Again, though, fair play for publishing this and committing to change.
Yes, but….. doesn’t that say that he’s been part of the “problem”? I would expect more from a progressive member of the LGBTQIA community. He should know discrimination quite well.
Sometimes you need fresh blood at the top to really change things.
>>>>>>he admits that there are no non-white senior staff at TPG
Cocaine is white too!