MORNING STEW #36

Wow! Another day with a ton of things to discuss. Too many. Coronavirus is overwhelming even blog reporting.

Here we go! As the material shows up in my notes. No specific order.

Biden/Trump debate last night. Biden decidedly the winner.

I felt sorry for Sanders. He looked beat up, tired. Hunched over more than usual. Slouched even more as the evening went on.

He was tired. It showed. Tired so much that some of his comments made no sense.

I feared on occasion he was going to pass out.

If tomorrow is decidedly for Biden, Sanders should walk away. His time came and passed. No disrespect intended.

I sometimes think the media gives up when it comes to Trump.

Early last week at one of his Rose Gardens coronavirus updates, Trump or one of his “experts” said we would have 1.4 million tests available by sunday night.

Sunday night came and went with no testing units. The new word was 1.9 million would be available in 3-4 days.

This is the same bullshit we have been getting for 4 weeks. The only difference the number of tests units that would be available.

No one has called Trump on this.

Notice I did not use the word “kits.” The reason is each kit is capable of providing 5-7 tests.

Trump and his people never mention this distinction either.

Ventilators. We are told not enough. A real problem. Doctors will be deciding who will live or die. Not everyone will have one if needed.

We know the need is coming and will be dramatic! Plan for it! Require those plants that make them to work extra hours and extra shifts. Discover immediately a quicker method to produce them.

It can be done. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Rick Pitino will be leaving his coaching duties in Greece at the end of the season. He will become coach at Iona.

Amazing! Iona is one of the smallest colleges in the nation. When I attended Manhattan College in New York City, Iona was north of the campus either in the City or Yonkers.

Pitino is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. He has had a checkered career. Like inducing recruits with prostitutes while at Louisville.

Yeas ago, he took over coaching duties at little Providence. In 2 years, he brought the team to the Final Four.

Pitino and Boeheim are close. Interestingly, Providence lost to Syracuse in the 1987 Final Four semi-finals.

Pitino is a horseman. Buys and races horses. I know him through Saratoga and his basketball coaching days. A New York Broadway type. A good guy, with a few shortcomings.

He will make a great coach at Iona. Don’t be surprised if Iona becomes a major college basketball team within 5 years.

Sunday afternoon, Key West’s Mayor declared a State of Local Emergency. As did the Mayor of Monroe County, also.

No coronavirus cases have been discovered yet in Key West or the County. Does not mean they are not here. Test kits a rare commodity. Next to none.

Key West is a tourist town. Its business tourism. Cruise ships, hotels, bars, restaurants, and beaches.

The cruise ship lines self closed for 30 days. Key West is burgeoning with tourists who drove or flew in. Spring break time on top of the usual tourist load.

Key West bars, small and large alike, packed day and night this time of the year. As are the beaches and restaurants.

New York City a tourist town. Closed Broadway last week. This past weekend closed all bars and restaurants. I would not be surprised to see it happen in Key West in the near future.

I feel sorry for the bar and restaurant workers who bust their asses accommodating tourists. They will be out of work. No way around it, however.

If the coronavirus crisis is not effectively dealt with, the situation will become as it was in 1918 with the world wide Spanish Flu Epidemic. Many will die. Key West will be a ghost town for several years. There will be no jobs then, also.

Better we deal with the problem up front. Not the way Trump is doing it.

Trump announced he had the coronavirus test and passed. Negative for the virus.

He may be. I don’t know. I would not believe him and his cohorts around him on  a stack of bibles.

Recall when Obama was early on running for the Presidency. Trump insisted Obama was not a citizen. Insisted Obama provide a birth certificate. Obama provided a copy. Trump insisted on the original

The same thing should occur here. Trump should be required by the media and his Democratic opposition to provide his negative virus report. The original, of course.

My primary care physician is Dr. Jack Norris. He also serves as Chief of Staff for the Lower Keys Medical Center. He reported yesterday that so far no confirmed cases had been reported in Key West or the Keys. He pointed out however there were few testing kits available.

Dr. Norris also reported that the hospital has been advised it will receive 5 new test kits. Sounds like the toilet paper shortage.

Harry Truman loved Key West. Key West loves Harry Truman. On this day in 1950, Truman arrived in Key West for a 3 week vacation at the Little White House.

The stock market is anticipated to open on the down side again. One thousand two hundred points. The down slide was predicted to continue throughout the day. This could be another 2,000 point day. At the best, a mere 1,000.

Whatever, our financial situation is not getting any better.

Italy has 3,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Three hundred sixty dead.

One reason Italy’s numbers are so bad is that Italy did not “get ready” for the virus till later. Much like the U.S. Some medical experts believe the U.S. path will be similar to Italy’s because of our failure to recognize and move swiftly re the problem.

Thank you, Donald!

Trump is a mental freak. My apologies, however he is. He has a compatriot. British Prime Minister Johnson. Friends who are birds of a feather.

Trump has a tendency to listen to world leaders who he admires. All persons of danger in one fashion or another.

The U.K. is afflicted with the coronavirus problem.

Johnson recognizes the elderly are the most vulnerable. He is thinking of putting all over 70 in camps. He claims to better care for them. His real reason to protect the younger. They have a better chance of surviving and their care costs little in comparison to the elderly.

Many in Britain are opposed. His idea is considered a “wartime attack” on the elderly. Culling the expendables. Fascism.

Do I believe Trump might consider or even try such. Absolutely! Anyone who would snatch babies for mothers’ arms and treat children at the border as he has would.

Of course, Donald is well over 70. He might have to set the age at 80 in the U.S.

In the past 2 weeks, I have written and talked about a run on the banks. Could happen. Will happen if economy keeps going kaput.

Many have discussed this personally with me. Most angrily…..Take my money? No way!

I share with you what occurred at 2 New York City banks. One on thursday, the other friday.

The market dropped 2,300 points thursday. Bank of America has a branch in midtown Manhattan. In the heart of the financial district.

People lined up to take cash out of their accounts. Some tens of thousands of dollars. All wanted cash.

The Bank was able to meet the demand. It ran out of $100 bills and had to pay out in smaller denominations as the day wore on.

JP Morgan Chase has a branch across the street. On friday, it had the same experience Bank of America had the day before.

Most people are hoarding groceries. Depositors are stockpiling their cash.

The worry factor is developing.

Note both banks had sufficient funds each day.

No Dueling Bartenders and Antonia’s tonight. I am in self-imposed isolation.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

27 comments on “MORNING STEW #36

  1. There are several reports that Haiti is screening people for CoronaVirus arriving at the airport there – let that sink in!

  2. There have been reports that three days after the Chines released the make up for the virous a lab in Germany had the DNA sequence for an antibody. But two doctors in the DC swamp stopped the testing.
    Any idea on this story?

  3. Google “Jack Ma, test kits” – this guy deserves recognition and a thumbs up for doing something that Trump can’t seem to get done, and is doing it at his own expense.

  4. I watched the debate last night. Pathetic. Two old white guys, one with cognitive problems who has been in Washington for 41 years, and the other a geriatric socialist who is not even a member of the Democratic Party. I’ve heard better debates from two old geezers on a city park bench. What has become of the party of diversity and progressive ideas? Where is their young, energetic brown or black female who could take on Donald Trump and win? Nowhere, I guess.

  5. Lou, you have the benefit of age. Share with us your experience during the polio virus and how everyone dealt with the closures like we are having now. Teal

  6. I’m not Lou, but I was around at the time, a lot of parents moved their kids rural, for me and my little sister, that was to a cabin in the Adirondacks. Probably every block in every city had an iron lung (with someone in it) in a house. And EVERYBODY knew somebody afflicted.

  7. Lou, please don’t punish all of us for the mean comments of one. I posted the question of life during the polio pandemic and feel a bit responsible. Lou, we have a different political opinion and appreciate your viewpoint. please stay healthy! Shoveler

    • These are strenuous times. Please keep that in mind. I have had nothing to do with the cut back on Comments. Noticed it myself 3 days ago. Much fewer. I have Sloan checking on it. Who is home sick by the way. Don’t know what. No tests available. Maybe WordPress or GoDaddy went out of business. We are trying to find out. In the meantime, wash your mouths out. I am seriously considering changing the system so only those identifying themselves by name will be permitted to comment. My blog. Wrong for others to use it to behave like children.

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