“With The Money He Spent He Could’ve Sent Every NYT Editorial Board Member To A Tutorial Session At Mathnasium”
Stupid is as stupid does. You have to love the graphics person who posted her name (“Mara Gay”) and position (NYT Editorial Board Member) immediately after she said, “It’s true.”
“We Need To Eliminate ObamaCare And Replace It With Something Exactly Like ObamaCare But Not Call It ObamaCare. Because, You Know, Racists Gonna Racist”*
*”But also, we’re not gonna replace it with anything at all because we’re no here to give people health care, we’re here to preserve the white wealth class and also to prop up the military while neglecting soldiers…“
Al Mighty
Rumore has it that ESPN is attempting to lure away, or “trade” NBC for Sunday Night Football play-by-play man Al Michaels. Also they’re trying to put Peyton Manning in the booth with him for Monday Night Football and are gonna toss Romo money at him.
Hmm. We’ll see. I’ve always watched football games, college and pro, based on who’s playing them and not who’s behind the mike. Sure, I loved Keith Jackson and Brent Musburger, but each was also calling big games… because they were the best at what they did. Michaels is as deft as anyone in sports today, but he also usually gets the premier NFL matchup of the week. And ESPN’s MNF offering usually feels like the leftover after NBC’s SNF game. I wouldn’t put that all on Joe Tessitore and Booger.
Of course, if ESPN is able to land Michaels, could NBC pair a father-son booth of Collinsworth & Collinsworth now that Jac has signed on with the Peacock?
Help Me Understand This About The Coronavirus
Let’s say you’re under 75 years old (sorry, Susie B.). You have a bit of the sniffles, maybe you’re sneezing and even coughing. You feel sick. Why on God’s green Earth would you take yourself to a hospital and ask to be tested for coronavirus other than out of some need to want to post it on InstaGram for the “likes?”
–There’s no vaccine. So testing positive for coronavirus doesn’t mean that you’re going to be given an anti-venom and be suddenly cured.
–You’re going to cost yourself at least a couple thousand dollars.
–Hospitals are filled with two things we cannot stand: 1) sick people and 2) paper work.
–Your chances of dying are probably in the 1% range.
–All in all, you’re better off staying in bed for two weeks and finally binge-watching Peaky Blinders.
Am I missing something here?
We Are Spartacus
Finally knocked Spartacus off the must-see list last night (and early this morning). Here’s what stuck with us: a film released 60 years ago about an era of history two millennia ago is incredibly timely this very minute.
See, there’s a scourge of slaves loose in what is now present-day Italy and all they wanna do is get the hell out of the Appian Way, cross the Mediterranean and return to their respective sh*thole countries. But Rome doesn’t want to set a precedent (that a 16 seed can take down a 1 seed), never mind that these slaves exist solely to give their lives for the entertainment of Romans (“Stick to sports, Kaep!”).
But here’s where the film becomes prescient and timely. Rome is a Republic. But one of the consuls, Crassus (Sir Laurence Olivier), convinces the Senate that he must be put in charge (“A dictatorship,” one senator, Graces (played by Charles Laughton) protests. And Crassus replies, “Order.”
As in law and order. As in, sure, democracy and freedom is all well and good, but when things get dicey we need to throw all of that out the window and employ authoritarianism. And then Crassus said something about looking the other way when MIB murders a WaPo journalist and chops him into little pieces. Or maybe it was late and I was tired. Who can recall?
Also, Jean Simmons gets naked—twice! And she’s not even wearing her KISS makeup.
Why get tested?
-Peace of mind. Always better to know what you’re facing. The gap between a 0% mortality rate and even the lowest estimates for COVID-19 is a big one.
-Self-isolating is a difficult thing to do and could be costly, so it would be nice to be sure it was necessary.
-Legitimacy. I can’t take two weeks off from my job with a cold, but if I had COVID-19 the boss would insist.
-A desire to keep other people safe. If I do have it, I’ve probably already exposed other people, who have a right to know and take action themselves.
I’ll take these on, John.
1) The flu does not have a 0% mortality rate. I personally know of 2 men in early 30s who died of flu —> pnuemonia in past 2 months. Neither of their work places shut down because of it. True, there is a flu vaccine, but not everyone at either place has gotten it. I bet closer to 25%.
2) Self-isolating is difficult. So is dropping $1K to $3K at a hospital. Either way, if you have the flu, you take a few sick days from work. Same here.
3) The legitimacy issue is accurate but again, I’d argue workplaces are currently overreacting. Most workers are far below target age of where COVID-19 is lethal. In much the same way the flu goes around at a work place, so would this.
4) A desire to keep people safe??? Come on. Are these the same people who are texting while driving? 🙂
1. The symptoms of mild cases of COVID-19 are similar to a common cold. It’s not a dichotomy between COVID and flu.
2. Depending on insurance and location, the cost of a test could be much less or nothing. The $3,270 figure from the viral tweet was a bit misleading. New York state is apparently covering the cost.
3. The death rate is probably of less concern to employers than the virality. If it’s easier to catch than flu productivity could go way down if tons of people at the office get it.
4. Many of us know people at higher risk, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women etc.
Har, har, har. You keep that up & I’ll write you outta my will! Which according to you & the CDC (which puts the “elderly” in the Red Zone of COVID-19), will become executed any day now.
Anyhoo, what are YOU doing to stay safe in the biggest germ-magnet place in the USA? If you are still working one of your 3 jobs, this means you are in CONTACT throughout the day with hundreds of walking/sitting/eating/booze-swilling virus incubators – coughing/sneezing/wiping their noses & then giving the menus directly back to yewwwwww. Of course, if this “pandemic” really hits the fan, I would assume most restaurants would close as who wants to trust that the those preparing their food are also not coughing/sneezing/wiping their noses & plating up their food?
Susie B., you haven’t been keeping up with the news. I’m presently out of “the industry.” But I still go to restaurants and I still ride the subway and I still swim in a pool and use a gym locker room. I’m happy to take my chances with the virus on the 100 to 1 shot (probably less for someone of my age and health) that it’s deadly. I ride a bike in Manhattan. I put my life at far worse odds than the c-virus could every day.
And I’m not expecting much from that will if you won’t even subscribe to The Athletic… :_)
I thought you’d probably gotten a new “industry” job after your last place closed down & just hadn’t written about it here. In fact, I thought I had read one of your tweets within the last 4-6 weeks which mentioned that kind of work but maybe I misremembered.
As for “subscribing” – I basically will NOT pay for anything via the internet except on the one site that I signed up on more than 15 years ago & of which I’m a, er, teeny but happy “owner”. I do not trust ANY site from either being hacked or selling my information outright, including my email address. This includes Paypal. If The Athletic sets itself up for subscription on Amazon & I still get a “40%” (or more) discount, I’ll think about it. 🙂
Between your voluntary exposure to the masses & death-defying cycling on Manhattan streets, you may soon have the “opportunity” to tell us all about the “fun experience” of getting a bill from a hospital for $25k (or more) that your insurance won’t cover.
Seriously, I WORRY about you! And you do remember that young Dr in China died from this virus? He looked in “good shape” too!
And finally, if the stock market keeps tanking like this for another month, my “will” will be moot. 🙁
And no, THAT’s not the “stupidest thing ever aired on TV. That “award” goes to every day Trump opens his mouth & is broadcast on TV.