There shall be no review here other than to say that this acclaimed theater production brought to the screen by HBO likely will be enjoyed by virtually everyone, even if not everyone. The lyrics are straightforward in their messaging. The music is, well, it's music in that instruments are playing. The choreography is what could perplex you. To the discerning eye, the choreography might be seen as brilliant and avant garde. For the rest of us schlumps, the choreography went over our heads.
[Prefatory Note: Likely, you have seen this Trump lie. However, we have some loyal readers who don't watch TV and pay scant attention at this point to the press. So, for them, we are posting this. And while there are no shortages of horrible and destructive lies Trump has engaged in, to take on the spear of our front-line workers, including those who saved his life, with his supporters cheering at his rallies when he delivers it, must leave any sane person speechless]
Here is the script of the lie: "“If you have a bad heart and you’re ready to die or if you have cancer and you’re going to be dying soon, and you catch COVID, that happens we mark it down to COVID. You know our doctors get more money if somebody dies from COVID, you know that, right. I mean our doctors are very smart people. So what they do is they say is, I’m but you know sorry everybody dies of COVID."
Here is Trump delivering it with his crowd cheering: Link to Trump's Delivering This Lie
Barrett, like her stated mentor Scalia, proudly proclaimed their adherence to what is called "originalism" or "textualism," which holds that the constitution must be interpreted based on the original understanding at the time it was adopted. Putting aside the argument between that view and the "living constitution" view, the Senate Judiciary Committee just skipped over the most cutting question that should have been put to Barrett,namely: Was there anything the framers or anyone at the time of the drafting the constitution said or wrote to support the view that the "originalist" approach is the one to follow? We have checked with constitutional scholars of the highest order, including those who prefer the originalist/textualist view, and the answer is: No there is not any such historical underpinning to favor that view. In short, then, Barrett (and Scalia) in effect are espousing a view that says: We will follow what the people thought the words of the constitution meant at the time they were written even though those people, who did not hesitate to speak and write their views on everything, never told us to do so.
Even assuming a poll correctly identifies a respondent as a likely voter (which we are skeptical about), and even assuming a poll correctly samples likely voters as reflective of the population (which we are even more skeptical about), it appears none of the reporting polls take account that the respondent might be lying not just about the likelihood of their voting, but even about whom they will vote for. You might say that's not a problem because it can be assumed that those who are lying when they say they are voting for A will "cancel out" those who are lying when they say they are voting for B, and in fact, that's what the polls you are seeing seem to assume. They are wrong to do so. Here's an example: Ask TV viewers if the prefer to watch The Jerry Springer Show or The News Hour on PBS, and you will get one result, and then look at the actual numbers as recorded by Nielson or the cable company, and you will get not a different result, a substantially different result. Take a guess: In the "poll," Jerry Springer will do much worse than he will do in actual viewership. Now the point: Respondents who are lying when they say they will vote for Biden are akin to the respondents who are lying when they say they prefer the PBS News Hour. And lest you think this is a minor glitch in today's polling, it doesn't take much "lying" to put Biden up by a few percentage points in a contested state when in reality he is down by quite a few percentage points. If you think I'm making this up, just ask Hillary Clinton's pollsters.
PS: I've never watched the Jerry Springer Show, but I've heard it's quite trashy and it might properly be characterized as low-brow and in poor taste. To put it another way, it's the kind of show many people might watch but not admit to watching it.
If you watch the Queen's Gambit on Netflix (and you really need to because it's a fabulous mini-series), you must watch it with sub-titles. While you don't need them to follow the dialogue (unless your audio is not great or your hearing has suffered from the ravages of time), they have a different adjective for every musical backdrop change ... from pensive, to intent, to eerie, to contemplative, to on and on and on. The producer or director or musical director clearly hired a world-class linguist, and whoever it was did a fabulous job.
Maybe I'm the last to know, but Purell hand sanitizer is available in various sizes and formats from The Amazon (and I would guess elsewhere, although Walmart does not seem to have it).
[Prefatory Note: The following definitely applies to at least some if not all newer Samsung Galaxy phones, perhaps to at least some if not all newer Android phones, and perhaps to iOS devices. To see if and how it applies to your devices, put "auto-restart setting on the X" into The Google without the quotes and substitute your device model for the X]
You might have had your phone for a year, but not realized until a loyal reader who got the same phone 2 days ago told you, that there is an auto-restart setting so that you can set what day(s) and time(s) you want the device (phone or tablet) to restart. Why do that you might ask? Because it's a good idea to re-boot any device at least once per week. You almost might find other "device optimization" settings in the same place, which likely were set on by default.
The common wisdom has always held that golfers are the smartest athletes ... as confirmed by their choosing golf as their sport (so that they wouldn't be tackled or blocked by bruiser or smashed with a tennis ball or jumped over on someone's way to a dunk or lose their teeth to a hockey puck or get their eye poked out with a pool cue or slip on the ice while curling or breaking their back skiing or luging or crippling themselves while gymasticating) and because golf requires highly honed analytic skills and statistical maneuvering and psychological sophistication, but Jack Nicklaus's endorsement of Trump either belies that wisdom or is the exception that proves the rule. As you can see from his comment on the link below, he is a f _ _ _ _ _ _ moron, and a disgusting person. I for one will boycott the honorary tee-off at The Masters, and encourage others to do so. That will teach him!
In what now has become a world-famous post, a few days ago we asked re Trump: "Who are these tens of millions of people who support Trump and do so with enthusiasm? Where did they come from? Where are they taking us? Are they really human or are they actually lizard-like aliens disguised as humans?" Clearly, the NYT passed this post on to its columnists, and both David Brooks and Frank Bruni took the idea and ran with it. David Brooks, in a column entitled, "The Floor of Decency," came up short. Specifically, Brooks veers too much to moral equivalency on left and right--ignoring, for example, that one shouldn't engage in respectful conversation, considering all points of view, on whether or not the earth is flat or evolution vs. creationism. On the other hand, Frank Bruni did a brilliant job, in a column entitled, "How Will I Ever Look at America the Same Way Again?"
There are two noted alumni from the Class of 1968 at the University of Pennsylvania, one of whom is Donald J. Trump. The Daily Pennsylvanian, the school's newspaper, just snubbed Mr. Trump and endorsed Sleepy Joe Biden. Oh, the humanity! Say it ain't so, Joe! What has higher education and this country come to?
We, along with every person who has a right mind, has justifiably condemned Woodward from withholding what he found out that Trump intentionally "downplayed" the virus given that his doing so might have cost countless lives. It's as if Woodward enjoys pouring salt into the wounds he created, it is inexplicable why he did not at least include in his book, or just release as news, his taped interview with Jared Kushner where Wonder Boy "bragged in April that Trump was taking the country 'back from the doctors.'" Instead, CNN just obtained that tape and released them. Yeah, let's just buy as many Woodward books as we can to make him as rich beyond his wildest dreams. Woodward clearly is great at scooping news. As a person, as a citizen, and yes, as a reporter, it might be said that Woodward's putting his book and himself ahead of his country might be akin to someone else we know.
If you have a problem with even a small order from Fry's (Kroger), resolving it through chat is very efficient. They might even offer you a full refund for a partially broken order which you are not entitled to and should not accept. In that event, they will do an appropriate credit to your account for you next in-store or shipment order. The link below is for both phone and chat customer service.
[Prefatory Note: On a rare occasion, the backdrop to points made here are based on auto-biographical events or events involving our staff. Be assured, this is not one of those posts. We know nothing about the identity of the poor soul other than he is a friend of a loyal reader]
Every year, like many of us, this guy entered into the lottery to get a ticket to The Masters. Every year, like many of us, he lost. Rather than go through that disappointment again, he decided, as a bucket list treat to himself, to buy a ticket, which he did on GrubStub for $8,000. While that might be seen as a lot to pay for a cream cheese and pimento sandwich and to watch some golf, he had no qualms because he would be walking down Magnolia Lane and onto the hallowed grounds of Augusta. And then, the pandemic hit, and the Masters declared it would be fan-free. As if that weren't disappointing enough, he has been unable to get his $8,000 back. So, when you think about how you've been screwed by the pandemic, just remember this guy, and the extra $8,000 you still have to spend (which just happens to be the cost of the self-driving upgrade for the Tesla 3).
Twelve years ago, on the last play of the game, Trinity University pulled off one of the most difficult plays to diagram, much less to carry off. Don't tell me football has gotten better: Link to The Best Play in Football History
In a blog post that came out yesterday, we wrote: "Who are these tens of millions of people who support Trump and do so with enthusiasm? Where did they come from? Where are they taking us? Are they really human or are they actually lizard-like aliens disguised as humans?" Always the master of succinctness, but never before known to engage in appropriation without attribution, in a speech a few hours later in Florida, in referring to comments Jared Kushner had recently made, Obama said the following: "“Who are these folks? What history books do they read?”
As if bringing on the pandemic and Trump weren't enough proof of the sadism of the baby boomers viz the generation they gave birth to, it now is recommended that colon cancer screening (colonoscopies) should begin by people when they reach 45. For our younger loyal readers, whom we know think they can just wing what they do and too often skip planning and preparation, we just want to say: Welcome to the unbridled joy of preparation!
Say your glasses, which were bought at Sassy Glasses more than 4 years ago, fell off your schnozz and when you reached for them, you snapped the frame. You more recently had bought glasses at LensCrafters, so you called them to see if you could buy the same glasses you bought before. Not only did they not have those glasses, they wouldn't sell you anything without a new prescription. So, you went to Sassy Glasses, and not only did they still have the stylish frame you had bought before (albeit in a neater tint), they took the lenses from your broken glasses and popped them right into the new frame with the neater tint, after which you were so excited and chastened, you bought an extra same stunning frame with yet a different cool tint so that if you have an "accident" in the future, you won't have the kind of undue panic and upsetment you had from being down to one set of glasses. And the cost of the new frames was peanuts.
Cox is now making its gigablast download speeds available with some promotions. You might have gotten an email announcing this. When you click on the details of the offers, it looks like you might be able to "upgrade" to the gigablast level, keep all your same services, and reduce your bill by $25-$35/month. I encourage you to call Cox to see if you might so benefit. In my instance, the change would have raised my monthly bill by about $20 per month. At least that's what the two reps I talked to said their computer was showing them. All that said, give Cox a call ... give it a shot ... you have nothing to lose but your chains.
[Prefatory Note: Earlier posts here argued that, just as much as those opposed to Trump fear that if Trump wins it will spell the end to the American Experiment (democracy), those who support Trump likewise believe that at stake at this election is the soul of America. Lest there be any doubt, just look at the below piece of crap the WSJ saw fit to print. Perhaps you were out of the room when everyone else found out that it's the neo-Marxists who are threatening our pre-Trump way of life]
The NYT has an excellent piece on different ways to "fix" the Supreme Court. While we had favored packing or, more appropriately unpacking the Republicans packing of the Court, we are persuaded by the approach of creating a new court which you can see in the linked article.
It's true that, if Biden loses, our democracy very well will not survive. But, even if Biden wins, given that Trump will be in office until late January 2021, what's the likelihood the country will survive the pandemic? Who are these tens of millions of people who support Trump and do so with enthusiasm? Where did they come from? Where are they taking us? Are they really human or are they actually lizard-like aliens disguised as humans?
If clicking on a link does not open an article to the original source (e.g., the NYT, WSJ, WaPo) because you do not have a subscription, you should be able to find the article on The Google and displayed in full by typing the article's title into the URL bar (which is what I did to link it in the first place to try to avoid the "subscription problem" experienced by loyal readers who are non-subscribers, aka free riders).
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has written a piece in the WSJ entitled, "Winter is Coming: Time for a Mask Mandate." In it, he has some helpful pointers re masks: "Not all masks are created equal. The quality matters, especially if you are looking for a mask that protects you from others, not just others from you. A cotton mask offers far less protection than a level 2 or level 3 surgical mask. For cotton masks, generally thicker is better, and cotton-and-polyester blends tend to provide more protection. An N95 or equivalent mask offers the best protection from inhaling someone else’s infectious droplets or aerosols. Look up instructions for fit testing if you go this route. A fleece mask is unlikely to do much."
[Courtesy of the WSJ]
The newest phones from Apple and Samsung now boast selling prices of $1,000 to $1,400. If you're made of money or don't care what you spend, go ahead and buy one. But, before doing so, you might consider their smaller versions--the iPhone 12 Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, along with the Pixel 5, which aren't cheap, but many people think $700 is a lot less than than $1,000. What's amazing, when you start looking under the hood, some of these "lesser" phones have just as good features (e.g.., the same battery and battery life and the same camera) or even better (MicroSD slots allowing for unlimited storage).
Jitsi Meet is a free, secure and open source application using the Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) technology for video conferencing. With this technology, the Jitsi Meet client runs directly in your browser, without the need to install anything else on your desktop computer. On a small-screen mobile, it is convenient to download and use its Android or iOS app.
The usage of this application is simple. To start or join a meeting, you do not need to sign up for an account; just enter the name of the room you want to join, or make a name up and let other participants know the name (or share the URL given) to join the meeting. That’s it.
Jitsi Meet has no limits on the number of users or conference participants. The only limiting factors are the server power and bandwidth available. Besides that, it allows you to download the source code and set the system up on your own server.
By default, Jitsi meetings apply encryption in two ways. 1-to-1 meetings use end-to-end encryption, while multiparty meetings use DTLS-SRTP encryption, which is decrypted when packets are traversing the Jitsi Videobridge. Jitsi claims that the data is never stored in any persistent storage and only lives in memory while being routed to other participants in the meetings.
To prevent uninvited participants from joining a meeting, the app allows you to control the access to your conferences with a password, which will be reset when the last person leaves the room. It also includes a Lobby mode to protect your meeting by only allowing people to enter a room after approval by a moderator.
Other main features of the app include raising or lowering your hand for attention, push-to-talk mode, participant talk-time statistics, recording by uploading to Dropbox, and live stream of your conference to YouTube.
The Undoing is a 6-episode mini-series on HBO. The first episode is totally gripping. You might not like any or all of the characters, and distrust them all, but the story will draw you in the suspense will keep you interested. One of the policeman is a Ron Silver look-alike, whom some might remember from Reversal of Fortune, the Claus Von Bulow story, and was undoubtedly cast because of the eerie similarity. It's been reported that Ron Silver died many years ago, but some might believe he came back to do this series. This series stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant (whom we have a little difficulty with because he tries to play it a bit like a comedy), but many others you might recognize as well, including a favorite from the West Wing.
Queen's Gambit is a 7-episode series about a chess prodigy and drugs. Not sure based on the first episode if it's 7-episode-worthy but it is compelling so far. The acting is excellent and the casting is refreshingly amazing. It is not a re-make of any movie so it's refreshing in that sense, but, if you learned chess from your grandfather (a former chess champion of Philadelphia who wrote the chess column for the Philadelphia Inquirer and played Oxford on behalf of Penn by telegram) who began by playing you 3-boards simultaneously, without looking at the boards, and would catch you if you tried to cheat, and you lost to Bobby Fischer (along with 40 other chess club kids he played at the same time), and now you can't hold a candle chess-wise to your grandson, who has collected his share of awards already, there certainly are parts you can relate to.
The Windsor family chicken dinner is one of the great bargain meals--8 pieces of delicious fried chicken, yummy Jo's Church potatoes (or mac and cheese), and a tasty Fattoush salad (or kale salad), for just $40, and it's 4 meals at least and a couple of more for people who don't feel the need to stuff themselves silly. For non-contact drop-in-the-trunk pickup you need to phone, and they don't have it down great. But now you can order (even 10 days ahead) for delivery through the website and it's only a few dollars extra. What's weird is that, if you order through DoorDash directly, instead of through Windsor's website, DoorDash also adds $5 to the meal price, so use the website. Also odd, it does not appear that this family meal is available for in-restaurant dining.
[Prefatory Note: This is based on a real experience but it is NOT based on any exposure or symptom. Rather, it is the result of an ENT doctor requiring a patient to have a Covid-19 test within 4 days of a routine check-up visit]
If you go to The Google and search for Covid-19 testing, one good option for the rapid test seems to be the drive-in, by appointment only, at Walgreen's or CVS. The registration/qualification and appointment reservation are done online. The through-process is very fast and efficient (you don't even need to push back your Los Dos Molinos Saturday delivery time), it is as non-contact as can be (the test is actually self-administered), the results likely will be received by email by the time you get home, and, because we know our loyal readers so well, we are pleased to inform you it's free.
Hit the Windows Key and . and up will come a box with a bunch of emojis to choose from that looks like this:
I've seen just the Bette Midler episode, but it is must-see TV. If you don't subscribe to HBO, do so for at least a month to watch Coastal Elites. It's fantastic.
The below linked article from WaPo has an excellent updated review of avoiding Covid-19 infection. It explains what not to focus on, namely wiping down groceries and surfaces, and what to focus on.
The FDA has approved remdesivir for treatment of Covid-19. Some people seem confused by this given the recent WTO study that remdesivir does not decrease the likelihood of dying from Covid-19. The FDA's approval does not negate that study. Rather, its approval is simply based on the data that shows that remdesivir is seen to cut the hospitalization stay of those who otherwise survive from 15 days to 10 days. That's clearly a good thing, but it's not a "treatment" in the sense of being a "cure" or having any "curative" impact.
Amazon doesn't have a dial-into-number any more, but it is still
VERY EASY and FAST to talk to them on the phone. Here’s what to do (which
sounds more complicated than it really is and should take under 24 seconds to
complete):
1. Scroll down to the bottom of whatever page you open up to and click on Help.
2. Then click on the area you want to deal with, say Orders, and scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Help again.
3. Then scroll down a little and hover on Need More Help?
4. Then click on Contact Us
5. Then click on Need Help Over the Phone … and put in your phone number … and you will be connected in under 30 seconds.
PS: You could do Chat before Step 5 but you have to do a few things there to get to a real person.
The Columbia study (linked below) explains how, if the United States had acted differently, up to 200,000 of the lives lost to Covid-19 would not have been lost. The study is simple and relatively quick to read and easy to understand. This chart, which summarizes the result, can be understood as follows: If the U.S. had adopted the same strategy as the country listed, you will then see the number of deaths we would have experienced. For example, if we had done what South Korea did, we would have experienced just 2,799 deaths instead of over 200,000. Of importance, note the following: South Korea did NOT impose a lockdown. It simply followed strict mitigation and robust testing and contract tracing protocols.
For those who have yet to see an EV they want or like, we have great news: You can now reserve for delivery late next year a Hummer EV, and it will set you back, depending on model, not more than $150K and even as little as $80K, which is peanuts given you'll be getting the return of a classic with both the styling AND heft (don't ever forget the heft and who doesn't want the heft) that neither Prius nor Tesla can touch.
Should the Democrats flip the Senate and take the White House, they will face great pressure to so-called pack the Court. In reality, they would be doing no such thing. The Republicans packed the Court when they denied Garland a vote, when they rammed through Kavanaugh whose temperament everyone agreed was unsuitable, and when they reversed themselves on the Garland nomination to ram through Barrett a vote. By raising the number of justices to 13 or some higher number, all the Democrats would be doing would be unpacking the Court that was packed by the Republicans.
If you watch nothing else, or ever do anything else, or ever feel low, or you find life befuddling, be sure to watch Episode 14 of Season 6 of Schitt's Creek. It would be better if you watched the whole season or all the seasons, but, even if not, watch this episode.
If you are still using an old-fashioned robotic floor vacuum-only cleaner or a digital approach to window cleaning, your dreams have come true. Ecovacs has a robotic floor vacuum that also wet-mops your floor at the same time (called the Deebot) and it has a device that by itself will clean your windows (called the Winbot).
The two linked articles give great explanations as to how to find a lost phone or other device. Note that, if your device is on, it's quite easy especially for Android devices (finding an iOS device might be a little more difficult). What gets really tricky is finding your device if it is turned off. With phones, as explained in first article, you will need to have your IMEI number to have it done, so it's a good idea to store your IMEI number in a safe place.
[Prefatory Note: We are not making any recommendation about non-traded commercial REITs, but they might be something to consider with your financial advisor. The following is from the WSJ]
Demand is starting to recover for these funds, and redemption requests have slowed. In the third quarter, the funds raised $1.37 billion, according to Robert A. Stanger & Co., a financial firm that tracks the market. That was $450 million more than they raised in the previous quarter.
In the first quarter, a record number investors tried to get their money back and some weren’t able to redeem shares. In the second quarter, redemption requests eased to $515.8 million from $724.1 million in the first quarter, according to Stanger. Third-quarter statistics for redemptions aren’t yet available.
“Once everybody took the deep breath and said the world is not over, they started raising more and the redemptions declined,” said Kevin Gannon, Stanger’s chief executive.
The new fundraising still is low compared with the record $4.98 billion raised in the first quarter of 2020, mostly before the pandemic hit. But the bigger nontraded REITs have largely held steady in value, while shares of some publicly traded REITs in the office, retail and lodging industry have fallen more than 30%. “Fundraising has rebounded because investors are no longer in a ‘panic’ mode’ and are looking for…attractive yields in a yield-starved world,” said John McCarthy, chief executive of Starwood Real Estate Investment Trust. Now, some investors also feel these funds may be positioned to take advantage of steep discounts which are expected in the commercial real-estate market, according to industry participants. Many funds have plenty of cash on hand. “We have a robust pipeline,” said Mr. McCarthy.
Nontraded REITs have been around for more than 20 years. But the new funds are structured differently from the closed-end nontraded REIT structures that fell out of favor with financial advisers about five years ago. The new version has lower fees and better disclosure. Michael Godwin, chief investment officer of Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc., said his Pittsburgh-based investment-management firm is advising clients to boost their nontraded REIT portfolios as a portion of their fixed-income holdings. These real-estate funds yield more than 5% and compare favorably with many investment-grade fixed-income investments yielding less than 1.5%, Mr. Godwin noted.
Many of the newer funds are invested in property types that have fared best in 2020. For example, about 30% of their investments have been in industrial space, which has outperformed because of the growing use of e-commerce, according to Stanger. About 33% have been in rental apartments. Meanwhile, only 15% of their investments have been in hospitality, which the pandemic has clobbered by shutting down much of the travel industry. About 14% has been invested in office and 7% in retail, which also have been hard hit.
Blackstone’s nontraded REIT, which was one of the pioneers of the new structure, made most of its investments in apartments and industrial space. That fund also made headlines by making big investments in Las Vegas, which saw business evaporate in the early months of the pandemic. But the fund is insulated because it purchased stakes in ventures that own the real estate of the Bellagio, the MGM Grand and the Mandalay Bay. Those ventures collect rent from the operator, MGM Resorts International, making them more secure. Tourists have started returning to Las Vegas, though the convention business remains moribund. Blackstone’s nontraded REIT was valued at $11.17 a share as of the end of September, compared with $11.45 at the end of 2019, according to public filings. Starwood’s fund was valued at $21.33 a share at the end of September, compared with $21.57 at the end of last year.
Some nontraded REITs are continuing to do deals, even though the commercial real-estate sales market has been anemic. Blackstone last week purchased a long-term lease of Roku Inc.’s headquarters in San Jose, Calif., for $275 million. Blackstone has about $3 billion in cash available for new deals or to meet redemption requests. The fund “is very well positioned,” said Frank Cohen, its chairman and chief executive.
[Prefatory/Summary Note: Summary of Article (linked to below): As if parents didn’t have enough to worry about, here’s a new cause for alarm: Coronavirus cases in the United States are climbing toward a third peak, troubling epidemiologists. Cases are rising to record levels in nearly half the states in the country, driven by uncontrolled outbreaks in the Midwest and Mountain West, where hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. While the onset of another surge may sound frightening, experts say there are things parents can do right now to start preparing. Here are five ways to help protect your family’s physical and mental health: (i) vaccinate against the flu; (ii) create a child care backup plan; (iii) preserve your family's mental health; (iv) stock up on necessary supplies (but do not hoard); and (v) combat pandemic fatigue (i.e., as has been said, we have nothing to fear but fatigue itself)]
Halloween: Even if you are not going to be opening the door for trick-or-treaters, and there's good reason not to be, especially given the self-selected sample of parents taking their kids door-to-door, you might consider putting a bowl of candy out on a table out front.
Thanksgiving: Given the expected drop in large Thanksgiving day gatherings, there likely is going to be a glut of big turkeys and a dearth of small turkeys. You might want to take that into account, along with the laws of supply and demand, in deciding when and what size turkey to order.
Xmas: Lowe's will deliver Xmas trees without any delivery charge. Likely other suppliers will be doing so as well.
Many medical providers, including especially ENTs, require that patients submit a negative Covid-19 test within 4 days of an appointment. Putting aside the unreliability of such tests, and that testing once vs. 3 times over 7 days provides little solace, be sure to ask your provider how often they themselves and their staff are tested. When they ask you why, just say: Because my protocol calls for you to test negative before I let you see me and take my money.
We know that many loyal readers are tired of their 75" or smaller TVs but are loathe to spend what it cost to get a high-quality 85" or larger TV. We have great news for you: Stop looking at TVs and look at projectors. They have zoomed like rocket ships in quality and sunk like lead stones in price. For under $1,000 (and even under $600), you can now get an HD or even 4K HD projector with a fold-away or motorized roll-up 100"-120" screen that will blow your mind, and even the pandemic will not deter your friends and neighbors from coming over for movie night.
Many loyal readers are making contingency plans in case Trump is still president when the election counting is over. This linked article sets out ten countries that would be wonderful to live in, are quite comfortable, and have excellent and affordable health care. See Link to Article While the article names some countries in the Eastern hemisphere, our favorites, and we've been to them, in the Western hemisphere, are: Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica and Cancun in Mexico. ole!
PS: If you don't speak Spanish, here are some colloquilisms that you should find useful:
What's up? ... Que esta arriba?
How you been? ... Como tu frijole?
Manos arriba. ... Este est un robo? Hands up. This is a robbery.
The overall death rate, as a result of Covid-19, is higher for 2020 than for recent (and most) previous years. You might think that, because Covid-19 ravages older people more than younger people, the older age groups would show the largest year-over-year mortality increases. You would be thinking wrong. According to the CDC, the age group with the greatest mortality increase in 2020 compared to 2019 or any of the 5 years before is 25-44. Note also according to CDC, while there are 220,000 deaths attributed to Covid-19 so far this year, there are actually nearly 300,000 total "excess" deaths compared to earlier years, i.e., 220,000 known Covid-19 deaths and another 80,000 deaths likely caused at least in part by Covid-19. That said, lest any older loyal readers be concerned, when it comes to prioritizing vaccinations for Covid-19, the Baby Boomers will not give up their vaunted positions no matter what the facts and statistics show.
ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) and ETNs (Exchange Traded Notes) have some facial similarities but they are in substance and risk very different investment vehicles. ETFs own the underlying assets of the index that they track. ETNs do not own anything ... they are a debt owned by a bank that tracks some index. Here's the bottom line: ETNs can turn into zombies and be de-listed and, because they own no underlying asset, there is no liquidation value ... they became worth zero. We offer no advice as to whether investing ETNs makes sense for you or for anyone. That's an issue solely in your and your financial advisor's discretion.
[Courtesy of the WSJ]
With these issues top of mind for many families, The Wall Street Journal invited three experts to discuss college financial planning: Dan Hill, president and chief executive of Hill Wealth Strategies in Richmond, Va.; Nicole Strbich, director of financial planning at Buckingham Advisors in Columbus, Ohio; and Jeffrey Swett, financial adviser and senior portfolio manager at UBS and leader of the Swett Wealth Management Group in Boston.
Here are edited excerpts of the discussion.
WSJ:What specifically are you telling parents to do differently now in terms of saving for college because of the pandemic?
MS. STRBICH: We are advising parents to keep more of their savings liquid. This could mean not committing to a 529 plan or investing in potentially volatile equities in the event that the money may be needed due to a job loss or income reduction instead. They can look to borrow funds for tuition when the time comes or use the cash that they have been saving. Though there is the potential to miss out on investment growth in this circumstance, you are avoiding volatility and potential loss on funds that you may need in the short term.
MR. SWETT: Due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, parents may find it helpful both financially and emotionally to carry a higher cash balance than usual. Keeping some equity exposure in a college-savings plan until withdrawal is typical, but reducing that equity exposure and increasing cash at this point may be both timely and comforting. This can be particularly helpful for parents with high-school kids who will be writing tuition checks within the next couple of years.
What college-savings strategies have you adopted or changed this year? Join the conversation below.
MR. HILL: I’ve been speaking more to my clients about other options that may make more sense right now, such as volunteering in a gap year or studying at home and taking classes online while attending a local community or university program. I also continue to reaffirm to my clients to continue to save. If those savings aren’t formally applied to tuition, then they can be applied for new supplies including a tablet or transportation, should their child choose to work or volunteer outside of the home.
WSJ:What are you advising people who have children nearing college about continuing to contribute to a 529 plan, given the uncertainty in the market and possibly their finances?
MS. STRBICH: For students who will be using their 529 accounts in the near term, the growth potential on any new deposits is low since they are invested more conservatively due to the short-term goals, so it may not be worth making a contribution now. In this situation, if you are in a state that provides a tax deduction for contributions, consider delaying the deposit into the 529 account until you know the funds will be available for college expenses. Then deposit the funds into the 529 account and turn around and take a distribution to pay tuition. There is no benefit of tax-free growth, but you retained control and use of your funds during uncertain times and then get a state tax benefit for the 529 contribution.
MR. HILL: I advise them that it is still a good idea to save in a dedicated 529 savings plan. This is important to do because if the child closest to college age doesn’t use it for college, it can still be used for their other educational goals, including professional development. If they don’t use it at all, then it can be passed on and applied to another person’s education.
WSJ:For many parents with children nearing college age, their 529s may be essentially parked in low-risk investments. What should they do now if they see that they are falling short of the money they are going to need?
MR. HILL: Consider increasing your own contributions, if you are able. If you increase the risk, it can lead to the possibility of losing more of your money. Another great thing about 529s is that family can also contribute to your child’s plan. If you’re falling short, consider asking family members to contribute to the plan for birthdays, holidays and graduation.
MS. STRBICH: We’re also advising parents to start preparing a plan for how they will handle these costs by completing a Fafsa estimate, understanding expected tuition cost, and looking for scholarship and award opportunities.
WSJ:What other college-savings recommendations are you offering parents amid the current environment?
MS. STRBICH: We advise clients to allocate savings for education between 529 accounts, investment accounts in their name and Roth IRAs, if you are eligible to contribute. This approach allows savers to take advantage of the tax savings offered in 529s and to retain flexibility of the assets in the Roth IRAs and investment accounts to help you if life throws you a curveball.
MR. SWETT: For parents who are interested in longer-term saving for college, it may be worthwhile to consider investing in defensive sectors such as health care, consumer staples and utilities. Those sectors tend to pay dividends and may hold their values more effectively in difficult economies. Additionally, this exposure can be attained within formalized college plans or in traditional brokerage accounts for those who prefer a less formalized strategy.
WSJ:We’ve heard that utilizing a Roth IRA more often for college savings could be a good idea. Is this a good option in this environment vs. a 529, and why or why not?
MS. STRBICH: For funds that are certain to be used for education, a 529 account still has more tax advantages, especially if you live in a state with a tax deduction for 529-account contributions. If you may not need the funds for college tuition, or you could have a job change that may require you to access some of these funds, a Roth IRA would be the better choice, as you can always access your contributions penalty-free.
MR. HILL: One major downside to utilizing a Roth IRA in order to save more for your child’s future education is that there are tax implications on the earnings that are withdrawn prior to age 59½ and/or if you’ve had it for less than five years. One advantage of using a Roth IRA would be your ability to use the funds for your retirement, should your child get financial assistance elsewhere or decide not to use it at all.
[Courtesy of the WSJ]
Around the world, as people start to head back to the office and many kids shuffle off to in-person school at least part-time, those of us left behind are emerging from the corners we’ve been holed up in trying to get some privacy all these months. We’re taking off our headphones, leaving doors ajar and trying to figure out how to seize the sudden, precious and possibly fleeting solitude.
You may have imagined some dramatic celebration or ceremonial rite to mark the occasion—say, dancing in your bathrobe in the living room—but it turns out freedom mostly looks like wandering the house in a delighted stupor, savoring the vestiges of pre-lockdown quotidian life. A dad of four in Indiana told me he was indulging in solo vacuuming breaks during the workday. A legal consultant in the London suburbs was reveling in his newfound ability to water the backyard without interruption.
“We’ve all been together essentially every minute of every day since January,” says Karen Grépin, a public health professor in Hong Kong who became round-the-clock tech support for her two sons during months of virtual classes and camps. On Sept. 23, after they boarded the school bus, she drank her coffee in silence.
“I was all alone,” she says. “It was very weird.”
“I felt wonderful,” she adds.
The pleasures of solitude are often a luxury for people with a lucky set of circumstances. For many, the pandemic has been marked by profound loneliness. Those who live alone have faced deepened isolation. Others remain separated from loved ones by closed borders or must keep distance from at-risk relatives in the hopes it protects them from the virus.
Still, those who have been holed up with family for months say they wouldn’t mind a break from their roommates at this point.
When Stephanie Matta’s parents decided to depart for a daylong trip to Cape Cod with friends at the end of the summer, the 25-year-old declined to join them, adding, “I love you guys, but please don’t let anything cancel your plans.”
Ms. Matta, who moved back into her childhood home in March when her graduate program in speech language pathology went online, had found herself pining for things like complete control over the thermostat or the ability to gab freely while on the phone with a friend.
“I’m always wondering, can someone hear me right now?” she says.
For nine hours at the end of August, when the answer was a resounding no, Ms. Matta blasted music from the Broadway show “Hamilton,” singing at the top of her lungs. She claimed the comfiest spot on the couch. And she left her dishes in the sink for an hour.
“It just felt freeing,” she says. “I can live however I want for the whole day.”
Even 15 minutes of alone time can have a calming effect, says Thuy-vy T. Nguyen, an assistant professor at England’s Durham University who studies solitude. Her research finds that time by ourselves leads to a drop in positive and negative emotional states of arousal, from the buzzy energy you feel at a concert to anger and anxiety. The result is generally relaxation, though sometimes boredom can creep in too. On our own, there are fewer stimuli and no social expectations.
That might explain why Sarah O’Donnell, an auditor and mother of two in New Jersey, felt empowered to keep a whole Snickers to herself while she was home alone for the first time since March.
“I finally realized I was free to go get my sneaky bar of chocolate, and I wasn’t going to share it with anyone,” she says.
Over the previous months, her days had been a blur of parenting and work.
“My only quiet time would be getting on the Peloton bike and having someone shout at me,” she says. Now she curled up on her back deck, chocolate in hand, feeling no guilt.
Reminders abound that these peaceful interludes could vanish at any time. In Israel, across Europe and in New York City, restrictions on businesses and movement are rolling out again. And even in places where schools remain open, plans feel precarious.
Kelly-jayne Smith, a 48-year old single mother in the British coastal town of Clacton-on-Sea, spent a blissful recent evening in her empty house, eating her favorite Chinese takeout order and watching an entire movie without pausing once. Three days later, her youngest daughter landed home from her recently reopened school with a slight fever.
Of the prospect of more alone time, Ms. Smith says: “It doesn’t look promising.”
That’s part of what froze me in place that recent morning—a disbelief that this could really hold, a bracing for the sudden return of noise and company. What if the kids forgot their snack cups? Was my husband planning to swing by the house for lunch?
Then I remembered my own mother, who for my entire girlhood hosted an annual Champagne toast on the first day of school where neighborhood parents would celebrate their kids’ departures. Carpe diem.
I retrieved a cookie dough ball from my personal stash, hidden in the bowels of the freezer. I turned on Taylor Swift, and turned it louder. Before I knew it, I was dancing around the kitchen, joyfully and terribly. Oh well. No one was watching.
* Have a plan: Many people don’t deal with empty time well, Prof. Nguyen says. Have a goal and loose agenda for your solo stretch. That way you can look forward to it and avoid falling into worry and rumination when things are quiet.
* Put down that phone: “You can look at Instagram when the kids are tugging you to go get apple juice,” Ms. Vanderkam says. Use this time to dive deeper into something that requires full concentration, like reading a book.
* Set yourself up for success: Pick an activity you’re interested and competent in, Prof. Nguyen says. Now isn’t the time to try something super difficult—you don’t want to come away feeling like a failure.
* Establish boundaries: Tell those you live with you’re taking some time alone and try to have them fully leave the house, if possible, for a set period. That way you’re not constantly bracing for someone to walk in.
Re Airplane Travel: It recently has been reported that airplane travel is very safe, even in full planes, because of how the air is circulated and refreshed. It has more recently been reported that the supposed "study" that justified that conclusion is flawed. We have no expertise on the matter. Here is what has been written most recently: Link to Debunking Article
Re Mask Wearing: We do NOT give medical advice here. Below are some articles that discuss the myths and facts about wearing masks. They don't agree on every detail.
Link to University of Maryland Article
This Sunday's Review section of the NYT presents a blistering "Case Against Donald Trump." It is a powerful and articulate deconstruction of Trump and his supporters, and the risks to the country, the world, and the planet that they pose. But, then, on the back page, under the heading "Fit for Office," here's the some of the "best" the NYT could muster:
"This president offends a lot of people by his behavior, by his language, his tweets." Ty Cobb (not the baseball player)
"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people--does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us." Jim Mattis
"I am concerned that the atmosphere in the White House is no longer conducive, or no one has the personality to stand up and tell the president what he doesn't want to hear." Gary Cohn
"The president has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices." Richard V. Spencer
"I think we need to look harder at who we elect ...." John Kelly
"A man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, 'This is what I believe.'" Rex Tillerson
Omitted: Quotes from Anthony Scaramucci, Mary Trump, Michael Cohen, Miles Taylor, John Bolton, and Omarosa
We've previously recommended Eargo hearing aids because: (i) they work well and are easy to use; (ii) they are virtually invisible given that they slide into the ear and have nothing dangling from them behind the ear; and (iii) they don't take external batteries but rather charge in their case. Now we wish to supplement that recommendation with the following: If you happen to forget you have put them in and take a shower with them in (which you should not do), they still might work perfectly well. We challenge Costco to say the same about their hearing aids.
The NYT and WaPo think that, if they wait long enough, their columnists can steal from me without attribution and no one will notice. On September 27, a blog post explained that both the Trump supporters and the Trump opposers saw this election as involving the same stakes, namely, whether or not America as America will survive. Link to Earlier Blog Post Over the weekend, both the NYT and WaPo plagiarized that post to make the same point. I will not dignify what they did with a link.
Depending on how they use their laptops, many people find a good laptop stand an indispensable accessory. There are countless stands on The Amazon and elsewhere. The $20 Torras, which folds up compactly for easy transport, is recommended. It's picture says it all:
Most of our loyal readers are out shopping now for an electric car. Old foggies and skin flints are drawn to the Prius because they seem to find paying under $40,000 for a new car is a good thing. Most are drawn to the Tesla because of its cachet. What boggles our mind is that so few give attention to the Polestar 2 which competes with the Tesla 3 (see linked article below), both of which come in around $50,000 depending on options, not to mention the Polestar 1 which comes in a bit higher at $155,000 (the Polestar 1 is a gas/electric hybrid, much like the standard Prius, that averages over 100 mpg, with some nifty high performance features that not found on the standard Prius which is not surprising given its sticker price of about only $25,000).
Link to Detailed Comparative Analysis of Tesla 3 vs. Polestar 2
