Showing posts with label Chaos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaos. Show all posts

May 13, 2022

No News Is Good News

No news is good news. 

Unfortunately, most of the news these days is bad news.

  • War
  • Terrorism
  • Global tensions
  • Threats of WMD
  • Political dysfunction
  • Inflation
  • Trade deficit
  • Ballooning debt
  • Sinking economy
  • Global warming
  • Social divisions
  • Rampant crime
  • Chaos at the border
  • Pandemic
  • Care giver shortage

Only good news is usually technology and acts of compassion, caring, personal sacrifice and sometimes true heroism!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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August 29, 2021

Israeli Determination and the Afghanistan Debacle

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israeli Determination and the Afghanistan Debacle."
It’s not always the largest, strongest, fastest, and best financed that wins. Like with the story of David and Goliath or even one of my modern-day heroes, Rocky, the determination of the little guy can overcome the biggest and the best of them. The Taliban were patient and over twenty years continued to wage their struggle against us, but more than that they knew that our patience was limited and that eventually we would leave, and they took the long view and planned for the overthrow of the government and the return of their rule after we were gone. They waited us out and that can be an incredibly successful strategy!
Israel is the Jewish homeland and the Biblical Promised Land from G-d. What the Palestinians haven’t understood in all these years, since the State’s founding in 1948, is that no matter how long they try to wait us out, we have more determination than they have patience! The Jewish people will never give up our historical and legitimate rights to be a sovereign nation in our land, Israel. In the end, the Palestinians may be very patient, but we are the ones who are utterly determined: whether Ashkenazi or Mizrachi, Labor or Likud, Tel Avivian or Jerusalemite, one thing that we all fundamentally agree on is our sheer and utter determination as the Jewish people to survive and be a free nation in our land.

(Source Photo: Pixabay)


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August 17, 2021

Disastrous Politics

This Afghan withdrawal and the Taliban overrunning the country is a complete fiasco. 

- 20 years of blood and treasure: $2,000,000,000,000, and 2,500 lost US military personal and G-d knows how many casualties (oh, about another 20,000)!

Now complete and utter chaos, and a turnover to terrorism.

Reminiscent of Iran's overthrow of the Shah and the U.S. hostage crisis for 444 days and when we lost Vietnam and the helicopters frantically evacuating US embassy personnel from the rooftop. 

BTW, what happened to our "Red Lines" on chemical weapons in Syria?

Where are our inherent values and the dependability of who we are and what we stand for?

Now we are once again emboldening Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. 

Moreover, US Admiral says China is within 6 years of potentially taking Taiwan (guess where most of the computer chips are made and we already have a shortage)!!!

On top of this we have the Delta variant of Covid (and fears of worse coming) for this 1.5 year long pandemic with the CDC mask on again/off again non-sensical guidance. 

Then we have a $1,200,000,000,000 infrastructure bill and a $3,500,000,000,000 social welfare bill in the works to put on top of the US already almost $29,000,000,0000,000 national debt

Any ideas what that will do to the value of the US currency in the world and inflation rearing its ugly head.

I am starting to see a run on food and home stables in the stores again with items sold out.

Consumer confidence is shaking and the stock market is teetering off at a very high precipice. 

Oh, don't forget the border crisis which is getting out of control again. 

What the F*** is going on here?  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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May 6, 2021

A Sign To Tell Us This

Wow, these days we need a sign to tell us this:

I am a man.

And I would imagine there is a corollary one to announce if you're a woman.

If people can't tell the difference anymore is that a good or bad thing?

Maybe it's good from an equality and respect standpoint, but also bad in terms some people being confused by it.

Reminds me of Crocodile Dundee when he had to do a hand check to figure things out.

Umm, that's not gonna work in real life!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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January 21, 2021

Going In Circles


One administration comes and another goes. 

The new executive orders and legislations reverse the old ones. 

- Keystone Pipeline

- Travel Ban from potential Terrorist Countries

- Paris Climate Accord

- Membership in World Health Organization

- Deregulation 

- Taxes

As a country, we are (borderline) bipolar!

And like a pendulum, we swing back and forth getting nowhere and driving the rest of the world crazy.

Can't we actually move forward without the perennial one step forward, one step back nauseating dance we keep doing. 

Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are moving forward and they are not waiting for us to figure out what we actually want and get our national act together to move decisively and definitively forward.  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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January 10, 2021

What's With This Crazy World?


I don't recognize this world. 

This world has gone to sleep. 

It's not the world of life I used to know. 

Now fear and isolation pervade about. 

Things aren't even what they seem or they seem to be what they aren't. 

Everything is glossed over and black and white are easily substituted. 

There used to be a moral ground and a forward path. 

Now you have to have a stronger faith and inner conviction than ever before. 

To see the light at the end of the tunnel and hope it's the light we all yearn for.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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January 6, 2021

Breaching The Capitol


Like so many I am outraged that the Capitol got trashed today. 

There are really no words to describe the depressing and sickening feeling seeing what happened with the rampaging mobs.

Moreover, one lady actually was killed over this!

Aside from the lawlessness, disrespect, and abandon of our great democracy, it was shocking that the security forces let it all unfold. 

Doors barricaded and guns drawn, yet the mobs freely storming the building, hanging from the rafters in the chambers and making a farce at the podium. 

Moreover, the offices of the legislators breached with computers unlocked and emails on the screen!

If ever we were afraid of what the Russians or Chinese could do to us, do you think any of their agents could possibly have found their way to blend into the rampaging crowd and chaos today and then do literally whatever they wanted anywhere in legislative branch of our government?

They wouldn't have had to be James Bond or hid in a SolarWinds application update to do us severe damage. 

It seems like we just keep giving away the keys to the kingdom until eventually there is no kingdom of democracy anymore!  ;-)


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January 3, 2021

It's 9/11 Every Day in The U.S.


For the last 4 weeks now, we've had about 3,000 deaths a day from Coronavirus in the U.S., this number is eerily similar to the number of fatalities in the horrific terrorist attack on this country on 9/11.

Moreover, we have reached over 350,000 dead in less than a year, with the projection by April 1 to be 567,000 dead or another 217,000 gone in just the next 3 months!

Despite numerous pharmaceutical companies coming up with a Covid vaccine, the distribution here is being botched every day. 

In December, we vaccinated less than 1% of the U.S. population with a first dose, despite having been promised that 20 million people would be vaccinated, while another country like Israel has vaccinated 12% of their population.

So while we are experiencing the equivalent in terms of deaths of another 9/11 just about every day now, our government and their partners are pathetically slow in reacting to save lives!

  • The Federal government is punting to the state governments.
  • The State governments are punting to the local governments.
  • And the local governments are not sure what they are doing and there is inconsistency and conflicting, confusing guidelines in the system currently.

Recently, I contacted my local authorities and received a form email back that basically told me they still know virtually nothing:

"We are currently focused on the registration of vaccination sites, the distribution and administration of vaccines in Phase 1, storage and handling, and overall communications, including ensuring patient follow-up and second dose reminders. We expect additional updates on increased vaccine production in early 2021 from our federal partners. As we learn more from the federal government, we will adjust..."

I am appalled to see so many sick people and families and friends affected and people needlessly dying every minute of every day. 

I am wondering why there is not more of an uproar and outrage from the people (even as a new more contagious variant is spreading) or is a 9/11 every day now an acceptable casualty count?

I can virtually guarantee you that if/when this is done, there are going to be how many lawsuits, investigations, and commissions looking into how this got so mishandled and resulted in so much suffering and loss of life. 

(Credit Photo: Pixabay)


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December 28, 2020

Vaccine: Too Little Too Late


So just about everyone I know now has Covid going all around them. 

Heard from 2  people in the last 2 days, and yet a 3rd person that died miserably from it this past week. 

Aside from almost 120,000 currently hospitalized, including 20,000 in the ICU, this thing is spinning rapidly out of control!

I am now convinced that by the time they get the vaccine out (and it's going awfully slowly so far), it will be too little too late and almost everyone will already have had Covid. 

Incredible how many billions of dollars have been spent on the vaccine research, manufacturing, and now on the distribution, and frankly it will have been another great big wasted boondoggle.

Vaccinate away...despite the valiant efforts by many, it's basically a throwaway for this round of the virus, and it all points to our woeful state of unpreparedness to begin with! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Pixabay)


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December 21, 2020

A Perfect Biowarfare Attack!

**WARNING.  WARNING.  WARNING**

So how would you conduct a biowarfare attack?

You wouldn't want to release a full-scale deadly pathogen, because then you would endanger your own population as well as your adversary. 

But instead, you release a pathogen (like Coronavirus) that is just deadly and contagious enough to cause a worldwide panic, shutting down countries and economies and threatening to overwhelm hospitals and emergency responders.

Then you would watch patiently as vaccines are developed that everyone would need to get to resume their lives and jobs. Of course, the vaccines get rushed through development, approval, and distribution in order to calm the fearful and disenfranchised populace. 

And here is where you would have your adversaries by their you know what, because if your agents can then infiltrate the vulnerabilities of the overwhelmed and unprepared, civilian pharmaceutical companies, their supply chains, or distribution networks during the emergency, and contaminate the vaccines with a really lethal pathogen, you would ensure that all your adversaries are eliminated (from their leadership on down to the blue collar workers in society), while your own population (which wouldn't get those vaccines from abroad) would be absolutely fine. 

Maybe even the first dose is intentionally passed through okay to lull the population and its leadership into the trap, but then the follow-on doses are tainted once the flies are already in the spider's web. 

Your adversaries are now sick and/or dead, but their countries and infrastructure are fully functioning and in place for you to take as spoils. 

World domination, it can happen as plain and simple as this.

Look around you at what's happening in our times. Mad men or genius, but this is more than any science fiction could offer.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Pixabay)


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November 2, 2020

Election + Covid = Alcohol

Between this election and Coronavirus, how can any of us truly be feeling?

This old bottle of wine is looking mighty fine to me about now. 

Sometimes, we all need something for the pain!

And this election and the plague has been nothing but painful. 

The question is drink it now or hold it for tomorrow night. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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August 18, 2020

When Planning Is A Joke

This is a wonderful example of horribly bad planning.

The College of Architecture and Planning apparently didn't plan enough space for the "C" of college and so it's plastered to the brick wall at a corner angle.

Talk about irony!

Would you want them teaching your architect and planners?

Oy this is just too classic. ;-)

(Source Photo: Facebook)
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July 17, 2020

Homemade Self-Defense

With efforts by the radical alt-left progressives to defund and dismantle police...

This is what the future for protection of innocents in this country looks like?

If you take away legitimate police and their efforts to protect citizens then this will force people to buy, build, and use even more weapons in their own self-defense.

Anarchy, chaos, lawlessness, and the wild west will be sure to take over as the new normal. 

We don't need more out of control gunslingers, gangs, and vigilantism battling for our streets. 

Reform the police, protect the innocent people, and put the bad guys away. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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April 27, 2020

The Doctor Is Out!

So one huge downside to this Coronavirus shutdown is that you can barely get any help for other medical conditions or elective surgeries. 

I just heard this morning from a relative about family members that can't get shots they need for pain control or surgeries for breathing problems.

Everything now is COVID-19.

That's the priority (maybe all of the top ten priorities)!

But does it really make sense to completely triage COVID-19 above Cancer, Heart Disease, Respiratory Disease, Strokes, Alzheimers, Diabetes, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, Parkinson's, and more. 

Coronavirus patients are who the hospital and ICU beds are for now. 

And the respirators. 

The testing. 

The new research dollars. 

Perhaps, the global medical community has gone a little Coronavirus crazy, extreme, radical, overboard in their singular focus, panic, and chaos over just one virus to the exclusion of everything else!

Apparently, our totally "overwhelmed" medical system can't "walk and chew gum at the same time."

Certainly, we have a lot to be grateful for to the dedicated and selfless doctors and nurses in the medical community for everything they are doing to help people with Coronavirus under very trying circumstances.

The problem is that in the meantime, people that have new or other chronic conditions are being left out and sometimes to rot. 

Unless of course you are a big fan of telemedicine, which may be good to get something routine looked after, but something major, and I think you're in big trouble. 

After this Coronavirus (assuming there is an after), there is going to be a lot of pent up demand for medical care. 

I think a lot of people are suffering now with conditions that they were waiting to take care of until they were absolutely necessary, but unfortunately when it became necessary, then the care was not there. 

Makes you wonder whether and when you should do or put off medical procedures in the future: just because the care is there "today," doesn't mean it will be there tomorrow. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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April 24, 2020

The Great COVID-19 Lie

We have been told that the first case of Coronavirus/COVID-19 death in the U.S. was in February 2020. 

First, we were told it was February 29 in Kirkland, Washington. 

Then that is was earlier on February 6 and 17 in California. 

But I and others who I have spoken to believe that the first cases of COVID-19 were with us many months earlier. 

Both I and my wife developed extreme coughing around the September/October timeframe. 

The coughing didn't go away for months!

As is now being reported with COVID-19, it was like it reactivates again and again, 

I went to the MinuteClinic and was prescribed antibiotics. 

The cough lingered and got worse a second time. 

I think I went another time to Minute Clinic or to Urgent Care and got a stronger antibiotic. 

The cough lingered and got worse yet a third time. 

As I become weaker and more sick (with fever at some point(s)), I found myself waking up and barely able to even get out of bed. 

I forced myself back over to Urgent Care again. 

I was given the flu test and it was not the flu. 

And no one seemed to know what it was!

They told me that they were getting so many cases...I believe they said each location was seeing about 100 patients a day!

I was so weak I just laid on the doctors exam table half falling asleep and barely able to move to get up. 

I was given yet an even stronger antibiotic and I believe some steroid medication. 

After about 3-4 horrible months and almost near collapse, it finally started to get better. 

I don't remember ever getting anything like this! 

I hadn't traveled anywhere either. 

Lots of people seem to have had a similar experience. 

Was this COVID-19 or some precursor to it?

I/We may never know the truth. 

But these symptoms and sickness was not normal.

And the high number of cases I was hearing about was beyond anything I can remember. 

As we know everything about this COVID-19 is not normal as we can all attest to after weeks and months of global lockdown. 

The reason that you are hearing all the confusing and contradictory communications and crisis from the "experts" and in the media is because the professionals are confused!

And we are left to wonder: when will we find out the truth about what this is, when it started, what the real dangers to us are now and into the future, and whether there will really ever be a cure for it? ;-)

(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
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March 19, 2020

Coronavirus - Something or Nothing?

I don't know about you but I have found the communication about the Coronavirus to be absolutely confusing.

And the actions demonstrating unpreparedness, disorganized response, general chaos, and panic do not match the few calming words we are getting. 

No wonder everyone is panicking and the bottom is falling from the market.

On one hand:

- The officials tell everyone to remain calm, and there is no reason to panic. 

- Help is on the way.

- People are overreacting.

- Most people that get Covid 19 won't even know they had it or the symptoms will be mild (or maybe moderate)

- The death rate is "only" like 3 or 4% and it's mostly older people or those with chronic ailments anyway (as if these people don't matter). 

- Younger children aren't really getting it (although we don't know exactly why or the impact on pregnant women). 

- It's less contagious and deadly than the flu (wait, it's more contagious and deadly). 

- There are plenty of tests available for everyone (no, there aren't).

- It will be over in a few weeks when the seasons change and the temperature goes up. 

- A vaccine will soon be ready for testing and then distribution after 12-18 months. 

- The numbers of infected are going down in China--see they have it under control!

- Maybe we should allow investigative drugs to be used (or maybe not, the FDA thinks this is a bad idea).

- The impact to the economy will be over probably by August (or will it?). 

- It'll ALL be over soon.

On the other hand:

- We don't know what we're facing (people are routinely using the words apocalypse and armageddon). 

- This could be the "big one!"

- Is this a punishment from G-d (and is the Messiah coming)? 

- This has reached pandemic proportions. 

- We are declaring a national emergency. 

- This may have come out of a Chinese bioweapons lab.

- Also, China suppressed information and initial response on this making the outbreak worse. 

- "China should be punished for these things" (or some version of this).

- Cases are raising around the world. 

- The contagion is worse than initially thought (there are comparisons to the Spanish Flu of 1918 which killed around 50 million people)

- The death rate is higher than expected. 

- We don't know why or where certain people got Covid 19 from.

- The hospitals are already overwhelmed and are unprepared for a real surge of cases. 

- We need to "flatten the curve" so our healthcare system isn't brought to its knees. 

- We are already triaging patients and our doctors and nurses are working extra long hours and are exhausted. 

- We aren't prepared for this--our healthcare system and government has "failed us". 

- We're rolling out unprecedented economic assistance from the Fed, the Treasury...another trillion dollar deficit (no answer for how this gets paid, if ever...can anyone say runaway inflation in the future and lots of worthless dollars). 

- Washing and "Social Distancing" are paramount. 

- There is a run on toilet paper and disinfectants and these are either sold out or vendors are price gouging these items. 

- We are shutting down the country (workplaces, fitness centers, eat-in restaurants, entertainment, travel, places of worship, and any significant gathering of people). 

- The instructions to stay at home in "indefinite"!

- People are stuck in the house and worried about how long this will go on. 

- Some places like New Rochelle, NY are under quarantine and the National Guard has been called out.

- There is talk of a curfew and further measures of quarantine to be enforced under penalty of imprisonment. 

- The lines at the stores (Costco, Sam's Club, Supermarkets, Groceries) are out the door and the shelves are empty. 

- Amazon announces that they are running out on consumer stables!

- Businesses are suspending workers, moving them to part time, and laying them off. 

- The stock market is down by 1/3 and we're told that this could just be the beginning. 

- A recession is looming and the economic impact and duration is unknown. 

- Italy is on lockdown. 

- Borders are being closed. 

- People can't get home from abroad. 

- Cruise ships aren't being allowed to port. 

- Airlines are screaming for a financial bailout. 

- Navy Hospital Ships with 1,000 beds each are being deployed to the east and west coast. 

- We're sending $1,000 checks (or something like this) to people below a certain income level (maybe $65,000).

- Taxes are supposedly being deferred (although not filing of returns or estimated taxes yet).  

- People are wearing masks everywhere (but we are being told only the sick ones need to wear it and we see everyone in China wearing it and of course our first responders and medical professionals, so which is it).

- Primary voting is delayed in some states and there is question whether the November Presidential election will also be delayed.

Summary:

Does anyone know WTF is going on around here???

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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March 15, 2020

The Coronavirus Panic


Fruits and Vegetables...


Bread....


Cereal...


Paper Towels and Toilet Paper...

(Credit Photos: Andy Blumenthal @Harris Teeter)


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March 13, 2020

Stop The Coronavirus, Please!

It's been a few exhausting weeks since the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) has gone public. 

First case in China in November.

Now as a Pandemic in 126 countries!

Over 132,000 confirmed cases, so far .

And around 5,000 deaths 🕱.

The numbers are projected to climb/////.

With Dr. Faucci of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) warning that it will "get worse before it gets better."

Everything is closing down from our work facilities to Cruises, Broadway, and Disney.

Of course, we need the government (at all levels), health professionals, and pharmaceutical companies to get their acts together with an effective response strategy. 

Also, this is a wake up call for better preparedness for all sorts of natural and man made disasters that are awaiting. 

Today it's a virus (natural or biowarfare) and tomorrow it'll be a devastating cyber attack that we are woefully unprepared for. 

No more playing politics, half measures, and waiting for the next shoe to drop (Spanish Flu, Pearl Harbor, 9/11).

The rest of us need to do our "prepping" parts and to say a prayer or two and keep going. 

(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
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January 12, 2020

EMP Attack-->Danger, Danger, Danger

Saw the Movie E.M.P. over the weekend.  

Everyone needs to see this!

The explosion of a nuke(s) in the atmosphere over the country causes an electromagnetic pulse that fries all our electronics. 

Nothing would work!!!

Think cyberattack on steroids with everything out of commission and basically little to no chance of recovery. 

Prognosis is for mass riots, starvation, and illness that wipes out most of the population. 

Easy then for the enemy to swoop in and conquer the country with no resistance and the basic infrastructure still intact for them to build on. 

Just having mutually assured destruction is not enough!

We need to genuinely be able to counter these threats and not just say: "You'll die if we die." 

How stupid and immature is that thinking?

There are more than a share of radical nuts out there who don't care if they die as long as they take us down.

These are the threats we need to pay attention to before...before...before...it's too late. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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February 26, 2019

From Chaos to Order

The world challenges us all the time. 

Yes, the world functions based on the "laws of nature," scientific facts, and mathematical formulas, and so you'd think everything in our lives would be orderly and work like clockwork.

But, as human beings, our lives are too a great extend a function of what gets thrown at us and how we react to them, and not the constancy of the world context that these things are happening in. 

It's easy to be surprised, become overwhelmed, or even be stumped by the daily barrage of things that we are new to us or we simply don't know how to handle.

A world governed by Mother Nature thus, often seems more like a world ruled by Murphy's Law. 

In a world that we can often experience as chaotic and disorderly, the answer is not to break down and cry or run and hide, but rather to create our own sense of order. 

Thus, the antagonist of chaos and disorder is consequence and order. 

The way to get to order in your life is through planning and preparation. 

The more you plan and prepare, the better you are able to deal with the challenges you are dealt. 

I believe this is the cornerstone of what a good education and training is--preparing you for real life!

Generally, if you plan and prepare for a broad spectrum of scenarios (especially the worst cast scenarios), you won't be left sitting out there scratching your head when the proverbial "sh*t hits the fan."

Thinking out of the box and ahead of the curve, and using scenario-based planning and preparation can give you the tools and confidence to leave the anxiety behind and move more swiftly to confront challenges head-on. 

Of course, we'll never be able to imagine or be prepared for everything that can happen--but the more you can free your mind to think about the "what if's" and how to mitigate the risks, the better shape you are in to act with determination and decisively when you really need to.  ;-)

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Elisa Riva)
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