March 2020

That something “could” happen is not news

This is not a new phenomenon, but it’s definitely growing more irritating as we endure coronavirus coverage. Sometimes it appears more than half of the headlines or television news stories are what “could” happen. Coronavirus could cause brain damage. Millions could die from coronavirus. We could run out of masks. Hospitals could be overrun. The virus could be deadly to young people. The economy could remain shut down until there’s a vaccine. Coronavirus could make men between the ages of 26 and 32 bowlegged. None of this is news because none of it is fact. Predictions aren’t fact. Predictions…

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It’s not what he said, it’s how he said it

Andrew Cuomo is being touted as the greatest leader we’ve seen in America since, well… Barack Obama. Why? Because. He just speaks so well. He’s so articulate. He’s clear and authoritative. He just sounds so smart. Especially compared to that bumbling, walking contradiction, Donald Trump. Nevermind that he’s presided over the most deaths in the country by quite a few. Results? Who needs ’em? He sounded so great in those press conferences… This is another fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals aren’t nearly as concerned with what is being said as how it’s being said. Conversely, conservatives are…

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What does critical thinking look like?

People talk about things like “common sense” or “critical thinking.” They’re easy to say. And we all feel like we’re speaking a common language when we say them. But what do those phrases really mean? Here’s an illustration: Today, I saw someone post this on Facebook: “People are dying all over the world… And our “leader” is getting excited about his “tv ratings?!?!” That was followed by this: I read this post, in its entirety, and the first thought I had was, “Is this really true?” They I wondered how does she know that’s what he was doing. I…

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Some of the good

Recently, I heard someone merging two ideas about God that I’d not heard intersect: the idea that God has a plan and God is good. The elaboration went on to suggest that everything happens for a reason, and no matter what those things are, something good always comes of it. It’s just a matter of finding it. This was in response to people who ask, how can there be a god if there’s war, famine, etc. The idea was that no matter what it is, even if it’s war or famine, that if you look for it, good comes…

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The world is one big Planet Fitness

We’re truly living on Planet Fitness right now, and everyone is being asked to wipe down their machine when they’re done with it. And, of course, as usual, there’s always some guy who just can’t be bothered to walk over, grab the spray and towel, and wipe down the equipment for everyone who uses it after them. So really, there’s not much different. Just a bigger scale with potentially more dire consequences.

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Will the Covid 19 be deadlier than Covid-19?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), there are more than 300,000 deaths per year in the United States due to obesity. Obesity-related deaths include high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, heart attacks, and other premature deaths. With everyone staying home, there’s presumably less exercise and more eating. It’s not a stretch to suggest most adults and children can all walk away from our self-quarantine with an extra 19 pounds, otherwise known as the Covid 19. Meanwhile, Covid-19 deaths are ranging around 22,000, as of this writing. Certainly, and unfortunately, there will be more deaths, before this is…

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President Trump’s corporate lawyers

The press seems to have a huge problem that Trump is not listening to his coronavirus task force. They get up and say things… things based on science! And President Trump contradicts them or ignores them. If you’ve had any private sector experience, you’d understand what’s happening here. Most companies have corporate lawyers. Depending on how much power has been given to the corporate lawyers, and how much the executive team wants to involve them, most ideas, initiatives, or decisions are run by the corporate lawyers. The job of corporate lawyers is, first and foremost, to cover their own…

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Predictions aren’t news

It doesn’t matter who says it. It doesn’t matter what the data model says. It doesn’t matter what the poll results tell us. It doesn’t matter what the betting line is. When our the media reports on a prediction of the future, it’s not news. When a politician warns us of what they think is going to happen, it doesn’t matter. How many projected death toll headlines have you read since this pandemic began? 2.2 million dead. 500,000 dead. 100,000-200,000 will die. 50,000 could die tomorrow. Forget the pandemic. It’s everywhere. Shock polls. Experts say. Data models show. Biden…

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All children left behind

In the State of Washington, Governor Jay Inslee closed the schools on March 12. On April 2nd, many schools were still not teaching kids. Many other states closed their schools and moved right to online learning or virtual teaching. Washington is home to Seattle, one of the most advanced tech hubs in the world. Yet they can’t figure out how to use laptops or tablets, wifi or hotspots, and Zoom to get kids back on track learning? I realize it’s nowhere near as simple as that made it sound. But it’s not really about the ability to do it,…

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Let’s just give each other one big kiss

COVID-19 may be new, but viruses and infectious diseases certainly are not. We’re obviously going to learn more and more about coronavirus as the days and months drag on, but one thing is probably certain: we’re not going to cure it, and it’s not going to go away. That means our immune system will be called upon, once again, to bail us out. To bail us out, our immune system needs some exposure to the menace to start building the antibodies we need to fight it. The more this thing spreads, the more we’ll be able to build up…

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