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Reflections on an Erratic, Narcissistic President

It is April 20th, 2020 and the world is in shutdown mode as the coronavirus travels around the globe. Health officials and governmental officials who listen to them and are reasonably intelligent have deemed human life as more important than short-term profits, stock market fluctuations and popularity polls.   California Governor Gavin Newsom who has been taking an intelligent and cautious path even referred to the people who have died of COVID-19 as “souls.”  I cannot remember a politician refer to humans as “souls” in a very long time.  It made me think that perhaps Gavin Newsom reads old political speeches from bygone eras. It sounded almost spiritual.

And then there is Donald Trump, who takes responsibility for nothing and credit for everything when things appear to go well. We found out that this is what “stable geniuses” do during the 2016 debates. The concept of going bankrupt over and over again and thus not having to pay federal income taxes was “intelligent.” That few questioned this as being unpatriotic, inept, irresponsible or slimy is odd.  And then when the stimulus package was ready to roll out, Trump insisted on delaying the payments for he insisted on having his signature on the checks; a strange twist of fate for someone who has avoided paying taxes.

Trump, even though he is in charge of the executive branch, sees the federal government as the enemy. This is why he insists on doing backroom deals with foreign governments, spewing nonsense and hyperbole on Twitter and in the end never actually leading and  taking responsibility for anything associated with him. Months ago when the pandemic was due to hit and medical supplies where low, Trump refused to invoke the Defense Production Act and take over sectors of manufacturing businesses to create the medical supplies needed for such a scenario.  This is because after years of dodging taxes and NOT paying taxes, he cannot fathom that the checks people write to the federal government can actually be used to help the populous as a whole.

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that [is] it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not before.”
Rahm Emanuel -Interview to the Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2008.

What is truly perplexing is that all politicians know that it is times of crises when you can act in a way that will bring people over to your side that usually would never support you. If Donald Trump simply listened to the experts in the room, and made some key decisions at key times, less people would be six feet under and ironically his poll numbers would be through the roof and he would be unstoppable in 2020. But then perhaps these are the choices of a “stable genius.”

Save our souls.

NOTE: The opinion above is only that of the author and does not represent the San Francisco Journal, investors or subsidiaries. Letters to the editors can be sent via the contact link below.

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The Quarterly Report – April 2020

COVID-19 and the Coronavirus

It is no surprise that the San Francisco Journal The Quarterly Report – April 2020, leads with the global Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic. This is “slow news that doesn’t break,”  and this pandemic will be around for a while. In San Francisco the self-isolation order started around Monday, March 16. Those who are employed in the world of the internet have a huge advantage over those that work in close distances to people. Being able to get paid to work from home is a privilege.

While we have not had to lay off any of the staff at the San Francisco Journal, the toilet paper ran out a few days ago so we are using facial tissue in all bathrooms at the main facility.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Besides that, it has been rather pleasant with mild temperatures and incredible sunsets for days on end.

Some of the things that I have noticed as everything slows down.

  • The city is quieter. All that white noise bouncing around the concrete jungle is less.
  • Fewer planes overhead. The sky is clear of that traffic.
  • Families are going out for walks together.
  • Neighbors are getting to know each other from afar.
  • No street cleaning tickets and the street cleaning trucks seem to be mostly in the barn.

7 Things to do while self-isolating

The only way to approach self-isolation, if you have a roof over your head and plenty of food  is to look at it as an opportunity not a setback.  You will no longer be in a hurry to run out the door to get to that work, social engagements or jury duty. Instead, it is possible to think of all the things you would do if you had three months with no commitments. Here are a few ideas:

  1. If you have a musical instrument in the house, learn how to play it. Maybe it is your clarinet that you tried out in middle school that is deep in you closet. Maybe it is a harmonic in the drawer of your desk. There are many online resources. Hire a local musician to teach you via video-conferencing.
  2. Fix something in your house. I was able to refurbish a bathroom scale that we picked up out of the trash ten years ago. Some sand paper and a can for white spray paint did the job. What is great about this scale is that it is always at least five pounds less than the actual weight. This will come in handy.
  3. Read a book. What a strange idea.
  4. Take up long distance running. Indeed running is something you can do during a pandemic like this. Start with a few miles and build up to twenty or thirty miles per day.
  5. Study any cookbooks you have around and make a dish out of stuff you have left around the house. Great way to get rid of food that you may have never eaten anyway.
  6. Listen to some music buried deep in a closet in your house. Could be the radio,  old cassette tapes, a CD or perhaps some vinyl albums. Listen from start to finish. Do nothing else.
  7. Clean out your dresser and go through your sock drawer. (OK. Now I am getting desperate. )

Photos from March 2020, Before Self-Isolation

Redwood City put on some Fat Tuesday events. Great celebration. Also some photos of Los Compas at El Rio.

Technologies from science fiction books, television shows and movies in the 1960s and 70s – ones that came to fruition and ones that did not

It is interesting that during this pandemic we have the crutch of digital technology. Some of these concepts seemed unbelievable fifty years ago. Many will never become a reality. Here is a list of future technological notions  from popular culture fifty years ago and whether they came to fruition.

  • Get Smart’s mobile phone in his shoe –  While our cellphones are not in our shoes this has happened.
  • Video conferencing with aliens such as Klingons. – While my relatives are not Klingons sometimes their behavior on ZOOM conferences seems alien.
  • Beaming people from a spaceship thousands of miles down to the planet like they did on Star Trek. – Has not happened. I do not have confidence that this will ever happen. We are struggling with high-speed rail, beaming people. Not going to happen.
  • Telling a speaker what music to play and having them choose music. – I remember Jean-Luc Picard requesting music on Star Trek by asking some listening device to play him Bach or something. This is now a reality if you are into having some creepy corporation listening on everything you say.
  • Individual tiny airplanes that are used for commuting as in the Jetsons – This has not happened though there are now a lot of new transportation devices popping up. Electric bicycles, electric scooters and skateboards. A personal flying contraption. Actually not a very good idea to begin with.

Weather

When the social-distancing  began in San Francisco a few weeks back, the weather became calm and tranquil, sort of like how it gets during Indian summers in the late fall. For a while people flocked to the beaches and did their social distancing in the sand and waves. The surf at Ocean Beach was very good and lovely with a week of very small yet clean surf.  It is now raining which is always welcome this time of year.

The Sierra mountains had a very dry February and a little snow in March. By the end of March a good storm showed up that dropped about 40 inches of snow above 6000 feet. Unfortunately around that time the resorts had to close because of the pandemic. Not sure it would even be a good idea to do backcountry at this point.

Sporting News

All sports are called off until further notice. Go for a bike ride or a run.