Thursday, June 11, 2020

Covid 19 Cases rise in Florida, as do hospitalizations

In case you wondered how we're doing as a state. Disney world straddles between orange and Osceola counties

Https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-coronavirus-increasing-coronavirus-cases-20200610-pentekfcjvhfrnvxpa3btyg3yy-story.html


Increase in cases
Increase in deaths
MARTIN
321%
117%
COLLIER
216%
128%
ST. LUCIE
153%
24%
POLK
120%
139%
PALM BEACH
116%
82%
HILLSBOROUGH
116%
184%
PINELLAS
108%
116%
LEE
100%
139%
CHARLOTTE
86%
177%
LEON
82%
40%
MANATEE
78%
72%
BAY
74%
33%
SARASOTA
74%
77%
HIGHLANDS
70%
29%
INDIAN RIVER
69%
38%
OKALOOSA
68%
20%
DUVAL
67%
112%
ORANGE
64%
29%
SANTA ROSA
63%
13%
VOLUSIA
59%
67%
PASCO
53%
88%
MIAMI-DADE
49%
88%
ESCAMBIA
49%
157%
MARION
46%
60%
OSCEOLA
46%
133%
BREVARD
45%
63%
BROWARD
44%
60%
LAKE
43%
7%
MONROE
43%
33%
CLAY
41%
78%
NASSAU
39%
0%
FLAGLER
38%
0%
ALACHUA
38%
60%
SEMINOLE
34%
50%
ST. JOHNS
32%
50%
HERNANDO
31%
0%
CITRUS
28%
9%
SUMTER
11%
21%
Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone. 

Gotta protect against government taking over, right?

For years, the nra and others have espoused this notion that gun owners need to be prepared in case the government tries to take over. You know you gotta defend yourself *from* government.

So here we are, police brutality has hit a high. There's this notion that police are becoming a military force and we, the people, are being pushed by them. In many ways, this is the very kind of thing that the gun-toters were talking about.

...at one point, I used to listen to some of the G. Gordon Liddy radio show when I was on the road. He was interesting (his past operations, and his connection to watergate are notable), and he was at least a little witty. I didn't agree with everything (or most of what) he said, but in small doses, it wasn't too bad.

I do remember there was a police standoff somewhere. It may have been just after the Waco, Texas incident. He was urging listeners to be good patriots and to fight against the police in these situations because we're becoming a police state. Maybe not the exact words he used, but you get the idea.

And his callers were ready for "the next time"...that was 25 years ago. Surely there have been "next times" in between then and now. And now, is essentially the situation he described.

Heck it's the situation that we heard about time and again, when there were stories about how the 2nd amendment was there to protect us, and how "the Jews could have fought off the nazis in Germany if they hadn't given up their guns."

And yet, here we are. Those brave "patriots" showed up with their guns as a shit-show of "strength" and yelled at police because they were being asked to wear a mask a few weeks ago. But now that people are under assault by police? They are nowhere to be found.

I am NOT suggesting they should be out there to take on the police. I'm simply pointing out that their argument is fatally flawed, that the very notion of why they have guns, what they are espousing, is utter nonsense. So let's not fool ourselves. They have guns because they want to feel important, it makes them tough guys.

And, make no mistake, they haven't said anything about the black lives movement, because these gun toters are mostly white, and this is also about race.

So in effect, they are refuting every argument they make about guns. And I sincerely hope this leads to an honest conversation in the not-too-distant future about why we "need" guns.

Disneyland reopening

Disney announced that Disneyland will start a phased reopening on July 9th with downtown Disney, followed shortly (about a week later) by the parks.

I had said previously that I thought Disneyland was probably the one to watch to see how disney world might be handled. Turns out that DVC was a bigger issue and they had to announce first...but now it may come to pass that Disneyland will be a proving ground because it is smaller, and relies heavily on annual pass holders and other locals. They can try a lot there first, and see how it goes.

Anyway, the rules of the road will be the same as Disney world, and Shanghai, with masks, limited attractions, no large gatherings, and reservations required to get in.

Disneyland, not unlike Disney world, has had higher attendance over the last few years, and they have been looking at ways to keep the experience great, while limiting guest entrance and managing ticket prices. And so (again not unlike Disney world) here's their chance to play with some ideas for a while.

I did find it interesting that the Chairman of the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Josh D'Amaro said:

While certain aspects of your visit may change, I assure you the quality of our storytelling, magic of our experiences and the caliber of our cast members has not. We recognize the trust that you have in the Disney brand, and we will continue to earn your trust every day.

He did not use the word temporarily. This is their moment to alter the experience from what we're used to seeing to a new version, kind of a FastPass 2.0

This is a giant experiment for the Disney company, and if they manage it smartly, they set a new standard for managing your visit to the parks.

Stay tuned.

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Trudeau was asked about Trump. See how long it took him to respond

This is what happens when’s real leader, who has real empathy, and understanding, answers a question that’s asked of him. Yes, the pause is deliberate, and illustrates that he took the time to formulate a coherent thought.

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Another example of how business will evolve.

As I've talked about at length, there are many opportunities for business models to change in the wake of the pandemic. Some out of necessity, others out of opportunity. 

Here's one that is out of necessity. But with a hint of opportunity.  Coronavirus shuttered movies theaters. There's no telling when they will re-open, how many people will want to go and see a movie, and the larger question of what will get distributed to the theater. 

The movie business has long struggled to stay relevant and profitable. Against the backdrop of home theaters, direct-to-streaming, and other issues, the only truly profitable showings are for the "blockbuster new releases"....and now some of the studios are releasing some of these movies to streaming platforms to stay on top of that market. 

And that leads us to the story about AMC theaters. This article popped up today. They don't know how long they can hang on. 

But, as you may have guessed, there's more to the story. In May, they were in talks with Amazon to be acquired. 

Distribution gets easier. You have a larger array of on-demand movies that can air on the big screen. Operas. Plays. Heck even sports could be shown on the screens. 

The evolution could be quite the thing. Instead of these three movies playing at these 4 times, it could be an array of movies playing at *any* time. 

This is the next step in the evolution of the theater experience. 

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/05/14/reasons-amazon-might-want-acquire-amc.aspx

Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone. 

Silence kills




My name is Ben

I am a 69 year old white American man.
I can do, say, and be all of these things without fear (as can my family).
I stand with my black brothers and sisters.
I will not be killed.
I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery).
I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemSean and #AtatianaJefferson).
I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride).
I can have a cellphone (#StephonClark).
I can leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards).
I can play loud music (#JordanDavis).
I can sell CD's (#AltonSterling).
I can sleep (#AiyanaJones)
I can walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown).
I can play cops and robbers (#TamirRice).
I can go to church (#Charleston9).
I can walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin).
I can hold a hair brush while leaving my own bachelor party (#SeanBell).
I can party on New Years (#OscarGrant).
I can get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland).
I can lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile).
I can break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones).
I can shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford) .
I can have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher).
I can read a book in my own car (#KeithScott).
I can be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover).
I can decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese).
I can ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans).
I can cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood).
I can take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo).
I can run (#WalterScott).
I can breathe (#EricGarner).
I can live (#FreddieGray).

This is reality.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Change the first two lines to your name and your identity and share with as many people as you can.   
Silence kills.

Ben Cohen (co-founder of Ben & Jerry's)