MY WEEK OF QUARANTINE CUISINE

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil      India   South Africa

June      9     1093    4732        1185      246         82

July       1       676    4857        1057      438         92

             5       251    3572          535       421       173

             6       378    3573          656       474       111

             7       993    5504        1312       479       192

           12       380    4118          659       500       108

           13       465    3729          770       540         93

           14       935    5414        1341       586       174

           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107

           19       412    4606          715       675         85

           20       545    4040          718       596       140

           21     1119    5669        1346       671        195

           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572

           26       450    4307         556       715        114
           27      596     4200         627       636        298
           28    1266     5589         955       776        190  
           30    1485     7023       1544       779        240
           31    1465     6418       1189       783        315

Summary:  Looks like new deaths are still increasing.

From the New York Times daily briefing today:

A new study suggests that children can carry at least as much of the coronavirus in their noses and throats as adults — suggesting they are likely to spread the virus, as well.

As usual, it will be important to see if more research confirms these findings. But the study offers one more reason that reopening schools will be complicated. (This Times map of the U.S. shows where reopenings would create the greatest risks.) Because of pandemic shutdowns, the U.S. economy shrank in the second quarter at the fastest rate since at least the 1940s. And today’s looming expiration of expanded jobless benefits has created a new risk for the economy. (These charts show how far apart the Republican and Democratic unemployment proposals are.)

I watched part of the House select coronavirus committee hearing this morning, featuring Fauci, Redfield and Giroir, which was fascinating, but embarrassingly partisan.  It was like Donald Trump in disguise serving as various Republican congresspeople.  One series of questioning came from a Democrat, and it stunned me because I thought he was complimenting Jared Kushner's secret group on solving the virus problem.  This team formed in early March, and the whole story appeared yesterday in Vanity Fair, entitled, How Jared Kushner's Secret Testing Plan "Went Poof Into Thin Air."  You can read the whole article.

Rather than health experts, these were rich people and bankers and a classmate.  They did act expeditiously.  First paying $53 million to quickly get 3.5 million tests from China, but through Abu Dhabi.  The kits were provided to FEMA, but as there was not the usual oversight checks, the whole batch was contaminated and unusable.  The CDC somehow got blamed.

At that time, Admiral Brett Giroir of Health and Human Services was the White House testing czar.  However, Kushner's group worked in a bubble and never coordinated anything with the official office.  Later, this mysterious team did get some diagnostic input, but it was essentially over by then for them.

Maybe that was why, but Kushner's recommendation for a national plan of testing strategy did go POOF!  The article indicated that he just let their plan disappear.  Most likely, President Donald Trump told the group to keep quiet, for more testing would just delay economic recovery.

Tragic, for if President Trump had adopted this national testing strategy four months ago, the USA might well have prevented more than a hundred thousand deaths, with at least another hundred thousand to come, for there is still no national plan.   Kushner had the wrong team, which stumbled, but the concept was sound.

To quote from that Vanity Fair article:

Without systematic testing, “We might as well put duct tape over our eyes, cotton in our ears, and hide under the bed,” said Dr. Margaret Bourdeaux, research director for the Harvard Medical School Program in Global Public Policy.

A second:

“I had this naive optimism: This is too important to be caught in a partisan filter of how we view truth and the world,” said Rick Klausner, a Rockefeller Foundation adviser and former director of the National Cancer Institute. “But the federal government has decided to abrogate responsibility, and basically throw 50 states onto their own.”

Hindsight is easy, but if Trump had invoked the Defense Production Act in April to produce a billion fast test kits, while keeping the lockdown for just a few more weeks, we would today be where much of the world went.  Can you believe tomorrow is August, and many states are still overwhelmed with insufficient testing availability for results that could take a week or two?

For one more time, she's back:

Experts are now warning that the U.S. testing system is on the brink of collapse. “We are at a very bad moment here,” said Margaret Bourdeaux. “We are about to lose visibility on this monster and it’s going to rampage through our whole country. This is a massive emergency.”

We stumbled over the economic recovery hurdle.  We are on the brink of failing more spectacularly with school openings.  Bring back Kushner!

About that lapse of action by the U.S. Senate to protect the public from evictions and such, at the worst, there will be a one week fix.  Then another few to arrive at a $1.5-$2 trillion package, which should be called the Parents Survival Act.

You can ignore the rest of this posting.  I wanted to clear my desktop of my "quarantine meals," so here they are.

Mind you, we are allowed to leave the premises for a good reason, even though Hawaii has more recently suffered from its worst days of new coronavirus cases by a factor of four.  Alaska and Hawaii still have the fewest deaths in the nation from this coronavirus.

There will be third and fourth waves when schools are opened, then visitors are allowed to come.  I fear where Hawaii will be in the Fall.

Well, anyway, back to me...I consider good reasons to leave 15 Craigside to be quick shopping for meal enhancement purposes and golf.  First, the cuisine, by country or region, starting with Hawaii, although the first photo is of a martini with my bath after a somewhat strenuous exercise effort.  Equal parts Bombay Silver Gin and Remy Martin 1738 Cognac, with jalapeno stuffed olives and pieces of raw sweet onions:

15 Craigside provided the Kahlua Pork and Cabbage, so I fried them with some wagyu fat and more vegetables, topped with an egg, accompanied by some hamachi sashimi:

One of the most unhealthy dishes ever created, loco moco:

Again, I had part of it, papaya, hot oatmeal cereal and Chinese jook for breakfast, then the loco moco for lunch.  Why is this so bad for your health?  The origin of the sauce is the accumulation of bacon fat and everything else a restaurant collects from the grill, with some flour.  That's it.

A Japanese breakfast, beginning with the delivery:

I actually only had the papaya and cereal with milk for breakfast.  Then for lunch:

Added Hamachi sashimi, and salad to the Japanese combo with miso soup.  Hot sake, hot green tea and cold beer.

Korean kalbi and BBQ chicken with kim chi and beer:

I might have shown this before, but this was a light snack of roast pork, chips and an avocado Caesar salad, with a Stanford Chardonnay:

That glass was leftover from the drink I made for my bath.  Squeeze four oranges and a calamansi, flavor with Grand Marnier and top with vodka, over ice.

About golf, my neighbor John and I snuck in a round at Ko Olina before the shutdown occurred in March.  I gained a higher sense of respect for the LPGA (women golfers).  We were teeing off in front of their spot, and I couldn't imagine how they reached the green in regulation.  Then the putting green was so slick and tricky that I lost all confidence in how to proceed.

Then came the quarantine, so no golf for three months.  We did subsequently make it to the Koolau Golf Course, which was once noted for being the toughest golf course in the world.  I was once a member and enjoyed their onsen.  Still very tough.  Just walking from the cart to the tee was a challenge.  At least the snack bar was open, so we had hot dog and beer.  That was by far the best part of the day.

Then, a couple weeks ago we went walking at the Ted Makalena Golf Course.  I gave up after four holes.

My blood pressure got too low and pulse rate too high.  What a disappointment.  I thought that could well have been my final attempt at this sport.

Finally, this week, Ala Wai Golf Course.  I joined John and two of his friends from his church.  They both were teachers/administrators who taught John's sons and their spouses.  My goal was to walk at least 6, and perhaps 9 holes,  However, I improvised into a better plan.  Walked the first five holes, then skipped the next two so I could have my apple lunch at the 8th hole.  There was no time to sit and eat anything.  They walk so fast these days because there is no walk-on option and few golfers.  Plus, my pulse rate was too high (96-133 ppm).  Blood pressure stayed 115-130/65-75 because I ate some li hing mui for salt and Gatorade for electrolytes to keep the pressure up.   I played the 9th-12th holes, rested, then re-joined them on the 16th and finished with a lot of energy to spare.  All things considered, I actually golfed rather well and finally got some vitamin D.  Plus the open air.  Can't overemphasize the beauty of Hawaii.  Looks like my golf career is not yet over.

I was so pleased with my accomplishment that I stopped by Foodland to purchase a piece of rib eye steak and ahi limu poke.  I added some kazunoko, onions, sea asparagus and hot sauce to the poke.  My body truly deserved this reward.

This was the same 22-year old Stanford Cab I had uncorked a few days ago.  It tasted better.  Note the color.

I end with a photo, leading to an incredible science project:

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Hurricane Isaias will probably strengthen into a Category 2, and definitely bring wind, rain and damage to the East Coast of Florida, beginning around now.

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HOW JOE BIDEN CAN INSURE VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 3

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil      India   South Africa

June      9     1093    4732        1185      246         82

July       1       676    4857        1057      438         92

             5       251    3572          535       421       173

             6       378    3573          656       474       111

             7       993    5504        1312       479       192

           12       380    4118          659       500       108

           13       465    3729          770       540         93

           14       935    5414        1341       586       174

           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107

           19       412    4606          715       675         85

           20       545    4040          718       596       140

           21     1119    5669        1346       671        195

           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572

           26       450    4307         556       715        114
           27      596     4200         627       636        298
           28    1266     5589         955       776        190    
           30    1485     7023       1544       779        240

Summary:  really, really bad day for Humanity, especially the USA.  Some schools open next week.

Presidential election day is only just about three months away.  As polls currently show, Joe Biden is well ahead.  But so was Hillary Clinton in 2016.

I thought about how Joe Biden could insure for a victory on November 3, and wondered why presidential candidates in the past did not use this device.  Maybe some did, but I don't remember who or when.

But here it is.  In addition to naming his vice-president, why not also most likely secretaries, and their deputy?  For example:

• First of all, the Veep will be female, and probably African American.  
• However, no one from the Senate should be selected, for winning control of this body will be almost as important as the Presidency. 
• Thus, Kamala Harris is out.
• Susan Rice is smart (Stanford and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar), with a lot of experience.  But she does not represent a battleground state.

• Val Demings would work.  While she is a Congresswoman, the House is not a problem for Democrats.  She was Chief of the Orlando Police Department.  The George Floyd issue remains a factor.  She was the House impeachment manager in the Senate trail of President Donald Trump, and shows some gravitas, a good match for low-key Biden.

• Barack Obama, Secretary of State or UN Ambassador.
• Might as well also get Michelle Obama seriously involved in some way.
• Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General.  Bill GAMA Barr has become a symbol of corruption in the ranks.  Cuomo would actually be the best VP, but is of the wrong gender.

• Chris Cuomo, Press Secretary, who has a Juris Doctorate and is a licensed attorney.  He is a bit emotional, but this is something Biden lacks.
• Another worthy CNN staffer, is Sanjay Gupta, who also serves as associate professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine.  Surgeon General?  He was vetted for this role in the Obama White House.

• Michael Bloomberg, Secretary of Treasury.  Would be a definite improvement over Steven Mnuchin.  Would also contribute a billion dollars for Biden's re-election.
• Mitt Romney for a secretary position.  He probably would not accept, but might serve a potential role in speaking against Donald Trump during the campaign.  The key factor is not commitment, but a link to steal votes away from Trump.  Romney would pull a few Republican votes for Biden.

• A few key Hispanics, for the trend shows that there will be more of them than Black voters this year.

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:  not sure where, but somewhere.
• Julian Castro is a must.  First, he has already served as HuD secretary under Obama.  Second, he is from Texas.  Not sure what new secretariat would be best for him.
• Richard Ojeda from West Virginia.  War hero, serving 25 years in the Army.  Advocate for teachers.  Voted for Trump in 2016.  

• Michelle Lyn Grisham, governor of New Mexico and lawyer.  First Latina elected state chief executive in the history of the U.S.
• Tulsi Gabbard, Congresswoman from Hawaii, who is not running for re-election.  Hindu vote?  Only 39 and should be good for a deputy position.
• People who live in battleground or Republican states:

Election analytics website FiveThirtyEight identifies the states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin as "perennial" swing states that have regularly seen close contests over the last few presidential campaigns.^[3]

• Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.  Current governor and practicing attorney.  Has done well with the pandemic.
• Joe Sestak from Pennsylvania, former presidential candidate and Vice Admiral of the U.S. Navy...deputy secretary of defense.  

• Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta.  A lawyer and rival of Georgia governor, Brian Kemp.
• Steve Bullock of Montana, former governor of state.  However, he is running for the Senate, so maybe not.
• Beto O'Rourke of Texas...a deputy role for sure.
• Tim  Ryan of Ohio, even though he is already running for his House seat.
• John Hickenlooper of Colorado, former governor. 

There are a dozen other attractive individuals.  As a complete package, they would represent Biden in their home states during the campaign, giving speeches and reacting to Trump goofs.  By the way his latest misfire is to blame the coronavirus for necessitating a delay in the November 3 date.  However, even Mitch McConnell and other Republicans rebuffed this idea.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

2:46 AM · Jul 30, 2020

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204.4K people are Tweeting about this

Trump might not realize it, but come 20 January 2021, if no new president is elected, guess who becomes President?  Nancy Pelosi!

Incidentally, Mitch is still favored in Kentucky to win re-election.  However, take a look at this MSNBC clip about his opponent, Amy McGrath.   She is a 45-year old retired Marine fighter pilot, the first to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps and did this 89 times.  She graduated from the Naval Academy, and later taught there.  Has a Master of Arts in international and global security studies from Johns Hopkins.  Her mother is a psychiatrist who was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Kentucky's medical school.  If she beats McConnell, a real possibility if Trump gets swamped, the U.S. Senate could well turn Democratic.

I might add that the NBA resumes its season today with two games, and from tomorrow several every day until the playoffs begin. Maybe their bubble might work, for everyone is staying at Disney World in Florida.  I do not have any fantasy team.  I don't expect them to finish the year.  If the MLB Florida Marlins have 17 players with the coronavirus, what a place to put this cocoon.  NCAA football still seems inclined to have a season featuring league games only.  Why? Because this is the money maker for colleges

Today I end with a tribute to Spaghetti Westerns, especially The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, produced by Italy, Germany and the USA, featuring from Wikipedia:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was marketed as the third and final instalment in the Dollars Trilogy, following A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. The film was a financial success, grossing over $25 million at the box office, and is credited with having catapulted Eastwood into stardom.^[13] Due to general disapproval of the Spaghetti Western genre at the time, critical reception of the film following its release was mixed, but it gained critical acclaim in later years.

Here is the soundtrack suite featuring the theme song by Ennio  Moricone, orchestrated by Bruno Nicolai.  The Danish National Orchestra had a particularly popular version.  A Hawaiian-like effort by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (right).  However, Hugo Montenegro had the hit, reaching #2 on Billboard in 1968, held off by Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson, also from Wikipedia:

Hugo Montenegro was an American composer and orchestra leader who began scoring films in the 1960s. After hearing the music from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, he decided to create a cover version of the theme. Musician Tommy Morgan is quoted in Wesley Hyatt's The Billboard Book of#1 Adult Contemporary Hits as saying that Montenegro's version "...was done in one day. I think it was all day one Saturday at RCA."^[2] Similar to Morricone's original composition, Montenegro and a few session musicians sought to recreate this record using their own instrumentation. The opening two note segment was played on an ocarina by Art Smith; Morgan provided the sounds that followed on a harmonica. He was quoted as saying: "I knew it was live, so I had to do this hand thing, the 'wah-wah-wah' sound."^[2] Hyatt's book states that Montenegro himself "grunted something which came out like 'rep, rup, rep, rup, rep'" between the chorus segments.^[2] Other musicians heard on the record include Elliot Fisher (electric violin), Mannie Klein (piccolo trumpet) and Muzzy Marcellino, whose whistling is heard during the recording.^[2]

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