EUPHORIA from MISERY

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

             7       993    5504        1312       479       192

           12       380    4118          659       500       108

           14       935    5414        1341       586       174

           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107

           19       412    4606          715       675         85

           21     1119    5669        1346       671        195

           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572

           26       450    4307         556       715        114
           28    1266     5589         955       776        190
           30    1485     7023       1544       779        240
           31    1465     6418       1189       783        315
Aug      1    1462     6429       1191       765        193
            2     1123     5601       1048       852        148
            3       467     4430         514       514        213

            4       567     4366         572       810        173
            5     1362     6292       1394       849        345
            6     1311     6832       1322       919        414
            7     1203     6452       1226       899        306

Summary:

• The USA has exceeded 5 million cases, Brazil is at 3 million, India 2 million and Africa, the continent, reached 1 million.  However, the overwhelming consensus is that many countries are just not counting accurately, and the African total might well match that of the U.S.

• Then, when you count the asymptomatic cases lurking out there, who knows what the World total is today.  Certainly not nearing 20 million cases.  Possibly double that, if not more.
• The mortality rate of the World using the data provided by Worldometer is 3.7%.  That of the U.S. is 3.2%.  The prevailing speculation is that this figure should be closer to 0.5%, or five times the mortality rate of the seasonal flu, which is 0.1%.  There are two ways to get from 3.7% down to 0.5%.  There is a huge over count on deaths.  This does not seem possible.  Thus, the asymptomatic rate must be around 85.6%.  While this is around 2.5 times higher than the 35% asymptomatic rate projected by the CDC, that is the state of confidence about what experts know about what is happening.  How can something so simple as this be so embarrassingly unexplained?

Our nation has emotional problems and even Michelle Obama is somewhat depressed.  The Cato Institute has a Misery Index.  CI is a libertarian think tank founded by Charles Koch in 1974.  Saying libertarian and Koch in the same sentence tells you a lot  Their index is based on % change in GDP/capita, influenced by inflation, bank lending rates and unemployment.  See that graphic on the right?  Click on this to read the details for 2019.  But if you're too lazy, the top five are:

• 95  Thailand  
• 94  Hungary  
• 93  Japan 
• 92  Austria  
• 91  China  

Others:

• 84  Singapore
• 78  South Korea
• 68  United States
• 62  UK
• 55  France
• 44  India
•   3  Iran
•   2  Argentina
•   1  Venezuela

Why is Thailand #1?  For one, it is the land of smiles.  But, more so, their unemployment rate has been between 0.4% and 1.2% since 2011.  There is considerable foreign investment bolstering tourism and exports.

Note that this report came out in 2019.  Interesting that those top countries also fared well in conquering the coronavirus.

Bloomberg also has a Misery Index.  Similarly economic factors determine score, so the two should be similar.  The USA just dropped from #50 to #25.  Low is bad, and the worst are Venezuela at #1, #2 Argentina, #3 South Africa, #4 Turkey and #5 Colombia.  This is the sixth straight year that Venezuela has been at the bottom.  Can you believe their current inflation rate is 4,043%?  

At the top are Thailand #1, Singapore #2, Japan #3, #4 Switzerland and #5 Malaysia.  Luxembourg rose from #30 to #47, China from #37 to #44.

With the pandemic, economic woes and Donald Trump as president, why am I still euphoric?  I think it has to do with all the transitions I faced throughout my life.  You jump into a situation of total chaos and insecurity, make the best you can to survive, end up thriving, and await the inevitable next crisis, better equipped to handle whatever comes.

• As a sophomore in high school, the Bishop Estate evicted my family to start building the Ward Complex.  We move from Kakaako to Kalihi, I essentially lost my gang, friends from childhood, and decided, heck, why not go to Stanford or Cal Tech.  

• Oh, that's another thing.  I tend to come up with impossible goals that I sometimes actually attain.  Impossible Dream is one of my very favorite songs.

• The leap to Palo Alto was even more traumatic, for I found myself at the low end of the financial, intellectual and sociological scale.  I graduated in 3.66 years, the standard we all seek.  I became a more confident individual, for the first time ever.

• My close classmates joined the Peace Corps, so I had to do something similar.  Got a job in the sugar industry on the Big Island of Hawaii in the southernmost fringe of the USA to save the local economy, and suffered through six of the toughest years in my life.  From 7AM to 5PM, working twelve straight days, followed by two days off, with frequent calls at night because of production problems, at my young age trying to help run a sugar factory, where I was half the age of the supervisors and a union that was just not friendly...all my future jobs were relatively easy.  I grew up emotionally.

• Next, on to Baton Rouge for another 3.66 years to earn a PhD in Biochemical Engineering, where again, I was in the gross minority, in a totally different culture.  These turned out to be wonderful years.

• Moving back home again to the College of Engineering at the University of Hawaii, where, again, I was in a racial minority among professors/administrators, and I remember walking to teach my first class in Fortran IV programming, even though I never before took that course.  Could I do it?  Further, early on my General Engineering Department was abolished, but I somehow got adopted by the Civil Engineering Department and joined the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute when it was created.  This was 1972.  Came the environmental and energy crisis, and I was off to...

• ...the U.S. Senate in 1979 at the time of the Second Energy Crisis, where I was totally lost in the realm of smart and experienced people who knew what they were doing.  Long hours, from 9AM to many times near midnight, so that I could participate in receptions, dinners and such representing Senator Matsunaga.  I had to catch the Metro and bus in DC, which frankly was just not safe.

Well, enough of that.  My euphoria did not blossom from this pandemic.  In June I celebrated one continuous year of this state of mind, and the pandemic did not make a dent.  I had the right attitude for this sudden invasion of COVID-19.  Mind you, almost every one else is suffering, and I commiserate.  But not so much as to influence my lifestyle, for unlike many of you reading this posting, I don't have much time left, and I don't believe in Heaven.

This pandemic has been, by my standards, not particularly challenging, with food being delivered to me three times a day, in a well-administered seniors' community where the residents so far have been incredibly lucky.  I not only don't know of a person dying from COVID-19, I am not aware of anyone who has been infected with this virus.  So being rather isolated is another bit of good fortune.

While we are quarantined and wear masks everywhere, we are now allowed to leave the premises for good reason.  However, new cases/day for Hawaii reached an all time high yesterday at 201, and schools have not even opened.  It's downright dangerous outside of the my cocoon.  I was thus worried that the Governor would again invoke a complete lock-down.  If not him, then the 15 Craigside management, for they are very cautious.  Sure, I can live life my way, but more as child than an adult.

So fearing the worst, I decided yesterday to bus into downtown Honolulu to get a haircut, for the first time in just around two months, which was soon after the initial quarantine was lifted.  Then, as Lucky Belly was next door, I went in for my favorite ramen, a Belly Bowl.  Same thing I did the last time.  The champagne was again Courtage.  

However, I was so enjoying my Belly Bowl that I ordered a second glass.  A lot more the second time, as she emptied the bottle:

There is a danger, of course, about that second glass, for I had still had to find my way home.  I would not be driving, and am well-trained for this, as at our dinner tables at 15 Craigside, some of us have had the occasion to imbibe more than normal.  We joke about hiring a wheelchair to get us back to our room.

I did have a walking cane, and the bus stop was only two blocks away, right next to a Walmart.  So I went in to get two enhancement products, garlic and onion, for who knows when I could do this again, plus more Zip-Loc bags and some rolls of toilet paper.  I was then a few minutes early for the next #4 bus...but I realized I did not have my walking cane.  I went rushing back where I just came out, and a guard said I had to enter from the other side of the building.  I explained I forget my cane, so he let me in.  I asked two staffers if they saw this cane.  They searched all the carts...nothing.  Then I saw way on the other side another cart with my cane.  Retrieved it and rushed back to the stop.  I made it by 3 seconds, as the last person had just boarded when I arrived.  Nothing like Indiana Jones, but still adventurous.

Later in the evening my meal combined the delivered lunch (hamburger stew) and dinner (pork nishime), with some ahi sashimi I bought, plus hot sake and cold beer:

The previous evening I had spaghetti and meatballs with a Governor's Selection Stanford Bourdeaux Blend from Martellotto:

This year it is both Russia, and now China, that are feared to sway the presidential elections.  My initial reaction was, oh no, maybe Trump might still have a chance.  Well, we know that Trump and Putin are best buddies, but China apparently will do what it can to elect Biden.  Anyone who tampers with Huawei and TikTok deserves some payback.  Russia has the experience, Iran is also anti-Trump, but maybe most important of all, China's technology is superior.

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