THE HUFFINGTON POST

I'll begin with a paradox, thusly stated:

As Dr. Shira Doron, an epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, puts it, “It is simultaneously true that masks work and mask mandates do not work.” 

Further:

To start with the first half of the paradox: Masks reduce the spread of the Covid virus by preventing virus particles from traveling from one person’s nose or mouth into the air and infecting another person. Laboratory studies have repeatedly demonstrated the effect.

Given this, you would think that communities where mask-wearing has been more common would have had many fewer Covid infections. But that hasn’t been the case.

In U.S. cities where mask use has been more common, Covid has spread at a similar rate as in mask-resistant cities. Mask mandates in schools also seem to have done little to reduce the spread. Hong Kong, despite almost universal mask-wearing, recently endured one of the world’s worst Covid outbreaks.

Sorry about the right side being cut-off on some computers, but you get the point anyway.  More:

The main explanation seems to be that the exceptions often end up mattering more than the rule. The Covid virus is so contagious that it can spread during brief times when people take off their masks, even when a mandate is in place.  Research by the University of Minnesota suggests that between 25 percent and 30 percent of Americans consistently wear their masks below their nose.

Fortunately, the scientific evidence points to a reasonable compromise. Because masks work and mandates often don’t, people can make their own decisions. Anybody who wants to wear a snug, high-quality mask can do so and will be less likely to contract Covid.

Plus:

In the current stage of the pandemic, there are less divisive measures that are more effective than mask mandates. Booster shots are widely available. A drug that can further protect the immunocompromised, known as Evusheld, is increasingly available. So are post-infection treatments, like Paxlovid, that make Covid less severe.

In short, the conclusion is this: 

• If you are worried about catching or transmitting COVID-19...WEAR A MASK...even at home.  This means you cannot go to a bar or restaurant, period, for quickly opening your mask to eat and drink just does not work.  So how do you eat at home?  Good luck.
• GET VACCINATED AND BOOSTED...TWICE.
• Apparently, the current thinking is that it's just a matter of time for you to become a victim, as at some point in the future you will want to return to a new normalcy.  However, this virus is now so contagious that the odds are very high you will get infected.  The very big deal is that, if fully vaccinated and boosted, you will not die.
• The current rate is that 10% of all who get this disease will become a long hauler.  Nothing you can do to decrease your odds...being vaccinated or in good health, whatever.
• While cases are continuing to rise in the U.S., the hospitalization and death rates are remaining low.

On Tuesdays I usually reach back into the past and select a monumental posting worthy of retrieval.  Today, my very first Huffington Post article, published on 29May2008:

WELL, BARACK, WE HAVE A PROBLEM...

...and you have the power to provide the solution. Why you? The United States is the most powerful nation, ever. Today, and for the next generation, no other country will be anywhere close to our military and economic dominance. You will have a once in a millennium opportunity to accomplish something monumentally extraordinary, while ameliorating the global economic mega-depression that some say will soon loom from the combined hammer of Peak Oil and Global Warming.

You worry that you have a more important task at hand, which is to become POTUS (President of the U.S.)? Yes, continue that effort, but you will become the 44th POTUS.

Now to the more important challenge, creating your legacy for the benefit of Planet Earth and Humanity. As an aside, let me say that during the past year I published two books: SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth (http://simplesolutionsbook1.com/) and SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity (http://simplesolutionsbook2.com/). I mention this because those publications provide both the spur and solution for you, our Nation and the World.

Our society seems to have a fatal flaw: we can’t expeditiously act to prevent potential cataclysms like Peak Oil and Global Warming (let’s call this PO/GW). Yes, of course, we will eventually prevail, but, by my reckoning, only after decades of agony and turmoil. There has to be a better way.

Miracle of miracles. It turns out, ironically, that PO/GW is just the catalyst you need to empower you to take extraordinary steps. There are innumerable great things you can attempt to accomplish to create your legacy. What about something so monumental as ending wars..forever?

Fortunately, you will be the next POTUS because McCain, a Republican, is too closely linked to the military-industrial complex and Clinton is too entrenched in conventional politics for either one of them to even consider this extraordinary pathway to be described. You symbolize change and will not be fettered by convention nor commitments.

Let us speculate that early in your presidency your close advisors tell you, Mr. President, we have a problem. We have reached Peak Oil, and the $100+/barrel oil we have will zoom to over $200/barrel. Worse, we can’t shift to coal or other fossil fuels because, yikes, Global Warming is indeed real. It’s kind of too late, and you can ascribe culpability to Bush or Congress or oil executives, but the masses—you and me and others—are to blame. Public will is totally lacking.

Understanding that, you and you alone can immediately orchestrate a global Manhattan/Apollo effort to minimize the coming pain. We need to spend a trillion dollars over the next few years to stimulate industry to help us remediate the almost certain crisis. This is only a fraction of what we will squander on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.* The numbers, therefore, are tolerable to take on this gallant mission.

So where do you find this kind of money? Ah, the Defense budget. You go to your very first G8 Nations Summit, by your declared emergency to be held at United Nations headquarters in New York City, and pronounce a Gorbachev-like bombshell: our country will reduce military spending by 10% this year, and will continue to do so for the next eight years. This scenario is described on page 65 of Book 2. You say, we want every country to do the same, for this 10% solution can be our response to Peak Oil and Global Warming.

China’s knee-jerk reaction might well be, what, cut defense spending? We haven’t had a chance yet to attain your level of capability. But, on afterthought, they will realize that they will only need to decrease their spending by $6 billion in Year One while the U.S. takes a $60 billion hit. Ten percent of the worldwide $1.2 trillion/year for war means that at least $120 billion/year will suddenly become available in the first year to overcome PO/GW. This sum will drop to just under $100 billion in Year Two…and down to a little more than $50 billion by Year Eight. But, by Year 12, the world defense budget will have been reduced to $34 billion, and almost a trillion dollars would have been allocated to overcome PO/GW.

This grand sum will go to the United Nations to administrate and dispense. Yes, I’ve worked with the UN, and it is about the worst organization to do anything, but there is no choice, it is the only international entity of any credibility available.

The so-called military-industrial complex will shift their effort to mass-producing more efficient wind energy conversion systems, developing the hydrogen jetliner, in time converting the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to methanol and otherwise insuring for the development of the sustainable infrastructure and necessary clean energy. Military personnel can initially be maintained to take on environmental tasks and the like.

There is every reason to believe that your 10% solution can continue forever to the point where there will be close to no military expenditures and no chance for a major war. Countries like Costa Rica, Iceland, Mauritius and Panama already have no defense budget. Are they threatened? Nope! Japan, and, even, China, have had a chance to expand their economy because of a limited war account. The U.S spends almost $2000/person for defense while that of China is $45/citizen.

Triumphing over PO/GW will mean applying our tax dollars in a constructive manner. Much of this will be for better jobs, greater support towards education and truly boosting our economy.

So, future President Obama, you will have a problem, but could the above scenario be an effective solution? You are the exact right person to save Planet Earth and Humanity. Simply go to my blog at http://planetearthandhumanity.blogspot.com/, where some details are presented.

Ah, what a great country. Where else can a former public McKinley High School student provide advice to a Punahou graduate?

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* In his new book, the Three Trillion Dollar War, Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, with colleague Linda Bilmes, provides a true picture of the Iraq War cost. The obvious sense, then, is, if so much money only created a stalemate in the Middle East (and that is being kind), how can only one trillion dollar save the world from Peak Oil and Global Warming. Well, Mr. POTUS #44, this sum will only be the worldwide federal government contribution. Industrial cost matching should push the the actual expenditure to several times this contribution.

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Comments added to the posting, but must have been deleted.

How much do we spend on war?  More than the next 11 countries, combined:

The actual article can be found in the Huffington Post.  Written 14 years ago.  That year, 2008, this site was ranked #1 as the most powerful blog site in the world by The Observor, and in 2009 was named by TIME as #2 of 25 Best Blogs of 2009.  Some history:

• 
  Arianna Huffington and colleagues launched this site in 2005 as a liberal counterpart to the Drudge Report.
• In 2011 AOL bought it for $315 million, making Arianna editor-in-chief.

• 
  Also that year, Jonathan Tasini (right), on behalf of the thousands of uncompensated Huffington Post reporters, filed a lawsuit to get paid.  
• Interesting that other unpaid reporters included people like Barack Obama, Robert Reich and Deepak Chopra.
• Publication became messy, so I opted out and my final posting was on SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth and Humanity later that year.
• That was my 100th and last article.
• In 2012 The Huffington Post won a Pulitzer Prize.
• 
  In 2015 Verizon acquired AOL for $4.4 billion, which included this news aggregator.
• Huffington Post was abbreviated to HuffPo in 2017.
• In 2021 BuzzFeed bought HuffPo, with Danielle Belton as editor-in-chief.
• One great advantage of HuffPo is that it is FREE.

I'll end with something from Italia's Got Talent.

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Hurricane Agatha made landfall at 105 MPH just west of Puerto Angel, Mexico and rapidly weakened, but the remnant low-pressure system could yet enter the Gulf of Mexico and became Tropical Storm Alex.

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MEMORIAL DAY 2022

Every few years I delve into the meaning of Memorial Day.  I did that last year.  Our Freedom was not free.  We are what we are today because of those who died protecting us.

Ever wonder what the difference is between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?  Read my posting of 2016.

What should you do on Memorial Day?  You already missed the PBS telecast of the Concert on the Mall.  But click on this for a You Tube recast.  This was a different kind of show, for it was lacking in stars, but more than made up for it with stories of patriotism.

In Hawaii, I sometimes went to the Shinnyo Lantern Floating ceremony at Ala Moana Beach  That has changed, and today will occur on their temple grounds.  However, you need reservations, and there are none anymore.  There will be a live broadcast from 6:30 to 7PM on KHON2.

I could again walk up to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific inside Punchbowl, but will not.

This the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the USS Arizona Memorial (left). There will be Taps Across America Tribute at the Battleship Missouri Memorial.  This Moment of Remembrance is an annual event for Americans, wherever they, at 3 PM local time on Memorial Day, to pause for a minute to remember those who have sacrificed their lives in military service to the country.  It does cost $35/person to board of ship, half price for 4-12.  Every 15 minutes from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, you can catch a free shuttle to get you to the Aviation Museum, where the historic Ford Island Control Tower (red and white tower above, and below) just opened.

Otherwise, can report on two events happening on Thursday this week, June 2:  

• The nearly century old Scripps National Spelling Bee, will not be on ESPN, but on Ion, Bounce, Laff and TrueReal.

• 
  Here is how to get the program on Ion.  In Honolulu:
• I looked it up for Spectrum for my zip code, and was led to Channel 27 and 1027, KPXOHD.
• Semifinals at 7PM on Wednesday, with Finals at 7PM on Thursday.

Also on June 2 will be first game of the 2022 NBA Finals, with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Boston Celtics.  On ABC or fubo TV at 9PM EDT.  The odds are Warriors -160, Celtics +140.  

• A minus means the team is favored, or plus is the underdog.
• Go to the right column of this blog to out what these numbers mean.
• This site says that if you bet $100 on the Warriors, you will get a total of $162.50 back.  
• Or the implied probability is that the Warriors have a 61.54% chance of winning.
• If you bet $100 on the Celtics, you win a total of $240.
• Or the implied probability is that the Celtics have a 41.67% change of winning.

Tom Cruise is back.  

• His sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. will probably earn $156 million this 4-day weekend in the USA, and $280 million worldwide, even though the movie is not yet playing in China and Russia.  

• 
  The original came out in 1986.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers did not think much of this production, giving a 57% rating.  However, the audience said 83%.  That was 36 years ago, with Take My Breath Away by Berlin going on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
• TG2 was completed two years ago but this release was delayed because of the pandemic.  Rotten Tomatoes bestowed 96/99 ratings.  The song this time is Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga.

Hurricane Agnes is a Category 2 storm, and poised to strike Oaxaca, Mexico over the cities of Puerto Angel and La Crucecita.  While earlier today she was up to 110 MPH, there is a weakening trend.  One potential danger is that, after moving on to Tabasco, Agnes could enter the Gulf Mexico and threaten the Yucatan.  Being an A means this is the first hurricane of 2022 in the East Pacific.  Next will be Blas.  In the Atlantic, the first will be named Alex.

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SO HOW WAS OUR NORWEGIAN PRIDE OF AMERICA HAWAII INTER ISLAND CRUISE?

Our 7-day Norwegian Pride of American cruise through the Hawaiian Islands ended yesterday.  We had not traveled for 27 months, so the escape was adventurous, considering the state of this pandemic, and a bit stressful, because of COVID-19.  However, it was supremely enjoyable, especially when we tested negative on our return home to 15 Craigside.  For those considering a cruise in the near future, perhaps these thoughts can be useful, especially if you decide on the Pride of America.

• When all the tips and taxes are added, we paid nearly $600/person/day.  I thought this was rather high for the type of ship, services and accomplishments, especially as we took no tours.
• If we can later cut this price down to $400/person/day, including drinks, internet and tours, that would be something to consider.  When I went as a single on a previous cruise a few years ago I paid only $350/day.  This was with a wine package, internet and a tour on each island.
• I gained four pounds, and another I know must have grown at least that much, for she ate and drank twice as much as I did.  This is not quite an exaggeration.
• 
  The timing was terrible to take a chance on something like a cruise, where we could have been stuck on a ship with a thousand other passengers, plus staff.  The thought of another Diamond Princess incident weighed heavily.

• Nothing was officially said, but we were told by staff that there was a prevailing red alert, meaning that there a relatively high number of COVID-19 cases.  
• However, checking the CDC cruise ship page, I see an orange color for the Pride of America, which means that positive cases have been tested, and the CDC will be investigating.  Of course, almost all cruise ships these days carry that color.  
• Not that this is really all that important, but Hawaii is effectively on red alert, and 15 Craigside, as of today, has 7 residents and 8 staff on active-COVID status.  A startling 34 employees have recovered from being infected, and the latest indication is that we can't anymore prevent this virus, so we are in a mitigation mode, meaning that some staffers who are currently testing positive are working if they are asymptomatic.  As scary as that sounds, what else can they do if there is a severe staffing shortage, and, since we're all double-boosted, the odds are high that no one will die.  I know of no resident or staff who has passed away.  The long haul potential, though, is a serious concern.
• I should mention that the day we left for the cruise, a close neighbor was quarantined in his room, and so were 15 other rooms in the building.  I saw no quarantined rooms on the ship.
• 
  How badly is Hawaii faring?  To quote from my May 26 posting:

• Hawaii, though, is getting worse and worse, as we are up to more than a 1000 new cases/day, and on the past seven-day average had 911 new cases/million/day.  Frighteningly enough, there is speculation that the new cases/day will continue to rise and peak at 4000 new cases some time in June.  If this turns out to be true, Hawaii would then be at 3644/million population, right up there with where North Korea and Taiwan are today,

• 
  The Pride of America has a capacity of 2600 passengers.  Only a little over 1000 were on board, plus staff.  The reason why it was so low was because Norwegian cannot find enough qualified/certified workers.
• Their French restaurant, Jefferson's Bistro, was excellent.  We even went back a second time to have their escargots and endive salad.

• 
  More than half of the restaurants never even opened.
• Because the drinks were unlimited, we overdid this.  Mind you, these were not exactly free, for we had to pay a 20% tip plus state tax.  In other words, for a $15 scotch, we were docked around $4.  Any beverage over $15 meant that you also paid the difference over $15, plus additional tax and tip.  The wines were good, and we particularly liked the Conundrum by Caymus.  Each glass cost $10, while the bottle was priced at $39.  You can find this in Honolulu for around $20.

• 
  While I particularly enjoyed the departures and arrivals, I spent almost the entire trip in my room, so as to avoid others.  Never went to the exercise facility for the same reason.  No Netflix.  No major league baseball.  No UH Rainbow sports games.  The channels were limited pretty much to MSNBC, films (for which there is no printed schedule) and ESPN, which mostly showed boring stuff.  We did go out for meals a few times, but mostly ate in our room.  I slept a lot.

As my camera could not link to my computer, I only used my iPhone shots for my daily blog.  However, I kept taking photos on my Sony, and ended up with 120 of them.  Here they are chronologically, beginning in Honolulu and ending at 15 Craigside.  

 

You say, too much beef and alcohol?  Yup.  Got back safely to 15 Craigside, though, where, after testing negative, we shopped and had chicken katsu plus ahi poke for lunch, while watching sumo.

Why did we take a chance on a cruise?  We are running out of time and...

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