# Watching the World News Tonight the USA Looks Like the Worst Place on Earth to Live With All That is Going On--But is It ?



## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

So I was watching ABC World News tonight and seeing about the impending unsurvivable hurricanes coming, the national unrest and killings, and of course the virus stuff, too. 

In my state things don't look so bad.  We don't have any protests or rioting going on, yes we have the usual murders (it's sad to say it that way actually), our covid problem has gone way down and it doesn't look that bleak here.

How is everything going in your state?


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2020)

Maryland isn't bad off, comparatively speaking. Of course, we have part of the Eastern Shore in danger of floating out to sea; the heat has been record breaking this summer; Steven Strasburg had carpal tunnel surgery and will be out for the rest of the 2020 season, but our World Champion Nats are playing to an empty stadium anyway; crime is as usual in Baltimore; our coronavirus figures don't look so good, the state hasn't opened; and there are all the usual political issues.  But outside of that, let's look at the bright side. We're not in the path of those hurricanes.  We don't have a lot of Confederate statues to be torn down (although Maryland was a slave state, believe it or not). And people are not behaving stupidly about the virus; there is general cooperation.

Could be worse I guess.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Sunny said:


> Maryland isn't bad off, comparatively speaking. Of course, we have part of the Eastern Shore in danger of floating out to sea; the heat has been record breaking this summer; Steven Strasburg had carpal tunnel surgery and will be out for the rest of the 2020 season, but our World Champion Nats are playing to an empty stadium anyway; crime is as usual in Baltimore; our coronavirus figures don't look so good, the state hasn't opened; and there are all the usual political issues.  But outside of that, let's look at the bright side. We're not in the path of those hurricanes.  We don't have a lot of Confederate statues to be torn down (although Maryland was a slave state, believe it or not). And people are not behaving stupidly about the virus; there is general cooperation.
> 
> Could be worse I guess.


My sister lives close to Maryland.  Why is the eastern shore in danger of floating away?  Yes, those hurricanes look terrifying from what I heard on the news tonight.  I'd never live in the deep south in the paths of hurricanes...of course we have some tornadoes here.  I'm glad to hear people are being smart there.


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## PamfromTx (Aug 26, 2020)

@Ruthanne    You really know how to cheer up an American.    lol


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## Pecos (Aug 26, 2020)

Lets see, this is South Carolina:

- We are being stupid about the virus.
- We are being stupid about race relations.
- We are being stupid about domestic violence.
- We are being stupid about keeping our roads and bridges repaired.
- We are being stupid about political corruption.
- We are being stupid about alcohol and drug abuse.

We are just stupid, ... and this summer has been very hot, humid and uncomfortable with lots of mosquitos.

But, we do have good BBQ!


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...


Great about that BBQ!


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

pamelasmithwick said:


> @Ruthanne    You really know how to cheer up an American.    lol


Are you being sarcastic?  Well how is your state doing if you don't mind?


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2020)

Ruthanne, I think she's being ironic.

Here's one item about the flooding in the eastern shore region of the state.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/e...0200819-2if7cihydbecjnsqgj2b7ljwbq-story.html


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Sorry  Sunny but the website is giving me problems trying to view it..they want me to get a subscription or give them my email addy.


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## Ceege (Aug 26, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...



I've always thought that things would be so much better if we had an equal rights amendment that made everyone equal, no matter what gender, race, ****** preference, religion, age, or economic standing we are.  It would certainly solve the questions of equal pay and marriage rights.   But, there are some who feel that they would lose something if that happened.
_“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” _ 
―     Lyndon B. Johnson  

There will never be peace here, or anywhere in the world, until all people will accept others as their equal.  And, that will never happen.  It just doesn't seem to be in our nature.  

As for the weather, I wonder how much of the bad weather is our fault.  And, again, since we can't seem to convince _everyone_ that we could do things to make the severity of these weather changes better, it just won't happen.

We can choose where we want to live though.   Here in Michigan, we don't seem to have severe weather very often.  But, we do get some.  Weather wise, I think I live in a pretty good area. 

 We don't seem to have much trouble getting along with others here, either.  When I go out I see people of all colors, nationalities, and religions.  From Native Americans to Buddhist.  From Black or White to Hindu. Jewish and Amish.   So many I can't list them all.  We smile at each other as we pass them, and we chat while in a line.   Perhaps it's because we have so many different industries here that brings such a diversity.  

As for this virus, I don't see anything getting better for us until we _all_ commit to wearing the masks and practicing social distancing.  We will have to continue with that until there is a vaccine.  Even then, what if the virus mutates?  This could be our life for years to come.  I hope not, but it worries me.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Ceege said:


> I've always thought that things would be so much better if we had an equal rights amendment that made everyone equal, no matter what gender, race, ****** preference, religion, age, or economic standing we are.  It would certainly solve the questions of equal pay and marriage rights.   But, there are some who feel that they would lose something if that happened.
> _“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” _
> ―     Lyndon B. Johnson
> 
> ...


Thank you for your thought provoking post.


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## PamfromTx (Aug 26, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> Are you being sarcastic?  Well how is your state doing if you don't mind?


I'd never be sarcastic, @Ruthanne    Silly, yes.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 26, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> So I was watching ABC World News tonight and seeing about the impending unsurvivable hurricanes coming, the national unrest and killings, and of course the virus stuff, too.
> 
> In my state things don't look so bad.  We don't have any protests or rioting going on, yes we have the usual murders (it's sad to say it that way actually), our covid problem has gone way down and it doesn't look that bleak here.
> 
> How is everything going in your state?


Ruthanne, you know the saying...."if it bleeds, it leads", all news shows want ratings and viewers, so they not only report the news, but they make the best of the worst stories, to keep people interested and watching.  There's 24/7 news now in the day of cable TV and social media....they have to fill the time, usually with repeating stories every half hour.  Then, each year on an anniversary of a bad event, they spend another week 'reporting' on it.

In Colorado, things aren't that bad.  There have been some incidents with overly forceful police and some related protests.  All in all, there hasn't been anything unreasonable in the protests, problems were dealt with quickly.  As far as COVID-19. the majority of the people I see on a daily basis are doing their best to contain the spread of the virus by wearing their masks and socially distancing.  People are being kind and considerate to each other.

The United States of America is definitely not the worst place on earth, I assure you.  I feel blessed to be born in this country, I love my fellow Americans, and I plan to stay here until I leave this earth.  There are bad people everywhere, and bad leaders, but for the most part, people are good, loving and empathetic to others.  We'll have our ups and downs, but don't lose faith.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

SeaBreeze said:


> Ruthanne, you know the saying...."if it bleeds, it leads", all news shows want ratings and viewers, so they not only report the news, but they make the best of the worst stories, to keep people interested and watching.  There's 24/7 news now in the day of cable TV and social media....they have to fill the time, usually with repeating stories every half hour.  Then, each year on an anniversary of a bad event, they spend another week 'reporting' on it.
> 
> In Colorado, things aren't that bad.  There have been some incidents with overly forceful police and some related protests.  All in all, there hasn't been anything unreasonable in the protests, problems were dealt with quickly.  As far as COVID-19. the majority of the people I see on a daily basis are doing their best to contain the spread of the virus by wearing their masks and socially distancing.  People are being kind and considerate to each other.
> 
> The United States of America is definitely not the worst place on earth, I assure you.  I feel blessed to be born in this country, I love my fellow Americans, and I plan to stay here until I leave this earth.  There are bad people everywhere, and bad leaders, but for the most part, people are good, loving and empathetic to others.  We'll have our ups and downs, but don't lose faith.


Yes ABC News is a very Sensational News Channel and I have to watch how much I watch of it.  I'm glad that things are going okay in your state and they are in Ohio too for the most part. 

I am glad to be an American too and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

pamelasmithwick said:


> I'd never be sarcastic, @Ruthanne    Silly, yes.


Then you're something like me because I'm very silly too.


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## Ceege (Aug 26, 2020)

SeaBreeze said:


> The United States of America is definitely not the worst place on earth, I assure you.  I feel blessed to be born in this country, I love my fellow Americans, and I plan to stay here until I leave this earth.  There are bad people everywhere, and bad leaders, but for the most part, people are good, loving and empathetic to others.  We'll have our ups and downs, but don't lose faith.



So true.


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## Ceege (Aug 26, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> Thank you for your thought provoking post.



Pecos touched on so many interesting topics.


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## Don M. (Aug 26, 2020)

Watching the news this year, I'm really glad we live in a quiet rural area in the middle of the nation.  We have very few cases of this virus in our area, we have no forest fires, or hurricanes, and certainly NO idiots Burning Looting and Murdering.   About the only aggravation we've had to contend with is fairly hot and humid Summer weather, but that's almost normal.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Don M. said:


> Watching the news this year, I'm really glad we live in a quiet rural area in the middle of the nation.  We have very few cases of this virus in our area, we have no forest fires, or hurricanes, and certainly NO idiots Burning Looting and Murdering.   About the only aggravation we've had to contend with is fairly hot and humid Summer weather, but that's almost normal.


That's good to hear.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 26, 2020)

Ceege said:


> Pecos touched on so many interesting topics.


Yes very interesting and very sad too.


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## fmdog44 (Aug 26, 2020)

As we learn about the other planets out there we find they also have storms that would make ours look like kiddy's play. One example id the swirling storm on Jupiter is larger then our planet! Living now we should be thankful we can get warnings of coming storms except in some cases tornados. I sit here looking out the window being thankful Laura missed us by inches yet knowing what is happening in Lake Charles right now is tragic. Landfall is in three hours.


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## asp3 (Aug 26, 2020)

Here in the San Jose/San Francisco area there are still lots of fires around although they've definitely been reduced overall.  The smoke comes and goes at various points in the day and has been diminishing overall the last three days.  We actually got to ride our bicycles on a 9 mile bike ride this morning but later in the day is started getting smoky outside again but in the late afternoon the winds from the ocean came up and cleared it up again.

We had mainly peaceful protests several days just after George Floyd was murdered but they haven't recurred.  There were some damaged businesses and cars here and there bot the protests were peaceful for the most part.  It was an extremely small number of people who caused problems.

So we're just waiting for more wild fires and the next big earthquake since the Loma Prieta earthquake didn't really diminish the likely hood of an earthquake on the San Andreas fault.


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## Butterfly (Aug 26, 2020)

Peaceful here, too.  HOT!!  And very dry this year.  But peaceful.  Because of our governor's firm hand early on and throughout this pandemic, we are not as hard hit as many places and people are mostly compliant with restrictions.


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## Rosemarie (Aug 27, 2020)

I'm fed-up with the BBC news, not fit for purpose, so I've started watching Al Jazeera based in the Middle East. There is so much going on in the world which is never mentioned on the BBC. I was surprised at just how much conflict there is ..riots and civil unrest. 
Britain right now has lost its way, pandering to the minorities, but hopefully now that we've left the EU, we'll get back our sense of identity.
Believe me, America is not the worst place to live!


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## Aunt Bea (Aug 27, 2020)

When I look at the rest of the country and the world we're doing fine.


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## Rosemarie (Aug 27, 2020)

Both America and the UK must be the best countries in the world in which to live.  Why else does  the rest of the world do their utmost to migrate in those countries?


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## bingo (Aug 27, 2020)

don't watch the news...its the biggest downer around


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## Pecos (Aug 27, 2020)

SeaBreeze said:


> Ruthanne, you know the saying...."if it bleeds, it leads", all news shows want ratings and viewers, so they not only report the news, but they make the best of the worst stories, to keep people interested and watching.  There's 24/7 news now in the day of cable TV and social media....they have to fill the time, usually with repeating stories every half hour.  Then, each year on an anniversary of a bad event, they spend another week 'reporting' on it.
> 
> In Colorado, things aren't that bad.  There have been some incidents with overly forceful police and some related protests.  All in all, there hasn't been anything unreasonable in the protests, problems were dealt with quickly.  As far as COVID-19. the majority of the people I see on a daily basis are doing their best to contain the spread of the virus by wearing their masks and socially distancing.  People are being kind and considerate to each other.
> 
> The United States of America is definitely not the worst place on earth, I assure you.  I feel blessed to be born in this country, I love my fellow Americans, and I plan to stay here until I leave this earth.  There are bad people everywhere, and bad leaders, but for the most part, people are good, loving and empathetic to others.  We'll have our ups and downs, but don't lose faith.


The United States is certainly among the very best places to live and how we "mutter" through our own stupidity is something that is a mystery to me. Perhaps our "better angles" come out often enough to keep us from straying too far off the path.


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## asp3 (Aug 27, 2020)

Rosemarie said:


> Believe me, America is not the worst place to live!



Depending on the results of the election I would be willing to trade places with you.  I far prefer the UK to the US these days.


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## Sunny (Aug 27, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> Sorry  Sunny but the website is giving me problems trying to view it..they want me to get a subscription or give them my email addy.



Try this, Ruthanne. It's part of the article.

*A county in Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore is washing away, leaving its residents with hard choices*





Gary McQuitty steers his boat out into the Honga River near his hunting and fishing resort, Riverside Lodge, on Hoopers Island, Md. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)
By Scott Dance
August 24, 2020 at 7:41 p.m. EDT

Add to list
HOOPERS ISLAND — High tides surging from a narrow creek destroyed the car Kathy Blake once parked in her gravel driveway here. Over the past two decades, the water has ruined half a dozen of them.
Since October, when one of those floods filled the first floor of Blake’s home with six inches of water, she has been living in a camper with her husband and granddaughter in that same driveway.

Not far away in this tiny community on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore, Chesapeake Bay waves have eaten away at the land Gary McQuitty uses to offer hunting trips. Last year, he had to move a duck blind inland. McQuitty expects to have to move it again soon, as the waves creep toward his hunting lodge.

The evidence of rising seas stretches to Dorchester County’s mainland, too, up the winding road toward the county seat of Cambridge. Across the rural southern half of the county, everything is projected to be inundated — frequently if not constantly — by the end of the century.


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## debodun (Aug 27, 2020)

There are some "third world" places I would not want to live.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...


@Pecos Would you like to expand on the drug abuse?  Ohio was the opiod capital of the country.  It's a huge problem here.


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## Pecos (Aug 27, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> @Pecos Would you like to expand on the drug abuse?  Ohio was the opiod capital of the country.  It's a huge problem here.


Oh, we have a serious problem down here as well. I seems that every time I look at the police blotter in the newspaper there are multiple people arrested for cooking meth, drug trafficking or doing something bad while under the influence.


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## macgeek (Aug 27, 2020)

thank God for the right to bear arms... don't own a gun myself (yet), but just watching the news reminds me why we have a 2nd amendment. *When things get really bad, the police can't protect everyone. *


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## Warrigal (Aug 27, 2020)

East , West, home's best.

I think I have been blessed to have been born in The Lucky Country.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

Warrigal said:


> East , West, home's best.
> 
> I think I have been blessed to have been born in The Lucky Country.


I, too, feel blessed to be at home where I am. ❤


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Oh, we have a serious problem down here as well. I seems that every time I look at the police blotter in the newspaper there are multiple people arrested for cooking meth, drug trafficking or doing something bad while under the influence.


So is methamphetamine the big problem there then?


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

macgeek said:


> thank God for the right to bear arms... don't own a gun myself (yet), but just watching the news reminds me why we have a 2nd amendment. *When things get really bad, the police can't protect everyone. *


That's right we do have the right to bear arms and to do that responsibly.


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## Pecos (Aug 27, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> So is methamphetamine the big problem there then?


Oh yes, meth is probably our biggest problem but interstate 20 has a lot of other drugs traveling North through here as well. Human trafficking is another regional problem along that same interstate. The evil that people do is unfathomable.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Oh yes, meth is probably our biggest problem but interstate 20 has a lot of other drugs traveling North through here as well. Human trafficking is another regional problem along that same interstate. The evil that people do is unfathomable.


I agree, people can be incredibly bad.  Human trafficking takes a special kind of evil.  Have they no hearts?


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## CarolfromTX (Aug 27, 2020)

asp3 said:


> Depending on the results of the election I would be willing to trade places with you.  I far prefer the UK to the US these days.


Then go. Go now. Like all the celebs that said they would leave if you-know-who was elected, you will not. Hypocrite.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> Then go. Go now. Like all the celebs that said they would leave if you-know-who was elected, you will not. Hypocrite.


Really Carol we could do without name-calling in this thread.


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## asp3 (Aug 27, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> Then go. Go now. Like all the celebs that said they would leave if you-know-who was elected, you will not. Hypocrite.



I'm offended that you called me a hypocrite.  I didn't say I would, I said I would be willing to.  Being willing to doesn't mean that one would guarantee that they would go.  It would have been better if I had said consider trading as opposed to be willing to trade.

Now I realize that you might have been calling the celebrities hypocrites, but your wording is ambiguous enough for it to be interpreted both ways.

Also the results of the election are for more than one position so it's the entirety of the election that would be my motivation for considering such a move as opposed to just the results of one office.


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## Ceege (Aug 27, 2020)

What it all boils down to is that all we can do is vote.  We find out who won and we adjust our lives to it until we can vote again.  Could be a successful four years....or not.


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## Sunny (Aug 27, 2020)

Asp. if I were a young person right now, and you-know-what happened in November, I would investigate ways to leave the country. Probably I'd head to Canada, or England.

Carol, hypocrites?  Why?  Some of them did leave.


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## Ceege (Aug 27, 2020)

If I didn't have family here, I would go to New Zealand.  See if I liked it as just an adventure or to live there.


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## Ruthanne (Aug 27, 2020)

Rosemarie said:


> Both America and the UK must be the best countries in the world in which to live.  Why else does  the rest of the world do their utmost to migrate in those countries?


You got something there Rosemarie!  They all want to come to our countries!


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## Manatee (Aug 28, 2020)

I have been to 18 other countries, plus some other places that don't qualify as countries.  Somehow I keep coming back to Florida.


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## OneEyedDiva (Aug 28, 2020)

I watch World News Tonight.  *Love* David Muir. I had actually stopped watching for a couple of weeks...I couldn't take some of the news and I normally did not miss David (don't like it when he takes the weekend off...LOL).  Here in Jersey we had some protests in the large cities. As far as I know, they remained peaceful. We dodged a bullet as far as a bad weather even we were expecting. Jersey's COVID numbers had gone down to a manageable level but opening of schools has been postponed until November after they went back up enough to worry teachers, the school board and our governor. 
@Rosemarie: "Britain right now has lost its way, pandering to the minorities, but hopefully now that we've left the EU, we'll get back our sense of identity."
Exactly what is your identity? Can you expound on what you mean by that statement?


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## Ruthanne (Aug 28, 2020)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I watch World News Tonight.  *Love* David Muir. I had actually stopped watching for a couple of weeks...I couldn't take some of the news and I normally did not miss David (don't like it when he takes the weekend off...LOL).  Here in Jersey we had some protests in the large cities. As far as I know, they remained peaceful. We dodged a bullet as far as a bad weather even we were expecting. Jersey's COVID numbers had gone down to a manageable level but opening of schools has been postponed until November after they went back up enough to worry teachers, the school board and our governor.
> @Rosemarie: "Britain right now has lost its way, pandering to the minorities, but hopefully now that we've left the EU, we'll get back our sense of identity."
> Exactly what is your identity? Can you expound on what you mean by that statement?


I like David Muir, too, and he is soo easy on my eyes!  Sounds like Jersey is doing fairly well and that's a good thing.


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## JimBob1952 (Aug 28, 2020)

asp3 said:


> Here in the San Jose/San Francisco area there are still lots of fires around although they've definitely been reduced overall.  The smoke comes and goes at various points in the day and has been diminishing overall the last three days.  We actually got to ride our bicycles on a 9 mile bike ride this morning but later in the day is started getting smoky outside again but in the late afternoon the winds from the ocean came up and cleared it up again.
> 
> We had mainly peaceful protests several days just after George Floyd was murdered but they haven't recurred.  There were some damaged businesses and cars here and there bot the protests were peaceful for the most part.  It was an extremely small number of people who caused problems.
> 
> So we're just waiting for more wild fires and the next big earthquake since the Loma Prieta earthquake didn't really diminish the likely hood of an earthquake on the San Andreas fault.



Media portray SF as overrun by homeless people.  Needles and feces everywhere, plus lots of petty crime.  How true is this?


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## OneEyedDiva (Aug 28, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> I like David Muir, too, and he is soo easy on my eyes!  Sounds like Jersey is doing fairly well and that's a good thing.


He got my attention when he was reporting from out there in the trenches. He's serious, yet concerned and caring. And he has a sexy neck!  I love his smile at the end of the show after his American Strong segments. He was voted one of the sexiest newsmen alive a couple of years ago. This in addition to being an award winning journalist. https://people.com/politics/15-sexiest-newsmen-alive/?slide=6011236#6011236

From Wikipedia: _"Muir delivered the commencement address at Ithaca College in New York in May 2011, during which he urged graduates to use their voices.[21] On March 13, 2015, Muir received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree and the Jessica Savitch Award of Distinction for Excellence in Journalism from Ithaca College. On May 8, 2015, Muir delivered the commencement address at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. During the ceremony, he was given an honorary Doctor of Media degree. On May 12, 2018, Muir delivered the commencement address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin."_


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## peppermint (Aug 28, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...


I happen to love South Carolina....It has some good and has some bad....Where we are located we love the area...
I know when we were there Early February and March they were fixing the long long Highway....Many places to go..
shopping, and lucky to have the Ocean 2 miles away....The only thing if you read the papers, of course, most States
are the same....It just is where you are in the State....
We are in New Jersey, our first home.....I would rather live in SC....NJ politics are awful....Almost going to sell our home of 45 years...
It's a very big decision....By the way....the virus is all over the world.....You just have to be careful....In my area we never had domestic violence
So, come on....Political corruption, has been going on forever....I stay out of that....And drug abuse is worse....Try and stop it....
It is an awful thing to stop....We are to old to think about those things....Our kids are great and their kids....God Help Us....
For me, if you didn't live near New York City, you were lucky....My husband was there....He is OK....He got out of the city and now
is retired….
And, we have mosquitos in New Jersey....I got bit, not knowing when I was getting the pool cleaned at Seven O' Clock...Only 
realized it when I went in the house and I was scratching …..So lets here who thinks they have the better, town, city, or anyother…


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## AnnieA (Aug 28, 2020)

Covid-19 has been rampaging in Mississippi, but the last couple of weeks have shown downward trends in hospitalizations, ICU bed occupancy and deaths.  I never look at case counts alone, because the more cases we have that don't require a hospital stay, the better we are in the long run for herd immunity.   We'll know in a week or two how restarting school impacts the overall population.

Protesters have stuck to protesting.

State recently retired the flag with the Confederate Battle Flag ...we had nowhere left to sink there, but thankfully it's finally gone!

Late spring and summer have been cooler than usual.  Hoping for an early, hurricane-free fall.


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## peppermint (Aug 28, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> Then go. Go now. Like all the celebs that said they would leave if you-know-who was elected, you will not. Hypocrite.


I would never live in another country..It's USA where I die....We traveled all over....the USA, Islands, countries.....Not saying I didn't like those
countries....Some were OK, some were great....I want to be burried in the USA....And I don't give a dam about the celebs....Good riddance ….
My family are Italian....I didn't even want to go there.....I'm not happy what is going on in our country....But I don't get into politics....
What ever it will be, I'll deal with it...But I have a But.....But I will not say....


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## asp3 (Aug 28, 2020)

JimBob1952 said:


> Media portray SF as overrun by homeless people.  Needles and feces everywhere, plus lots of petty crime.  How true is this?



There are areas where homelessness is more prevalent and areas where you don't run into it.  There are areas where one might find feces and areas where you won't.  I haven't been up to San Francisco recently but I went up there a fair amount last year.  I didn't have any issues while up there.  One occasionally runs into panhandlers in several areas but I can't say that any of them stood out as anything other than a spare change request.  I have never seen a discarded needle in San Francisco and I worked in San Francisco daily for two years ending three years ago.

I think a lot of the media reports are overblown.  There are problems but I don't think they're being accurately portrayed in terms of frequency and distribution of the issues.


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## AnnieA (Aug 28, 2020)

JimBob1952 said:


> Media portray SF as overrun by homeless people.  Needles and feces everywhere, plus lots of petty crime.  How true is this?



Thefts under $950.00 are now a misdemeanor so what is seen as petty crime in one place isn't necessarily the same thing other places.


asp3 said:


> There are areas where homelessness is more prevalent and areas where you don't run into it.  There are areas where one might find feces and areas where you won't.  I haven't been up to San Francisco recently but I went up there a fair amount last year.  I didn't have any issues while up there.  One occasionally runs into panhandlers in several areas but I can't say that any of them stood out as anything other than a spare change request.  I have never seen a discarded needle in San Francisco and I worked in San Francisco daily for two years ending three years ago.
> 
> I think a lot of the media reports are overblown.  There are problems but I don't think they're being accurately portrayed in terms of frequency and distribution of the issues.



My sister and her family were there in March 2019.   She was terrified.  They attempted to walk around Union Square before 7pm.  My niece was propositioned by three whatever-the-politically-correct-term-for-stoned-homeless-person-is-the-thing-these-days, they saw a guy shooting up on the sidewalk.  They'd toured Alcatraz earlier that day and my sister wanted to go back and sleep there.


----------



## asp3 (Aug 28, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> Thefts under $950.00 are now a misdemeanor so what is seen as petty crime in one place isn't necessarily the same thing other places.
> 
> 
> My sister and her family were there in March 2019.   She was terrified.  They attempted to walk around Union Square before 7pm.  My niece was propositioned by three whatever-the-politically-correct-term-for-stoned-homeless-person-is-the-thing-these-days, they saw a guy shooting up on the sidewalk.  They'd toured Alcatraz earlier that day and my sister wanted to go back and sleep there.



I'm sorry your sister and her family had such a bad time there.  Union Square is very close to the Tenderloin which is an area with a lot of homeless and low income people so sometimes they drift over there to panhandle.  When you said propositioned did you mean asked for money or asked for intimate relations?

One thing that is rampant in various areas of California including San Francisco is auto break ins.  It is usually people who leave things in their cars who are victims.  I don't think they should have to be careful about that but it is one way to reduce one's chances of having their car broken into.

One night I was up in San Francisco to see a band.  Their van was parked in front of the club they were playing at and while they were away for dinner someone broke into the van and stole their managers laptop and a few other things.  Thankfully they already had their instruments in the club because they did their sound check before going to dinner.  So although I said that I have not been affected, I have been in an area where people were affected.


----------



## AnnieA (Aug 28, 2020)

asp3 said:


> I'm sorry your sister and her family had such a bad time there.  Union Square is very close to the Tenderloin which is an area with a lot of homeless and low income people so sometimes they drift over there to panhandle.  When you said propositioned did you mean asked for money or asked for intimate relations?



Sex.  Propositions were explicit and made to my niece in the presence of my sister.  What kind of sicko does that ...much less three in a tourist area in the early evening?


----------



## Rosemarie (Aug 28, 2020)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I watch World News Tonight.  *Love* David Muir. I had actually stopped watching for a couple of weeks...I couldn't take some of the news and I normally did not miss David (don't like it when he takes the weekend off...LOL).  Here in Jersey we had some protests in the large cities. As far as I know, they remained peaceful. We dodged a bullet as far as a bad weather even we were expecting. Jersey's COVID numbers had gone down to a manageable level but opening of schools has been postponed until November after they went back up enough to worry teachers, the school board and our governor.
> @Rosemarie: "Britain right now has lost its way, pandering to the minorities, but hopefully now that we've left the EU, we'll get back our sense of identity."
> Exactly what is your identity? Can you expound on what you mean by that statement?


I can't answer that question without causing offence. People don't like to hear the truth, which is why I've been banned from other forums.


----------



## JB in SC (Aug 29, 2020)

@peppermint

I’ve lived in SC since 1979, actually was born here but lived across the border. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

A lot complain about the heat and humidity but it’s not a secret, so don’t act like it’s a surprise after you move here.

To be perfectly honest, some (not all) folks move here and want to change it like it was where they came from (why are they moving here to begin with).

We have a lot of freedom to do as we please and that doesn’t suit them. I think they like the government telling them what to do.

We mind our own business which doesn’t seem suit them either. They like to tell us how to do it and why their way is better.

We pay very little in property taxes ($440 for me last year) which they love initially, but then want services like they had in the places they came from. I guess they must have liked those high taxes after all.

i have a great neighbor across the street from NY, he loves it here and would’t live anywhere else.

Another new couple from Ohio is not liking it as much, they complain a lot about the humidity we keep a secret.

Sometimes we still act like it’s 1953, but most of us have come around.


----------



## Sunny (Aug 29, 2020)

I've visited SC a few times, and enjoyed my visits. The humidity never bothered me, it's just as bad here.

I thought Hilton Head Island was a gorgeous beach resort and enjoyed it both times I was there.

Charleston, not so much. When we visited there, we also went down to Savannah for a few days, and liked its quirky charm better. Charleston seemed too snobby, a bit too much "old south" for my northerner tastes. I was offended by all the monuments to the Confederacy; you'd think they had won the war! Even the gift shops had little Confederate flags and little figures of "our brave boys in gray."  It's time we put the Civil War to rest.

Our visit to Charleston was what was then called an Elderhostel trip. (It's been renamed Roads Scholars).  I don't remember much about what we learned about the city, but I do remember the food in the college cafeteria being absolutely awful, and most of us just went out to restaurants to eat. And our hotel room had a deafeningly loud air conditioner.  Funny, the things you remember!


----------



## LindaB (Aug 29, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> So I was watching ABC World News tonight and seeing about the impending unsurvivable hurricanes coming, the national unrest and killings, and of course the virus stuff, too.
> 
> In my state things don't look so bad.  We don't have any protests or rioting going on, yes we have the usual murders (it's sad to say it that way actually), our covid problem has gone way down and it doesn't look that bleak here.
> 
> How is everything going in your state?


I am in North Carolina. We have extremely high Covid numbers. The usual crap going on like most everywhere else. The good news is that we live in a relatively small town so are out of the middle of race riots and murder. I try NOT to watch/read/listen to a lot of news. Makes me happier.


----------



## asp3 (Aug 29, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> Sex.  Propositions were explicit and made to my niece in the presence of my sister.  What kind of sicko does that ...much less three in a tourist area in the early evening?



Wow, I'm sure that was very disturbing.  I'm sorry that happened to your niece.


----------



## 911 (Aug 29, 2020)

Stay out of the big cities. Other than that, we are good, or at least, I am.


----------



## Ruthanne (Aug 29, 2020)

911 said:


> Stay out of the big cities. Other than that, we are good, or at least, I am.


I mostly stay out of the big city near me but there is a nice part of it that is not so bad and I like to go over there to do some grocery shopping sometimes.  I used to go to a nice restaurant there too but haven't since this pandemic.


----------



## asp3 (Aug 29, 2020)

911 said:


> Stay out of the big cities. Other than that, we are good, or at least, I am.



Different strokes for different folks, I love some big cities.  If it was reasonable to live in San Francisco I'd do that, but it isn't and my wife wouldn't want to live there.  I'd also love to live in London or NYC.  I'd pass on Los Angeles, Miami and many other major cities.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Sep 1, 2020)

Rosemarie said:


> I can't answer that question without causing offence. People don't like to hear the truth, which is why I've been banned from other forums.


I don't know your truth but at least you realize how terribly flawed you are. Apparently the forum administrators do too!


----------



## peppermint (Sep 1, 2020)

asp3 said:


> Different strokes for different folks, I love some big cities.  If it was reasonable to live in San Francisco I'd do that, but it isn't and my wife wouldn't want to live there.  I'd also love to live in London or NYC.  I'd pass on Los Angeles, Miami and many other major cities.


I've been to NYC for most of my life.  only an hour away without traffic....The last time I went to New York City, my husband was going
to the wonderful Hospital in NYC...My daughter paid for the Hotel....Not Cheap....It was awful...It was supposed to be the best in the City..
I had the maids redo the Bed cause it smelled....They did a good job for me and my daughter...It looked like they were ashamed to see
that this happened....We did go to the person that was in charge and told them what the maids did for us...We also had their names...
Who know's if they ever did anything about it....
That was 2 years ago....NYC is a Hell Hole!!!


----------



## peppermint (Sep 1, 2020)

JB in SC said:


> @peppermint
> 
> I’ve lived in SC since 1979, actually was born here but lived across the border. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.
> 
> ...


Thank you for that....We do love Myrtle Beach in SC....We use to have a Condo there, but we sold cause hubby had Cancer....So 2 or 3
years later we decided to go back to Myrtle Beach, SC...We go back and forth to MB and back to NJ....Our house is too big for us,
huge backyard, a pool and we are now have to bring help in....So, we will be going back to SC in 2 or 3 weeks....We have a cute cottage
with 2 bedrooms and kitchen and living room, and a little porch....That's all we need....We had our family there and they were 
comfortable...open up coach, a blow up for sleelping….and the other bedroom....2 bathrooms....I have to say they are building all over
here In MB....By the way, we use to live in Ohio...Only lasted there for 2 years and came back to Jersey....


----------



## asp3 (Sep 1, 2020)

peppermint said:


> That was 2 years ago....NYC is a Hell Hole!!!



Sorry you had such a horrible experience.  We must go to different areas of NYC.  There definitely are areas which are sketchy, but overall we has a fantastic time when we were there a little over a year ago.  Our hotels were wonderful and only one was expensive because my wife had to stay there with her chorus.  We saw three amazing shows, saw a cool taping of The Late Show, ate some wonderful food, did a couple of street art tours in Brooklyn, saw a fantastic museum show, did a wonderful bicycle ride in Central Park and to top it off my wife and her chorus sang at Carnegie hall which was an amazing experience as well.

So to me NYC is far from a hell hole.


----------



## Lakeland living (Sep 1, 2020)

Wow, honesty.


Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...


Wow honesty, took  a bit to recognize it...thank you.


----------



## Don M. (Sep 1, 2020)

The U.S. is certainly facing some serious problems this year.  However, we get the BBC news on our TV, and they broadcast much more than just politics and virus.  Based upon some of their reports, we are lucky....compared to places like Libya, India, and most of the African nations.


----------



## Rosemarie (Sep 1, 2020)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I don't know your truth but at least you realize how terribly flawed you are. Apparently the forum administrators do too!


I was right not to take the trouble to elucidate my previous statement. No point trying to explain anything to a closed mind.


----------



## Pete (Sep 1, 2020)

If America was the worst place in the world to live
why would so many millions of people be coming here
both legally and illegally?


----------



## JB in SC (Sep 1, 2020)

peppermint said:


> Thank you for that....We do love Myrtle Beach in SC....We use to have a Condo there, but we sold cause hubby had Cancer....So 2 or 3
> years later we decided to go back to Myrtle Beach, SC...We go back and forth to MB and back to NJ....Our house is too big for us,
> huge backyard, a pool and we are now have to bring help in....So, we will be going back to SC in 2 or 3 weeks....We have a cute cottage
> with 2 bedrooms and kitchen and living room, and a little porch....That's all we need....We had our family there and they were
> ...



Use caution when traveling in some areas of the city, there was some gang activity in May. They were outsiders coming in from the Greenwood area.

The previous two sets of neighbors across the street were from NJ and were great folks. They had been here 25 years I guess, two parents, a daughter and son in law. The parents and the son in law have passed away and the daughter moved to a smaller home. I miss them.


----------



## jujube (Sep 1, 2020)

Well, this is Florida. Tourism is on life support, our governor is an idiot, and I'm sure there are a couple more hurricanes out there who are just dying to visit The Mouse.

Other than that, we're getting along fine.


----------



## katlupe (Sep 2, 2020)

I am doing fine here in NY state. Our county health department said on their site yesterday that we have a low risk of the virus. People wear their masks in the stores. There are no large groups of people anywhere except the stores. 

I live in a small city where people are friendly and helpful to each other. We have crime and drugs too, but for the most part you can walk down the street after dark without being scared. 

Our weather is changing to fall weather. My favorite time. No big storms or anything to worry about.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 2, 2020)

katlupe said:


> I am doing fine here in NY state. Our county health department said on their site yesterday that we have a low risk of the virus. People wear their masks in the stores. There are no large groups of people anywhere except the stores.
> 
> I live in a small city where people are friendly and helpful to each other. We have crime and drugs too, but for the most part you can walk down the street after dark without being scared.
> 
> Our weather is changing to fall weather. My favorite time. No big storms or anything to worry about.



I've been really impressed by NY and the states around it for their Covid response.  They had the first spikes and then have had relatively low case counts since they initially died down.  I would love to understand why the experience there has been so different.  Here in California we had a lockdown early on relative to everywhere except the area around NY.  However we've had a second resurgence and are finally trending back down again.


----------



## peppermint (Sep 2, 2020)

peppermint said:


> I would never live in another country..It's USA where I die....We traveled all over....the USA, Islands, countries.....Not saying I didn't like those
> countries....Some were OK, some were great....I want to be burried in the USA....And I don't give a dam about the celebs....Good riddance ….
> My family are Italian....I didn't even want to go there.....I'm not happy what is going on in our country....But I don't get into politics....
> What ever it will be, I'll deal with it...But I have a But.....But I will not say....


I don't know what you are talking about?


asp3 said:


> Sorry you had such a horrible experience.  We must go to different areas of NYC.  There definitely are areas which are sketchy, but overall we has a fantastic time when we were there a little over a year ago.  Our hotels were wonderful and only one was expensive because my wife had to stay there with her chorus.  We saw three amazing shows, saw a cool taping of The Late Show, ate some wonderful food, did a couple of street art tours in Brooklyn, saw a fantastic museum show, did a wonderful bicycle ride in Central Park and to top it off my wife and her chorus sang at Carnegie hall which was an amazing experience as well.
> 
> So to me NYC is far from a hell hole.


Every one has an opinion....Have a good day...


----------



## peppermint (Sep 2, 2020)

JB in SC said:


> Use caution when traveling in some areas of the city, there was some gang activity in May. They were outsiders coming in from the Greenwood area.
> 
> The previous two sets of neighbors across the street were from NJ and were great folks. They had been here 25 years I guess, two parents, a daughter and son in law. The parents and the son in law have passed away and the daughter moved to a smaller home. I miss them.


Yes, I heard....It's all over, even where I live....Have a good day...


----------



## katlupe (Sep 3, 2020)

asp3 said:


> I've been really impressed by NY and the states around it for their Covid response.  They had the first spikes and then have had relatively low case counts since they initially died down.  I would love to understand why the experience there has been so different.  Here in California we had a lockdown early on relative to everywhere except the area around NY.  However we've had a second resurgence and are finally trending back down again.


I can't really say anything about the whole state, but where I live in Chenango County, there is probably less people. More rural. I go across the street to the park and I am usually the only person there. Everyone wears a mask when they go in a store or building.


----------



## Aneeda72 (Sep 3, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Lets see, this is South Carolina:
> 
> - We are being stupid about the virus.
> - We are being stupid about race relations.
> ...


So you are just the normal American citizens in SC going about their usual business, like everyone else


----------



## Aneeda72 (Sep 3, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> Then go. Go now. Like all the celebs that said they would leave if you-know-who was elected, you will not. Hypocrite.


I agree


----------



## Aneeda72 (Sep 3, 2020)

Rosemarie said:


> I can't answer that question without causing offence. People don't like to hear the truth, which is why I've been banned from other forums.


You are so right, people really don’t want the truth for the most part.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 3, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> You are so right, people really don’t want the truth for the most part.


Which truth is that?  A fact or your own opinion?  Not always the same as you know.


----------



## Aneeda72 (Sep 3, 2020)

Pepper said:


> Which truth is that?  A fact or your own opinion?  Not always the same as you know.


Both


----------



## Gary O' (Sep 3, 2020)

Ruthanne said:


> How is everything going in your state?


Southern Oregon.....great
Portland area? Really effed up


----------



## Pecos (Sep 3, 2020)

Gary O' said:


> Southern Oregon.....great
> Portland area? Really effed up


South Carolina:
We are still nuts, and it is very hot and humid today.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 3, 2020)

katlupe said:


> I can't really say anything about the whole state, but where I live in Chenango County, there is probably less people. More rural. I go across the street to the park and I am usually the only person there. Everyone wears a mask when they go in a store or building.



Well the states in the northeast that were hit hard in the initial stages of the infections have never risen to the level of much more rural and sparsely populated areas such as the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, etc...  So I think the citizens of those states should be proud of themselves for doing the right thing once the reality of the virus was known.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 3, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Both


No, dear.  It can't always be both.


----------



## peppermint (Sep 3, 2020)

Pecos said:


> South Carolina:
> We are still nuts, and it is very hot and humid today.


I love South Carolina....Most parts are very nice...It's humid in New Jersey, too...Can't get away from it....
Be Well....Can't wait to get back to SC....


----------



## JimBob1952 (Sep 3, 2020)

asp3 said:


> I've been really impressed by NY and the states around it for their Covid response.  They had the first spikes and then have had relatively low case counts since they initially died down.  I would love to understand why the experience there has been so different.  Here in California we had a lockdown early on relative to everywhere except the area around NY.  However we've had a second resurgence and are finally trending back down again.



New Yorkers love to pat themselves on the back for their pandemic response.  The fact is that New York lost 33,000 dead.  Everyone who was going to get the virus and die from it (especially those in nursing homes) did so.  The response from the governor and the mayor was vocal but inept.  

Case counts are low, but close to half a million people have left the city and it is still massively shut down.  Color me unimpressed.


----------



## JimBob1952 (Sep 3, 2020)

Gary O' said:


> Southern Oregon.....great
> Portland area? Really effed up



I don't know why you would say that.  Just the other night some nice folks got together at the mayor's place for a barbecue.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 3, 2020)

JimBob1952 said:


> New Yorkers love to pat themselves on the back for their pandemic response.  The fact is that New York lost 33,000 dead.  Everyone who was going to get the virus and die from it (especially those in nursing homes) did so.  The response from the governor and the mayor was vocal but inept.



I'm a Californian impressed with the response in the state of New York and the other states in that region.

It's reasonable to expect a high death rate in NY and especially NYC for a lot of factors

The infection was well under way before it was caught.  One report suggests that there may have already been 11,000 infections before the first one was caught and it might have started in late January before anyone knew to take precautions to prevent the spread.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loc...-infections-before-first-case-report/2386680/


Unlike most other areas in the US NYC and NY were generally unprepared for the onslaught of Covid patients so their hospitals and personnel were not ready to deal with the number of people coming in.  It's easy to see how such a large volume of patients could result in more deaths.


 We have developed new treatments strategies and treatments which have resulted in the death rate of those requiring hospitalization going down.  The patients in NY were not able to benefit from such information and as a result the death rates were higher there.  In fact the rest of the country should thank the treatment teams in NY for learning how to best save people who get hospitalized.

It's somewhat unreasonable to measure NY's success solely on their death toll and death rate.  One must take into account other factors such as the ones I've listed above and possibly some I don't know about or don't remember.

So I still contend that NY and the states around NY should be proud of their Covid response.


----------



## JimBob1952 (Sep 3, 2020)

asp3 said:


> I'm a Californian impressed with the response in the state of New York and the other states in that region.
> 
> It's reasonable to expect a high death rate in NY and especially NYC for a lot of factors
> 
> ...



All valid points.  

There were some massive bungles, such as sending sick people back to nursing homes and telling people in January that there was no danger in attending Chinese New Year's celebrations.  NY frontline medical people performed heroically and the people aren't "Covidiots"; if anything, they go to the other extreme.


----------



## CarolfromTX (Sep 3, 2020)

JimBob, I wouldn't be surprised that asp3 is an operative. Haven't trusted him from the getgo.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 3, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> JimBob, I wouldn't be surprised that asp3 is an operative. Haven't trusted him from the getgo.


Please tell me you're joking.  You know, like LOL kind of stuff.


----------



## Sunny (Sep 3, 2020)

She's obviously joking, Pepper.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 3, 2020)

Sunny said:


> She's obviously joking, Pepper.


Thanks Sunny.  I don't know Carol and all her nuances yet.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 3, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> JimBob, I wouldn't be surprised that asp3 is an operative. Haven't trusted him from the getgo.



I'm sorry you haven't trusted me.  I can tell you that I am not an operative.  I'm passionate about framing things with established facts or in some cases conjecture that's based on established facts.  If you really don't trust that I'm not what I say I am I would happily privately share my LinkedIn page which I established many years ago with you.


----------



## CarolfromTX (Sep 3, 2020)

Nope.


----------



## JimBob1952 (Sep 3, 2020)

Pepper said:


> Thanks Sunny.  I don't know Carol and all her nuances yet.



I don't know asp3 at all but he seems like a grade A person.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 3, 2020)

JimBob1952 said:


> I don't know asp3 at all but he seems like a grade A person.



Thank you


----------



## WaskaleeWabbit (Sep 5, 2020)

Ceege said:


> I've always thought that things would be so much better if we had an equal rights amendment that made everyone equal, no matter what gender, race, ****** preference, religion, age, or economic standing we are.  It would certainly solve the questions of equal pay and marriage rights.   But, there are some who feel that they would lose something if that happened.
> _“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” _
> ―     Lyndon B. Johnson
> 
> ...


I don't believe a mutation will undo all the research done for a vaccine for the base virus so it's not back to zero, and many viruses mutate themselves out of existence and gradually people will develop an immunity via low exposure or vaccine.. it's takes time.  But sure, in a reasonable functioning 1st world country you'd think it wouldn't be such a big freakin deal?


----------



## StarSong (Sep 5, 2020)

asp3 said:


> Different strokes for different folks, I love some big cities.  If it was reasonable to live in San Francisco I'd do that, but it isn't and my wife wouldn't want to live there.  I'd also love to live in London or NYC.  I'd pass on Los Angeles, Miami and many other major cities.


I've always lived within an hour commute of a very large city. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC when it was a dangerous pit, but we nevertheless went to "the city" a few times a year for plays, restaurants and museums. It's come a very long way since the 60s & 70s. The suburbs of Los Angeles provide similar opportunities. It's become my much-loved adopted home, occasional warts and all. 

San Francisco, Boston and the DC area don't do a thing for me, but I could live in/nearby one of the NY boroughs, Toronto, Barcelona, or Santa Cruz de Tenerife. (Presuming our children would move, of course.) 

Not interested in rural life. 

p.s. I think @asp3 is a grade A person, as well. He makes thoughtful, measured contributions to SF.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 5, 2020)

StarSong said:


> I've always lived within an hour commute of a very large city. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC when it was a dangerous pit, but we nevertheless went to "the city" a few times a year for plays, restaurants and museums. It's come a very long way since the 60s & 70s. The suburbs of Los Angeles provide similar opportunities. It's become my much-loved adopted home, occasional warts and all.
> 
> San Francisco, Boston and the DC area don't do a thing for me, but I could live in/nearby one of the NY boroughs, Toronto, Barcelona, or Santa Cruz de Tenerife. (Presuming our children would move, of course.)
> 
> ...



Thank you


----------



## Sunny (Sep 5, 2020)

Pepper, I don't know Carol and her nuances either. Especially answers out of the blue like "Nope."  (Are you trying for the Calvin Coolidge award, Carol?)  

My state is dealing with Covid in a kind of interesting way. Our governor has reopened the state for business as of yesterday, but my county (Montgomery)  and the adjacent one (Prince Georges)  are refusing to go along with it. Apparently they can do that; the counties can override state-wide regulations about this.   Montgomery and PG are densely populated suburbs of DC, and therefore more leery about rushing into a premature reopening.

We are still in Phase 2. Our restaurants appear to be open, so I don't understand what is the difference between that and Phase 3. Maybe large venues and crowded bars are still not allowed to be open?


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Sep 5, 2020)

Rosemarie said:


> I was right not to take the trouble to elucidate my previous statement. No point trying to explain anything to a closed mind.


How am *I *the closed minded one?! *You* alluded to minorities being a problem, not me. That seems closed minded to me. *You* were the one who decided not to explain your comment when I asked what you meant by this. "Britain right now has lost its way, pandering to the minorities, but hopefully now that we've left the EU, we'll get back our sense of identity." Pffft.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 5, 2020)

Sunny said:


> Pepper, I don't know Carol and her nuances either. Especially answers out of the blue like "Nope."  (Are you trying for the Calvin Coolidge award, Carol?)


Well.  She is from Texas.


----------



## AnnieA (Sep 5, 2020)

asp3 said:


> [snip]
> 
> It's reasonable to expect a high death rate in NY and especially NYC for a lot of factors
> 
> ...





> So I still contend that NY and the states around NY should be proud of their Covid response.



Seriously? I was horrified at this response on February 13th. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew it was already in NYC if China had taken such drastic measures on January 23rd to cancel their New Year festivities, locked down a city of 11 million, closed theaters throughout the country. No Communist government would take such measures unless the situation was completely out of hand.  And this was after travel restrictions to the US from China had been implemented  ...which was too little, too late imo. Literally watched clips of the link above and had an anxiety attack at the stupidity. Most of the Western world prioritized economic interests over early mitigation efforts; NYC did and flubbed early response badly.


----------



## Pepper (Sep 5, 2020)

NYC's strain of covid19 came through Europe, not China.


----------



## asp3 (Sep 5, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> Seriously? I was horrified at this response on February 13th. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew it was already in NYC if China had taken such drastic measures on January 23rd to cancel their New Year festivities, locked down a city of 11 million, closed theaters throughout the country. No Communist government would take such measures unless the situation was completely out of hand.  And this was after travel restrictions to the US from China had been implemented  ...which was too little, too late imo. Literally watched clips of the link above and had an anxiety attack at the stupidity. Most of the Western world prioritized economic interests over early mitigation efforts; NYC did and flubbed early response badly.



Thank you for sharing that, but I'm not as bothered by it as you are.  I'm not sure if the Asian community was affected more than other communities early in the pandemic in New York.  It may well have been.  I might be completely wrong here.

However after their initial infection the people of NY have done an amazing job keeping their infection rates low.  I think that can be commended even if the leaders of NY were irresponsible in encouraging people to get out during an emerging pandemic that they didn't realize was already spreading through their communities.


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## AnnieA (Sep 5, 2020)

Pepper said:


> NYC's strain of covid19 came through Europe, not China.



Doesn't matter.  Given China's draconian response, it was already all over the world by January 23rd.  Covid-19 is highly contagious and planes fly really fast.


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## KimIn Wis (Sep 7, 2020)

Ceege said:


> What it all boils down to is that all we can do is vote.  We find out who won and we adjust our lives to it until we can vote again.  Could be a successful four years....or not.


That's the main problem! They don't want to admit Pres Trump Won!  He lied,cheated, had other Nations help hem,   yeah.. he won and 4 years later they are still spouting this stuff!


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