GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

2020 Election: Anomalies in vote count statistics

2020-12-01T01:00:00.010-08:00

Vote Integrity

Data analytics for election integrity.

Read the report here:

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Subscribe FREE (see: upper right column) for new posts. Reader-referred topics are welcomed and considered. Comments here are disabled. Readers may contact the blogger by email: givemeamomentblog@gmail.com

Post No. 314

2020 General Election in California

2020-10-01T13:00:00.120-07:00

Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some registered voters in California that applied well in advance of an election to receive a special ballot were able to vote early and by mail. Previously that early voting was made possible with a California Absentee Ballot. For the 2020 general election in California, that method of voting has been supplanted with Vote-by-Mail -- for ALL registered voters in California.

Given some prerequisites, individuals can apply to be a registered voter in California at this website:
California Online Voter Registration

Vote-by-Mail

(Excerpt) "Every registered voter in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot in the [2020] General Election... County election offices will begin sending vote-by-mail ballots to California voters beginning October 5, 2020.

• Ballots returned by mail (postage free) must be
postmarked by November 3, 2020*.
• Ballots returned at a secure ballot drop box must be deposited by
8 p.m. on November 3, 2020*.

Voter Bill of Rights

#10 -- The right to report any illegal or fraudulent election activity to an elections official or the Secretary of State's office.

              By phone:   (800)345-8683
               By email: elections@sos.ca.gov
                On the web: www.sos.ca.gov

Source: "Official Voter Information Guide"
California General Election
Tuesday, November 3, 2020*

*Emphasis added

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 313

2020 Census in America

2020-09-24T13:00:00.191-07:00

MEDIA CREDIT: United States Census 2020

Importance of the Data

The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.

Nonresponding Households

It's not too late. You can still complete the census online, by mail, or by phone. Also, Census Enumerators will personally visit homes. All census offices are currently scheduled to complete their work by September 30, 2020.

Census Enumerators

Census offices across the country will perform in-person follow-up work by Census Enumerators. Even if you've previously responded, a Census Enumerator may still visit to verify your address or response. You are encouraged to cooperate as they ensure an accurate count.

A Personal Perspective on the Census (opinion)

Thoughtful people will see the importance of counting the entire United States population accurately. Having been on both sides of the census questionnaire, I do encourage cooperative participation as early in the census process as is convenient. There are some individuals in the population that may, for their own reasons, not always have the benefits of being counted top-of-mind. Other folks may have their reasons to at best simply delay or at worst completely avoid answering the questionnaire.

My possibly biased opinion is that the nationwide decennial census is worth its large effort to analyze population data. The voluntary online component or tool for casting a wide net to gather the fishes, similar to the classic return-by-mail questionnaire, seems to be very useful to capture a large majority of the necessary information about the population.

In its final stages of census data gathering, the human enumerators are the sensitive fingertips of the complex large organism. Also the eyes and ears at times. If indeed we want to identify, locate, verify, and count for legitimate purposes nearly all individuals living in the country, human enumerators will continue to be an important resource during the intense efforts to initially get or ultimately verify completed census questionnaires.

I could be wrong.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 312

Ground News v. malignancy in the coverage of news

2020-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

MEDIA CREDIT: Ground News - News Comparison Platform

The truth: is it political?
'The truth' and 'the news coverage' are occasionally mutually exclusive. Few information seeking Americans are unaware of the political blindspots that exist in reporting the news. The cultivation of a source's blindspots to only emphasize the strengths or weaknesses in topics to present one-sided politics may be at best frustrating for news consumers and at worst a symptom of malignancy in the coverage of news -- perhaps criminal in extreme implementations. Few Americans would, however, prefer diminishing the constitutional right of free speech.

Ground News - Web Version (Excerpt) "Ground News processes over 30,000 news articles each day. Articles from different news outlets covering the same news event are merged into a single story so subscribers can get all the perspectives in one view. Each article is labeled one of seven bias ratings (Far Left, Left, Leans Left, Center, Leans Right, Right, Far Right) based on the average bias rating of the publishing news outlet. All news outlet bias ratings are originally sourced from three non-profit news monitoring agencies (AllSides, Media Bias Fact Check, Ad Fontes Media).

The Blindspot Report is generated by evaluating the mean and standard deviation of the aggregate bias ratings of the week's top 100 (most covered and most read) stories. News stories with the greatest mean score (many more Right outlets than Left or vice versa) or the highest standard deviation of bias ratings (more coverage on fringes than Center) are selected for the Report."

Source: Ground News Blind Spot Report, June 30-July 6, 2020

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 311

COVID-19: citizen science for antibody development

2020-05-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Convalescent Serum Antibodies
"Convalescent serum therapy is a treatment method that uses blood serum from a person who produces antibodies to a virus or bacteria, and then transfers that person's serum to someone who has the same virus or bacterial infection."

Community Serum Antibody Testing

MEDIA CREDIT: Ian Hilgart-Martiszus, Cure-Hub LLC.

Cure-Hub LLC

Our Story:

The Cure-Hub team has extensive experience in bioscience, data analytics and software engineering. We are using our skills to provide you with an opportunity to participate in a nation wide community serum survey for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Our Vision:

Cure-Hub LLC wants to help you get tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, then display de-identified open source data on cure-hub.com. This project will bring transparency and a better understanding of COVID-19 to American communities.

Our Testing:

If you participate, then we will test your blood serum for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This is a research based test but we will provide you with your results, so long as you understand that we are not making a clinical diagnosis, interpretation of the results may change in the future, and you agree not to use the results to modify your behavior.

COVID-19 Antibody Test - costs and procedures

(Excerpt) "Our citizen science research project provides adults in the USA with an opportunity to test their blood serum for COVID-19 antibodies...

You sign up, pass an online screening, sign an informed consent, pay $125 + shipping and handling for the test and answer a few survey questions. Then we ship a sample collection kit to your door..."

COVID-19 Antibody Testing Results

"...[Cure-Hub] will display the crowd's de-identified results on Cure-Hub.com. This will help you track the level of COVID-19 antibodies in your community. Which is critical to understand the pandemic and help you and local governments make smart decisions."

Source: Cure-Hub LLC

Monetary Incentive to Encourage Plasma Volunteers

(Below are excerpts from a partial rough transcript of an interview with Ian Hilgart-Martiszus)
IHM: "...I think those [that have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies] people should be paid to donate their serum. A lot of them probably accrued pretty significant hospital bills, along the way, and this would be a way to offset those bills for them..."

Scott Adams: "...If you could offer [to plasma volunteers with COVID-19 antibodies] more money to, let's say, go in a second time, or a third or fourth time, as you're suggesting -- I would imagine a monetary incentive would probably have a gigantic [unintelligible words,] as well."

Source: "Coffee With Scott Adams" podcast, Episode 994, 5.24.2020

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 310

COVID-19: California's Roadmap to Modify...

2020-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

California's Roadmap to Modify the Stay-at-Home Order.pdf

April 14, 2020 -- (Excerpt) "Governor unveils six key indicators that will be considered before modifying state’s stay-at-home order [see link above]...

The Governor said there is not a precise timeline for modifying the stay-at-home order, but that these six indicators will serve as the framework for making that decision.

He also noted that things will look different as California makes modifications. For example, restaurants will have fewer tables and classrooms will be reconfigured."

MEDIA CREDIT: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 309

COVID-19: after 'flatten the curve'

2020-04-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) - respirator mask

MEDIA CREDIT: 3M.com

The Great Suppression

(Excerpt) "The lockdowns were presented to us under the need to 'flatten the curve' for hospital capacity, but there isn’t one curve and we didn’t have enough information even to say where one city was on any curve. There were some days of difficulty in hot spots but many hospitals in the country, due to the order that they not do elective surgeries, started furloughing workers. The reality of many empty hospitals in the middle of a pandemic was too much to process. So we spent the next two weeks searching for new justifications to keep the lockdown in place. Those started to sound affected and even fraudulent very quickly.

What’s important about the three-phase process that [President] Trump enumerated with no set time timetable is that it flips the burden of proof. We have suddenly gone from a world in which governors have presumed that cracking down, forbidding, suppressing, denouncing, shutting down, arresting, and jailing are presumed to be good medicine, to a world in which we treat a virus as a disease to mitigate and the suppressors have to justify their actions else face the wrath of the tens of millions of victims. In many ways, it was a brilliant move. In short, the hounds have been called off. Let us not underestimate what this could mean.

Another important point about the three-phase plan: it is focused on the facts of the case. Not model-based predictions. Not someone’s ideology. Not political posturing. Not the fallacy of authority. The opening is based on the on-the-ground realities. The facts have never justified the suppression. Nor do they justify continued suppression for one hour more. The facts will set us free....

Business confidence has been shattered. It will be a long time before trust returns, to say nothing of confidence. We need an ironclad promise from our political leaders that this will not and cannot ever happen again. We won’t get that, so as a proxy we need public opinion to rage and for every voice of suppression to experience the fallout. Meanwhile, we are rediscovering what disease mitigation looks like in a free society. The vulnerable isolate voluntarily. Medical professionals get to work. We do our best not to destroy life functioning. The politicians bow out (emphasis added.)

The main point is that there is a tomorrow, and tomorrow can be and will be better than today. Let us learn. Let us speak. Let us act. Let us remember our values – we are brave and free – and never permit society and the economy... to be attacked this way again."

We have survived the Great Suppression."

MEDIA CREDIT: Jeffery A. Tucker, 4.16.2020

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 308

COVID-19: wearable devices may predict illness

2020-04-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Michael Snyder, PhD

MEDIA CREDIT: Stanford Medicine News Center

Early Detection of Possible COVID-19 Cases

(Excerpt) "Stanford Medicine researchers and their collaborators, Fitbit and Scripps Research, are launching a new effort that aims to detect early signs of viral infection through data from smartwatches and other wearable devices.

By using wearable devices to measure things such as heart rate and skin temperature, which are known to elevate when the body is fighting off an infection, the team seeks to train a series of algorithms that indicates when your immune system is acting up.

If the algorithms succeed, the team hopes they could help curb the spread of viral infections, such as COVID-19...

Once the algorithms are developed and verified... [Dr. Michael Snyder, PhD] said, they could help people keep tabs on their health. Devices with an algorithm could alert users when their heart rate, skin temperature or some other part of their physiology signals that their body is fighting an infection. When people come down with a cold or flu, there’s usually a period just before symptoms set in when they wonder if they’re actually getting sick. Even during that time, without heavy symptoms, a sick individual often can still spread the virus. 'You might wonder, are these sniffles allergies, or am I getting sick?' These algorithms could help people determine if they should stay home in case their body is fighting off an infection,' Snyder said."

Source: Stanford Medicine News Center, 4.14.2020

ON TOPIC:

Stanford Medicine offers high-priority COVID-19 testing and new app to first responders, 4.8.2020

Study shows how big data can be used for personal health, 5.19.2020

"A longitudinal big data approach for precision health," Nature.com, 5.8.2020

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 307

COVID-19: Task Force Briefing at White House

2020-03-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Panama Canal allows passage for ship to get home

The cruise ship Zaandam, in which four passengers died and several onboard have reported influenza-like symptoms, was granted passage through the Panama Canal to sail to South Florida, Holland American said. File Photo courtesy Holland America. MEDIA CREDIT: UPI.com, 3.29.2020

COVID-19: 15 Days to Slow the Spread

3.29.2020 - Today, these federal guidelines were extended. Other conditions may require additional extensions or changes on or before that date.

Currently, these federal guidelines to "Slow the Spread" have been extended to April 30, 2020.

Guidelines Extended

(Excerpt) "President Donald Trump on... extended the national... [Slow the Spread] guidelines to April 30, walking back his previous remarks that he wanted the country to reopen for business by Easter...

Public health experts had warned that loosening restrictions by Easter, on April 12, would result in unnecessary death and economic damage."

MEDIA CREDIT: Emily Newburger, cnbc.com, 3.29.2020

Since its founding, this may be the first Easter season that America has not allowed Easter church services.

Task Force Doctor

(Excerpt) "Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci ...[has said that] officials 'don't really have any firm idea' about how many cases the country will eventually have but estimated there could be as many as 200,000 deaths and 'millions of cases.'...

[Previously,] the number I gave out is based on modeling and I think it's entirely conceivable that if we do not mitigate to the extent that we're trying to do that we could reach that number,' Fauci said during... [3.29.2020] briefing. 'So what we're trying to do is not let that happen so instead of concentrating on the upper and the lower we're trying to push it all the way down.'

Fauci added that officials believe that the federal guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus have had 'an effect,' however that effect is difficult to quantify.

'The decision to extend this mitigation process [Guidelines] until the end of April [30] I think was a wise and prudent decision,' ...[Dr. Fauci] said.

MEDIA CREDIT: UPI.com, 3.29.2020

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 306

Calif. High Sierra: Isolate-at-(Snow-Covered)-Cabin?

2020-03-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

The California High Sierra Mountains are beautiful in all seasons. In the winter, from the high elevation forested areas on up to beyond the tree line can be very deeply snow-covered. Intrepid skiers sometimes can rent cabins in the Big Trees Village area with names inspired by the fabled "Bigfoot" legend: the "Hairy Knuckle Forest," the "Big Foot Circle," and "The Big Toe."

The following paraphrased report from a local business in that forested mountain area provides an antidotal glimpse of recent local weather conditions:

(Excerpt) "...there were many power lines, trees, branches etc. down with the storm last week. We went up, but there were too many detours everywhere that we headed back down the hill. Plan to try again driving by more of the cabins once the weather clears..."

More Seriously Isolated-at-Home

MEDIA CREDIT: PG&E

CALAVERAS COUNTY – Two PG&E workers rescued an elderly man who was trapped in his home in Calaveras County for five days due to snow.

Stockon-based PG&E troublemen Adam Gossett and Ean Collins were in the area of Big Trees Village... working on restoring power impacted by a heavy storm when they said they heard a faint scream coming from a nearby home covered almost completely in snow, the utility said in a news release.

“He was saying ‘Help me’ and ‘I’m hungry,’ so we grabbed our bagged lunches and some water and made our way to him,” Collins said.

The utility said the man had blown a whistle for two days as a call for help and placed “Please help!” signs in his windows with no luck.

PG&E said the workers found that the 74-year-old man had been trapped in his home for nearly a week and was without food, power, heat, or a phone.

“He was shivering and clearly in distress,” Gossett said.

Gossett and Collins called 911, PG&E said, and responders found the man was a diabetic and in need of additional care.

“He said he had been praying for someone to help him. I told him, ‘God answered your prayers today,’” Gossett said.

MEDIA CREDIT: CBS13, 3.22.2020

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 305

California: accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

2020-03-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

California has a problem
Okay, say an understated obvious housing crisis. There actually are not enough dwellings. Not enough houses for everyone here, for everyone that wants to live here, for everyone we need to live here, in California.

Let's just call it out: In my opinion, "political will" too often is created and supported by self-serving no-growth interests and money. Occasionally this interferes with sound land use planning. Land use decisions are made by property owners and by the many local, regional, and state governmental jurisdictions.

"Not in my Backyard" (NIMBY) is the simplification into a phrase of motives that drive the creation of "no-growth" policies. These policies are implemented in land use decisions that are made into law by jurisdictions. And past lawful land use has not provided enough dwellings in California, at all.

2020 California (State level) land use laws allow densification
New state level Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) laws allow creation of some additional dwellings in specific land use categories.

(Excerpt) "California's housing and affordability crisis isn’t going away any time soon. But a slate of new state laws have empowered homeowners to use a small but significant tool that advocates say will create an increase in new units and new opportunities.

Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs—small structures, typically under 1,000 square feet, that are built by homeowners on their properties—became a centerpiece of state housing legislation... after five bills were signed into law expanding the ability for Californians to build such structures in their backyards. By allowing residents to both build a small apartment and convert their garage, the legislative package, in effect, allows triplexes in much of the state.

'People will be able to have an ADU and a junior ADU on single family lots, or they can convert two garages on a duplex lot,' says Ira Belgrade, an advocate and consultant for ADU construction... ."

MEDIA CREDIT: Curbed SF, 10.11.2019

ON TOPIC:

"What You Should Know About the New California A.D.U. Laws for 2020"

Rost Architects

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 304

America: a constitutional republic, or what?

2020-03-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

MEDIA CREDIT: Michael Morris, Commentary Editor, CNSNews.com

Levin: ‘We Don’t Have a Free Market’ or ‘Constitutional Republic Anymore’

(Excerpt) "Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Mark Levin, on his show Tuesday lauded the comments of a caller and explained to his audience that the U.S. doesn’t 'have a free market' or a 'constitutional republic' anymore..."

Mark Levin, December, 2016: “We, we live in myths. We operate under myths.

“So the nationalist-populists and the statist progressives are always attacking the free market.

“You’ll hear these clowns on radio attacking the free market.

“You’ll see these buffoons on TV attacking the free market.

“We don’t have a free market. We don’t have a free market. We’re regulated to death. We’re taxed to death. We’ve got over 12,000 tariffs. Where’s the free market?

“‘No, but we want a fair system.’ Well, how are we going to get a fair system, the government intervene? The government has intervened.

“It’s a myth that we have a free market, that we live in a free market. That’s what some of us keep saying. We need to have a more free market – not the opposite. Not more tariffs, not more interference. I don’t care if his name is Obama or Trump.

“If you’re unhappy, you should be unhappy with the fact that we don’t have a free market.

“Now, we’ll never have a perfectly free market, but we ought to have a more free market, which we do not have today.

“Let me test it. Why don’t you try, try, importing something into this country or exporting something out of this country, and then tell me we have a free market.

“We don’t have a free market.

“Now, it goes further than that. The gentleman was right on, but let me expand it further: we don’t have a constitutional republic anymore. That’s another myth. We simply do not.

“We go through the motions of state sovereignty.

“Anytime the U.S. Supreme Court, any time a department or agency of the federal government decides to intervene the states have virtually no power whatsoever.

“That’s not a representative constitutional republic. That’s not a federal republic.

“I’ll give you more.

“So much of the Constitution is used as a shield to advance the Left’s agenda.

“Look at so many of the decisions that are burped out of the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal courts.

“The Constitution is used as a fig leaf, not as a guide – a fig leaf, not as a guide. And if the decision comes down, ‘Well, you know, under our Constitution the court gets …’ Under our Constitution, what? They just rewrote it.

“These are big points, and I want to thank that gentleman in the military for triggering my mind on this because it’s very, very important to understand that we do not have a free market system, that we do not have free trade.

“And these people railing against it, railing against it, railing against it, the fact of the matter is, they want more centralized government. They want more control over the economic system. I don’t care who they are. I don’t care what flag they carry, Republican or Democrat.

“And our constitutional system, so much of it, so much of it isn’t followed. We pretend we follow it, but we don’t.”

ON TOPIC:

CNSNews.com - from their "about us" page:

(Excerpt) "CNSNews.com is a division of the Media Research Center, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Like National Public Radio [NPR] and the Public Broadcasting System [PBS], CNSNews.com is able to provide its services and information to the public at no cost, thanks to the generous support of our thousands of donors and their tax-deductible contributions. However, unlike NPR or PBS, CNSNews.com does not accept any federal tax money for its operations.

Corrections Policy:

CNSNews.com seeks to publish news stories that present demonstrable facts based on transparent sources that are clearly cited in the story. Our aim is to never make a mistake in a news story. If we do make a mistake, we will correct the story and publish a notice explaining the mistake and the correction that has been made to the story in an editor’s note placed at the top of the story."

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 303

COVID-19: Defense Production Act (DPA)

2020-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

3.11.2020 - The World Health Organization announced that the outbreak of COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.

3.18.2020 - Defense Production Act is invoked by President Trump.

(Excerpt)

"Trump Invokes a Cold War Relic...

Bowing to increasing pressure to do so, President Trump announced Wednesday he would use a law dating back to the early years of the Cold War to address serious shortages of supplies needed for responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S."

MEDIA CREDIT: NPR, 3.18.2020

(Excerpt)
Implementing the DPA to Boost Output of Medical Resources
"In his executive order, Trump delegates his authority to carry out the law 'to the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to all health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID-19 within the United States.' HHS Secretary Alex Azar is directed to consult with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the heads of other agencies to determine 'the proper nationwide priorities and allocation of all health and medical resources, including controlling the distribution of such materials' for responding to the coronavirus crisis."

MEDIT CREDIT: NPR, 3.18.2020

The Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended,
Enacted: 10.30.2009 - PDF

(Excerpt)...

Statement of Policy

It is the policy of the United States that—

(1) to ensure the adequacy of productive capacity and supply, Federal departments and agencies that are responsible for national defense acquisition should continuously assess the capability of the domestic industrial base to satisfy production requirements under both peacetime and emergency conditions, specifically evaluating the availability of adequate production sources, including subcontractors and suppliers, materials, skilled labor, and professional and technical personnel;

(2) every effort should be made to foster cooperation between the defense and commercial sectors for research and development and for acquisition of materials, components, and equipment;

(3) plans and programs to carry out the purposes of this Act [50 U.S.C. App. § 2061- 2171] should be undertaken with due consideration for promoting efficiency and competition;

(4) in providing United States Government financial assistance under this Act [50 U.S.C. App. § 2061-2171] to correct a domestic industrial base shortfall, the President should give consideration to the creation or maintenance of production sources that will remain economically viable after such assistance has ended;

(5) authorities under this Act [50 U.S.C. App. § 2061-2171] should be used to reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorist attacks, and to minimize the damage and assist in the recovery from terrorist attacks that occur in the United States;

(6) in order to ensure productive capacity in the event of an attack on the United States, the United States Government should encourage the geographic dispersal of industrial facilities in the United States to discourage the concentration of such productive facilities within limited geographic areas that are vulnerable to attack by an enemy of the United States;

(7) to ensure that essential national defense requirements are met, consideration should be given to stockpiling strategic materials, to the extent that such stockpiling is economical and feasible; and

(8) in the construction of any industrial facility owned by the United States Government, in the rendition of any financial assistance by the United States Government for the construction, expansion, or improvement of any industrial facility, and in the production of goods and services, under this Act [50 U.S.C. App. § 2061-2171] or any other provision of law, each department and agency of the United States Government should apply, under the coordination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, when practicable and consistent with existing law and the desirability for maintaining a sound economy, the principle of geographic dispersal of such facilities in the interest of national defense.

Source: DPA, 10.30.2009, pages 2-3

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 302

COVID-19: Verdict

2020-03-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Politicians and Experts Discuss Political and Technical Issues

COVID-19 often the subject in focus
Senator Ted Cruz (R) and Michael Knowles' interesting, if not occasionally surprising and enlightening, look behind the scenes in American government. Politicians and experts are interviewed and humanized during approximately 30 minute podcasts. They give opinions and advice on the largest issues that are being considered at the highest levels in government, and indeed across America.

Podcast: VERDICT with Ted Cruz on Apple Podcasts

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 301

COVID-19: 15 Days to Slow the Spread in America

2020-03-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

With many tragic consequences, the COVID-19 flu virus is significantly spreading world-wide from Wuhan, People's Republic of China.

There is little doubt that the American reaction to this unexpected disruptive life-threatening pandemic should and will bring substantive changes in American culture. While firmly maintaining our constitutional republic, unfamiliar and long term changes in America's private sector, governance, and lifestyle may be required to ultimately move beyond this flu pandemic and avoid future medical catastrophes within our borders.

Existential Threat
3.16.2020 - In response to this spreading threat, President Trump and his current administration has issued the following 15 day (for now) guidelines with the goal of slowing COVID-19 in America:

Text only version:
The President's Coronavirus Guidelines for America: 15 Days to Slow the Spread

Memorialization: Writing here since 2007, this is the 300th blog post at "GIVE ME A MOMENT: a lifestyle" by QwkDrw. The writing is the muse.

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 300

COVID-19: Self-Isolate at Home in California

2020-03-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

SOURCE: unknown

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 299

Dunites: secret dune living in circa 1920s utopia?

2019-09-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

MEDIA CREDIT: Title Insurance and Trust Company (Los Angeles)

Collection of Historical Photographs

Back of photo penciled inscription:
“John BellÑOld hermit of Pismo Beach 1901"

The sands of Oceano Dunes today

MEDIA CREDIT: Joe Johnston

"The most amazing vibrations on earth could be found ... in the middle of the Oceano Dunes ... That’s where we are. A vortex, kinda like Sedona Arizona, just a magnificent energy center."

Source: John Reid, Environmentalist

When did the Dunites arrive?

(Excerpt)"The shacks of the Dunites have long disintegrated or been buried under the sands of the Oceano Dunes.

The exact timeframe isn’t clear, but the Dunites started coming to the Oceano Dunes, located south of Pismo Beach [California] ... around the 1910s.

The assortment in the early 20th century consisted generally of moonshiners, hobos who took refuge in the dunes during the winter and people who just needed a break from the world — such as Hugo Seelig, who sought refuge in the dunes due to his distress over the United States entering World War I, according to Hammond’s 1992 book, 'The Dunites.'

Economic problems, especially during the Great Depression, also made the Dunes an attractive option, Hammond said.

'There were no jobs and no money and you could go there and do just fine,' Hammond said. 'A lot easier than you could in the city.'

In the 1930s, Chester A. Arthur’s grandson, Gavin Arthur, started a utopian commune in the Dunes called Moy Mell — 'pastures of honey' in Gaelic — which served as a magnet for artists and intellectuals.

Novelist John Steinbeck and photographer Ansel Adams were just a few of the notable guests at Moy Mell.

Hammond said some of the mystics out in the Dunes resented the intrusion of the more moneyed Dunites like Arthur.

'Gavin Arthur built his utopian colony and that changed everything — not for the worst,' Hammond said.

Arthur 'brought in a lot of intellectualism' and started the Dune Forum, a magazine that aimed to be a sort of New Yorker of the West.

In his book, Hammond notes that Time Magazine said the Dune Forum was 'hoping to direct the creative thought of America away from Europe and toward the West.'”

Read more here by Gabby Ferreira.

ON TOPIC:
SCPR audio (09:40)

Read more here: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/slo-weird/article232802212.html#storylink=cpy

"rough and ready"
The LORD gives us many gifts, not all are kept or applied perfectly. One may too often doubt their ability, focus, and fervor to find pragmatic solutions. There also is divine compassion. Stay rough and ready.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 298

Palo Alto: namesake redwood tree

2019-09-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Iconic Redwood

Source: Wall mural near Stanford University,

located inside an "American chain grocery store."

Artist: unknown

El Palo Alto ("The tall tree")
(Excerpt) "... located in El Palo Alto Park on the banks of San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto, California, United States, where the Caltrain tracks cross the creek.

California Historical Landmark
The tree is California Historical Landmark No. 2 ... It is recognized by the National Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture for its historical significance as "a campsite for the Portola Expedition Party of 1769"; being frequented by the Costanoan/Ohlone Indians; and for its use as a sighting tree by surveyors plotting out El Camino Real. The tree is depicted on the city of Palo Alto's official seal and on the seal of Stanford University. It is the origin of the city's name [Palo Alto.]

Source: Wikipedia

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 297

In America: nonprofit entrepreneurial CEO?

2019-08-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

*This is not a paid advertisement -- or an endorsement.*

Source: AP - second Democrat primary debate

2020 Democrat (tie-less) presidential candidate Andrew Yang

In Silicon Valley, it is unintentionally true a majority of the time that individual startup tech companies do not make more money than they spend. Seldom can an entrepreneurial venture that uses money in this way be considered a success, or even exist. Fortunately and ironically, a few tech startups and investors in Silicon Valley are wildly successful.

A Yang platform plank: Universal Basic Income
The entrepreneurial Yang is especially concerned with automation of work and the impact on the workforce in America. He thinks his proposals for universal basic income (UBI) and a value-added tax (VAT) will help those displaced by automation to readjust to the changing economy. Who knows, along with others at the bottom end of the income spectrum, UBI might even help employees and CEOs of failed startups.

Freedom Dividend: UBI
(Excerpt) "Andrew Yang is running for President as Democrat in 2020 to implement the Freedom Dividend. This form of UBI [Universal Basic Income] that he is proposing for the United States is a set of guaranteed payments of $1,000 per month, or $12,000 per year, to all U.S. citizens over the age of 18. Yes, that means you and everyone you know would get another $1,000/month every month from the U.S. government, no questions asked."

Source: The Freedom Dividend, Defined

Yang qualifies into Democrat's third presidential primary debate
(Excerpt) "...Yang beat out a number of governors and federal lawmakers who have yet to meet the higher thresholds for qualification."

Source: Daily Beast

ON TOPIC:
Andrew Yang's Net Worth (< $3 million) and Salary
Yang: response to climate change debate question

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 296

Life's Been Good: what one wishes?

2019-07-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

"Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh (Duration - 8:56 min.)
Satirical classic rock song with a type of insightfulness; comedically shrewd cultural commentary that shows a value beyond entertainment. It may in fact be a lifestyle anthem that wisely sums up what some righteously do NOT wish for.

A cut from the 1978 album: "But Seriously, Folks..."

MEDIA CREDIT: Youtube.com

Song lyrics for "Life's Been Good:"

I have a mansion, forget the price
Ain't never been there, they tell me it's nice
I live in hotels, tear out the walls
I have accountants pay for it all

They say I'm crazy but I have a good time
I'm just looking for clues at the scene of the crime
Life's been good to me so far

My Maserati does one-eighty-five
I lost my license, now I don't drive
I have a limo, ride in the back
I lock the doors in case I'm attacked

I make hit records, my fans they can't wait
They write me letters, tell me I'm great
So I got me an office, gold records on the wall
Just leave a message, maybe I'll call

Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through...
I can't complain but sometimes I still do
Life's been good to me so far

I go to parties, sometimes until four
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody's so different, I haven't changed

They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time...
I keep on going, guess I'll never know why
Life's been good to me so far
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Source: AZLyrics.com

ON TOPIC:

Joe Walsh (Clown Prince of Rock, Average Joe, 1947- )

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 295

Pacific Heights Mansion in San Francisco

2019-07-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bourne Mansion: 'English Townhouse,' SF Historical Landmark #38

MEDIA CREDIT: Hand in Hand Production

San Francisco Historical Landmark #38 is a majestic century-old mansion, an elaborate edifice of local ‘clinker bricks,' standing firmly in the highest part of the well-located Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Circa 1894-1897, William Bowers Bourn II commissioned architect Willis J. Polk to create an ‘English townhouse’ where he could stay and entertain when he was in The City. This mansion, a masterpiece of masonry skills and aesthetic materials, was a singular work at the time. It resolutely survived earthquakes in 1906 and 1989, and is a grand architectural artifact in San Francisco history.

Bourn II had roots in the Empire Mine near Grass Valley, founded by his father William Bowers Bourn. After his father’s passing in 1874, Bourn II guided the revitalization of the lucrative mining company and other financial interests. The family fortune grew enormously. Bourn II was president of the utility company that would become Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and president of the Spring Valley Water Company (SVWC) that supplied and distributed water to five counties in the Bay Area. SVWC eventually was sold to a government entity. Bourn II developed many projects, often with architect Willis Polk. A notable property down the peninsula is Bourn’s massive estate, “Filoli.” The name is derived from the first two letters of each word in Bourn’s motto: “Fight, Love, Live.”

Bourn Mansion today is privately owned and lovingly preserved to be a faithful historical representative of its young and maturing region during a transitional turn-of-the-nineteenth-century.

Bourn Mansion is a four story, 9 bedroom, 7 bath mansion that features 27 total rooms including grand entertaining spaces, luxurious living areas, and ornate detailing throughout. Its interior now appears virtually unchanged from initial construction. Original features include a richly carved staircase, oak hardwood floors, and mahogany and redwood paneling. When restoration work is needed, initial construction is matched as closely as possible.

The first floor serves as the main entry into the mansion. Beautiful mahogany doors open into the entry foyer. Notice the vaulted, hand-gilded gold ceiling. It is believed to simulate a rich mineshaft from Bourn’s Empire Mine. Directly off of the entry foyer to the right is an elegant Ladies Sitting Room featuring paneled walls and decorative molding. To the left is a Gentleman’s Den. Here, you’ll find hand-chiseled redwood planked flooring and ceiling beams, and a brownstone fireplace that provides a rustic setting. At the end of the entry foyer, a hand-carved Grand Staircase connects each level of the building. The first floor also has a Laundry/Fitness Room, Gourmet Kitchen, full Pantry/Prep Area, and Manager’s Suite with bathroom.

The second floor is the main entertainment level. The Grand Staircase leads to a large central Reception Hall that is entirely encased in a hand-painted mural by American painter and sculptor, Bruce Porter. It connects to the Formal Sitting Room, the Ballroom, and the Dining Room. The Formal Sitting Room has redwood paneling and a fresco ceiling of pastel and gilding. There is an extravagant Ballroom at the front of the mansion that is highlighted with ornate crown moldings, a carved Italian marble fireplace, large Corinthian columns, and a balcony that overlooks Webster Street. The Dining Room is surrounded by mahogany paneling and ceiling beams. Adjacent to the fireplace in the Dining Room, the Conservatory has an arch-shape ceiling, abundant daylighting with massive leaded-glass windows, and direct access to an outdoor terrace.

ON TOPIC:

This blogger would like to thank the talented and gracious owners of this magnificent San Francisco property for their much appreciated time, efforts, information, and hospitality that has made possible this brief article and a very meaningful experience at the mansion by a fortunate small group of people.

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 294

"Unscientific" Bay Area Map

2019-06-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mapped Urban Dictionary "data" current cica 2016

Source: Sasha Trubetskoy

Mr. Trubetskoy may be available for hire

(Excerpt) "Originally this was supposed to be the start of a line of posters, but it failed to gain traction...

I was really inspired by all the positive reactions and support that I got for the original Bay Area Map (unfortunately, the Kickstarter failed.) Below is the story from the Kickstarter page:

...We’ve all tried typing our hometown or neighborhood into Urban Dictionary. Personally, I was excited at how much information was on that site, and others like it all over the Internet. I saw this abundance of data as something that could be used to create an interesting map.

Mapping today is dominated by data freaks, obsessed with being scientifically rigorous and statistically significant. But as a data freak, I’ve come to realize that not all maps have to involve equations. I want to take a break, be a little unscientific, and put the human element back on the map. Ultimately, cities and neighborhoods are collections of people, and I wanted to map their experiences. As it turns out, these unscientific maps are just as charming, thorough and thought-provoking as any other."

Source: S. Trubetskoy, cartographer, designer, artist. Contact info

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 293

2019 Stanford Commencement: Tim Cook, CEO

2019-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Stanford Stadium on Sunday June 16, 2019 at 9:30am

(Excerpt) "Good morning class of 2019! ...Before I begin, I want to recognize everyone whose hard work made this celebration possible, including the groundskeepers, assured volunteers and crew. Thank you. I am deeply honored and frankly a little astonished to be invited to join you for this most meaningful of occasions."
Source: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Inc.

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

(all photos above)

2019 Stanford Commencement address
Speaker: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Inc.
Video run time approx: 18 minutes

MEDIA CREDIT: YouTube.com

ON TOPIC:
Prepared text of address by Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, for delivery at Stanford's 128th Commencement -- Stanford News, 6.16.2019

..

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 292

Salesforce aquisition: Tableau Software

2019-06-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tabletau's enterprise value: $15.7 billion in all-stock transaction

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

Cloud Coverage

(Excerpt) "We are bringing together the world's #1 CRM (Customer Relationship Management) with the #1 analytics platform [with data visualization,]" said Marc Benioff, Chairman, and co-CEO of Salesforce...

While Tableau will become part of Salesforce, the company will still operate independently under the Tableau brand following the closure of the deal. Adam Selipsky, President and CEO of Tableau, will continue to lead the firm in Seattle, Washington."

Source: ZDNet, June 10, 2019

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 291

The Geary Theater in San Francisco

2019-03-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

American Conservatory Theater (ACT)

(Excerpt) "Hailed as the 'perfect playhouse,' the beautiful Geary Theater has been our home since the beginning. When the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ripped the roof apart, San Franciscans raised a record-breaking $30 million to rebuild the theater. The Geary reopened in 1996..."

Source: encore, Season 52, Issue 5, JAN-FEB 2019, "Seascape"

MEDIA CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Traditional seat of legitimate drama in San Francisco since 1910

(Excerpt) "In the earthquake and fire of 1906, The City lost all eight of its downtown theaters.

Bliss and Faville, one of the most prominent architectural firms in San Francisco, designed the Geary Theater. Construction of the Geary began in 1908, and re-opened on January 10, 1910. It was then known as the Columbia Theater, named after a theater at Powell and Ellis streets, that had been destroyed in the earthquake and fire. ...[Between] 1924 and 1928... the building was known briefly as the Wilkes, and then the Lurie Theatre... reopened as the Geary Theater on February 6, 1928.

In January 1967, the Geary Theater became the permanent home of the American Conservatory Theater [ACT], which bought the building in 1974. In 1975, the Geary was awarded a place on the U.S. Department of the Interior's NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES and was named a LANDMARK of the State of California and the City and County of San Francisco."
Source: United States History

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

1989 Earthquake - roof and interior damage

Photo below: (Excerpt) "A view of the proscenium and the orchestra seating of the Geary Theater after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The earthquake causes cosmetic damage, ripping a 2,000-square-foot hole in the ceiling."

MEDIA CREDIT: HISTORICAL TIMELINE, ACT-SF.org

GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

Post No. 290