Trump* Virus Tanks Economy!

Posted by TomCat at 10:58 am Politics

Mar 102020

I trust that you know by now that the bottom is falling out of the stock market, and Republican welfare billionaires are freaking out. Trump* tanked the economy for rest of us long ago. This will make our economy even worse, but Trump and the Republican Reich don’t care if we live or die. But they care about their billionaires, and they fear that this Republican Recession will hurt them the way it did when they tanked the economy in 2008.

The fast-spreading coronavirus and a plunge in oil prices set off a chain reaction in financial markets on Monday, a self-perpetuating downward cycle that could inflict serious harm on the global economy.

What started last month as unease about a potential economic slowdown in China has evolved into a borderline panic, with the S&P 500 on Monday crashing nearly 8 percent. The mayhem is threatening to roil the underlying global financial system and the abilities of companies large and small to survive a potential economic monsoon — a downward spiral that is fed and intensified by these destructive forces.

The odds of such a storm grew after an unexpected fight between Russia and Saudi Arabia. After failing to reach an agreement about how much oil to produce and sell on international markets, Saudi Arabia announced it would quickly ramp up production.

Oil prices had been falling as investors fretted about a possible recession. On Monday, they plummeted over 20 percent — the sharpest decline since the first Persian Gulf war. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>
Graph credit: Know Your Meme

Trump Faces Huge Leadership Crisis Over Coronavirus And The Economy

Payroll tax cut? That’s only temporary, and the suckers will have to pay it back on 4/15. This fool* wants people to go out into crowded stores and get infected. Will Goose-step Gohmert infect the Republican Reich in Congress?

Dow logs biggest point-drop in history as stocks tumble

The announcer said that, if it wasn’t the Trump* virus, it would have been something else. I agree. Two great minds said that Trump would tank the economy. In July, 2019, Elizabeth Warren said so. In November, 2016, I said so. Great minds clearly fell in the same ditch!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–3/7/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 072020

It’s a hectic day here in the CatBox. I had trouble holding my supper down last night, but it was my fault. I became distracted by the news on TV and ate too much too fast. That will do me in every time. I received the results from my PET Scan last night, but I could not understand a damn thing about what they mean. Therefore I sent them to Dr. Nameless in email, and hopefully he can tell us more. Please expect short days from me on both Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, with all the attendant de-stinking and chores. On Monday, I’m going out for a drive with Sandi, a good friend for 35 years with whom I have made hundreds of trips to the prison for volunteer work. She is also a cancer survivor. I should be fully back in the saddle on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 4:56). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

They are building a National Socialist Reich to do that very thing!

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Praises Coronavirus Response As Cases Rack Up And Markets Spiral

Criminal Fuhrer* Trump and the Republican Reich don’t give a damn about the 3,500 Americans trapped on that ship. He only cares about keeping his “numbers” low. Earth to asshole… come in! Your numbers are going way up, anyway. But he told the truth about one thing: that he should have become a medical expert instead of running for President. AMEN! If only he had done ANYTHING, other than running for President! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Senator Susan Collins, of Maine, has not decided whether she will wash her hands in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Collins confirmed on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Collins said that she was “deeply troubled” by the behavior of the covid-19 virus.

“The behavior of the coronavirus is, to me, profoundly disturbing,” she said. “Whether it rises to the level of something I should respond to by washing my hands is a question I am devoting a great deal of thought to right now.”

Dang, Andy, I have an idea! Until she makes up her mind, she should go live on the cruise ship her criminal Fuhrer Trump* refuses to rescue. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Three Dog Night “One”

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Friday Fun: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Posted by SoINeedAName at 2:13 pm Politics

Mar 062020

You probably recall that Monty Python admonished us to “Always Look on the Bright Side” …

Of course, there is absolutely NO bright side to the suffering, pain and loss the *Rump administration has inflicted on Americans with their devastating mishandling, mismanagement and malfeasance of the Coronavirus.

No doubt this stems from Trump’s cutting $15 BILLION from National Healthcare spending that had been approved by Congress back in 2018. Exacerbated by his firing of the entire US Pandemic Response Team.

But some folks have managed to provide a few smiles and chuckles courtesy of the Keystone Kops incompetence in the Oval Office.

So let’s see if we can look on the bright side …

although people are doubtful of mike pence's ability to orchestrate a coronavirus response, my sources are telling me he is working diligently behind the scenes, collecting two of every animal

— m i t h (@ManlnTheHoody) February 27, 2020

#MondayMotivation
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#VoteBlueNoMatterWho pic.twitter.com/TCDLSroEaz

— Tara 🏳️‍🌈🌊🏒⚽️🏀 (@Rhona0505) February 24, 2020

I deleted an earlier tweet that said, “If I get the coronavirus, I’m going straight to the Fox News studios.”

That uncalled for and I apologize.

Nobody deserves to be exposed to Fox News.

— Travis Akers🩸🦷 (@travisakers) February 27, 2020

THIS IS THE BEST (BUT VERY WEIRD) IDEA MIKE HUCKABEE HAS EVER HAD

Mike Huckabee says Trump "could personally sick the virus out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean." pic.twitter.com/X7xbC5ebDz

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 28, 2020

And I think *Rump is capable of that, if this picture is any indication:

If you needed any further proof that *Rump has absolutely NO idea what he’s talking about – here’s yet another example he doesn’t have a clue:

"We're ordering a lot of supplies. We're ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn't be ordering unless it was something like this. But we're ordering a lot of different elements of medical." — Trump on the coronavirus pic.twitter.com/id6YLzbmRE

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2020

Well, to be perfectly honest – that’s actually a translation of Trump’s real words, courtesy of a linguist fluent in Argle-Bargle (scroll down):

“We are ordering about a million bajillion thingamabops and a kajillion hooziewhatsies and this things that helps with the thing but they are really the best medical. A lot of people are saying the thingamabops are really, really the best. Next question, CNN Fake News.”

— Liddle’ Savage (@littledeekay) February 28, 2020

I believe we should give God the last Tweet – and trust He’s not teasing us with his hopeful prescient prediction:

Funny, the virus said the same thing about him. https://t.co/ShF7eI3xa8

— God (@TheTweetOfGod) February 28, 2020

As for me:

Open Thread–3/4/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:29 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 042020

It’s a queasy day here in the CatBox. I’m keeping it down, but just barely. By rotating food items to different meals, I’ve determined that I can eat items I thought I couldn’t eat at lunch, when I have no pills to take. I’ll have my mortar and pestle today, my big jar of applesauce tomorrow, and box of 50 2 oz. plastic cups with lids to store powdered meds and applesauce on Sunday. WWWendy is coming this evening to de-stink the Tomcat and help with chores.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s non-food item took me 4:02 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Take damn his undeserved medal away too!

Short Takes:

From Alternet: A mother and son from Sarasota Military Academy in Florida are being quarantined for COVID-19, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. On the Academy’s Facebook page [Fakebook delinked], the school posted on Monday that the “mother’s contact with a patient at Sarasota Doctors Hospital in her professional role,” had led to both her and her son to be quarantined as a “precautionary measure.” The two reportedly showed no symptoms of the virus.

On Friday, Feb. 28, Trump’s top coronavirus point man and non-believer in science, Mike Pence, held a fundraiser in Sarasota at the home of Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan. At the event, Pence talked about “possible changes in travel status to the United States,” while shaking hands with dozens of supporters and 44 cadets from Sarasota Military Academy. Ruh-roh.

While I would not wish Trump* virus on anyone, spending some quarantine time might teach that hate-spewing pseudo-Christian sycophant a little compassion for his and his criminal Fuhrer’s other Trump* virus victims. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Mitch McConnell’s Do Nothing Republicans

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich on the right, the evil Republican Reich, has two perfect (for them) shepherds: criminal Fuhrer Trump* and Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch. Flush both in November, and flush all their cronies. Every Republican in office is one Republican too many! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): THIS MAGIC MOMENT-JAY AND THE AMERICANS

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

John Oliver Explains Trump Virus

Posted by TomCat at 10:23 am Politics

Mar 032020

The other day, I relabeled COVID-19 to make it’s name descriptive of the principal cause of its spread in the US and the deaths that the pandemic has caused and shall cause here. It is now the Trump* virus.

John Oliver explains we need to be scared of the coronavirus — but not too scared, and slammed the Trump administration for making things so much worse than they had to do…

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

Coronavirus: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

John is spot on in everything he said, save one. COVID-19 is not the corona virus. It’s the Trump virus.

Yesterday, Oregon Health authorities announced a third case of Trump virus, unrelated to the first two. This victim attended a basketball game in Eastern Oregon just before he tested positive.

As I go to the hospital for chemo and radiation treatments, and have long waits there for the TriMet Lift bus, I’ll be at much higher risk than most. If it kills me, send the bill for my funeral to the asshole in the White House.

RESIST!!

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PHP is a programming language used to build websites. We have it at all through our hosting partner, BlueHost. In order to update it, we have to go through Bluehost. During his life, TomCat was the only one who had access to our account there. I (JD) am now the only one. I have been to BlueHost and investigated updating our PHP to 8.3 or even to 8.1. I found instructions to do so - in fact, I found two conflicting sets of instructions. I went through one set of the steps and got the message that Our site could not handle 8.3, but that it had successfully updated to 8.1. I then went back here to see what it looked like. But I couldn't get in - either as an administrator or as a reader. It was just gone. I had to reach BlueHost by phone. It was determined that Politics Plus is in fact not compatible with any version of PHP newer than the one we have. BlueHost therefore uninstalled it for me, and the site came back to normal. Of course, like everyone else, I care about security. But I also am aware that TomCat elected to use different providers for several of the services that BlueHost provides, for instance backups. We are backed up daily - but not by BlueHost. However, out PHP is through Bluehost. I feel that if they are not worried about the older version, I am not going to worry about it. I believe that our security here is all or mostly through WordFence, whom I trust.