We bring you a really great article about herd immunity, Amex Hilton Cards, Greece & Vietnam to open, an amazing story about the real lord of the flies, the latest corona induced promotions, the best Covid-19 coverage I am so proud of that after you read it you stay alive because of TBB lol, JetBlue finally gets it, some casino type rewards, an amazing story about a gifted hacker, there is something in Manhattan that will shock you and a lot more I already put too much time into this post so I am going to just let it rip…
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COVID-19
This is very well done. If you were wondering why your ___ falls for this crap all the time! Why are people drawn to Covid-19 conspiracy theories?
US and South Korea had the first case on the same date. And then we went to hell while they showed us how to do it. And this Twitter thread can show you how they do it.
You know, sometimes I wonder, why don’t we just hurry up and get it over with…to get to that magical phase of life, otherwise known as “herd immuity”. Instead of living like this slowly destroying everything it appears. Maybe after reading this you will change your mind: Without a Vaccine, Herd Immunity Won’t Save Us. If only it was that simple and…less deadly!
I am no big city fan. I like to visit but I can’t wait to come back to Ann Arbor, Michigan to my nice house, drink coffee on my deck in the morning while looking at the woods in my back yard and listening to the birds. You add the high cost of living in big cities and to me there is no comparison. Obviously, that of course does not stop so many living and enjoying the big city life. So was our son in New York City. And then Covid-19 happened. What was to be a short stay back home it is now nearing three months and it will likely take a lot longer. And his company is now allowing all employees to work from home the rest of the year. Heck, Twitter announced its employees can work from home permanently! This is kind of happening already in San Francisco it appears. I was interviewed a few days ago by a journalist working out of home also just outside New York City who told me he just can not see getting on the subway and then the elevator to then work with so many colleagues nearby. As long as this goes on, the more drastic changes we are all going to see in, well, everything. Then again, you can not do everything virtually, need that personal connection in your work group or whatever. And here is where I was leading after this very long intro: Manhattan Faces a Reckoning if Working From Home Becomes the Norm.
Even after the crisis eases, companies may let workers stay home. That would affect an entire ecosystem, from transit to restaurants to shops. Not to mention the tax base.
Well, I said the same after 911 and the financial crisis. We know what happened. So, time will tell again. But maybe this time is different, what do you think? Is being contrarian to look for a place in NYC or say downtown Ann Arbor? Probably but…the thought of so many people packed together just does not excite me much. You know, a nice cottage in northern Michigan or a place somewhere warm and a beach sure sounds more enticing. Not that I am actively looking…
Oh boy, and now we have Covid-19 Lingo. My three favs:
*Covidiot* or *Wuhan-ker*
One who ignores public health advice or behaves with reckless disregard for the safety of others can be said to display “covidiocy” or be “covidiotic”. Also called a “lockclown” or even a “Wuhan-ker”.
*Furlough Merlot*
Wine consumed in an attempt to relieve the frustration of not working. Also known as “bored-eaux” or “cabernet tedium”.
*Covid-10*
The 10lbs in weight that we’re all gaining from comfort-eating and comfort-drinking. Also known as “fattening the curve”.
Since we are on this mode of Covid-19 changes, how about we are finally coming to terms and hopefully to deal with The Sickness in our Food Supply. Personally, I recently signed up for a local farm share program and always trying (and failing) to eat less meat…but I am determined not to give up trying! Also, maybe it is a good practice to treat essential workers better and maybe we should be thankful for so many immigrants feeding us instead of still trying to build a phucking wall in the middle of a global pandemic, just saying.
A series of shocks has exposed weak links in our food chain that threaten to leave grocery shelves as patchy and unpredictable as those in the former Soviet bloc. The very system that made possible the bounty of the American supermarket—its vaunted efficiency and ability to “pile it high and sell it cheap”—suddenly seems questionable, if not misguided. But the problems the novel coronavirus has revealed are not limited to the way we produce and distribute food. They also show up on our plates, since the diet on offer at the end of the industrial food chain is linked to precisely the types of chronic disease that render us more vulnerable to Covid-19.
We all remember the movie “The Terminal”. And over the years, we read the news of travelers who got stranded in an airport for one reason or another. So, we are not surprised that we read of yet another one: Covid-19 lockdown fallout: German man living at Delhi airport since March 18. But this one is different, this dude has a criminal rap sheet and is wanted in Germany and, in this case, he is saying “hell no, I am not going back”…
Epic beatdown of these four men: CDC Director Redfield; FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn; Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar; and of course, President Trump. The Four Men Responsible For America’s COVID-19 Test Disaster. Read it and weep, what an (ongoing) epic tragedy, wow! I did not know much about this Redfield dude, wow. God helps us all!
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: New: The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum now offers 70k AA miles. The IHG Rewards Club card offering 140k points too, highest ever. For a standard workhorse card I recommend the 60k Chase Sapphire Preferred card. For a standard premium card I recommend the 50k Chase Sapphire Reserve card. For a standard 2% cash back card I recommend the Citi Double Cash card. Available with my links. Lets move on!
If you were looking for a summary of these cards: Is it Time to Get an Amex Hilton Card?. My plan was to drop the CNB card this year and get me an Amex Hilton Aspire (of course with my own links #zing!). But maybe I speed this up to take advantage of several extra corona enhanced benefits, not sure yet. There was never any point of having more than one premium travel rewards credit card. Then again, with travel shut down, maybe it is finally time to go all in on a cash back card as most readers should and give these premium cards the middle finger. Oh, this is something you will never see written at The Points Guy lol.
Good roundup: Roundup Of Airlines Offering Bonus Miles And Free Tickets For Traveling In 2020. Most of these you must take some action very shortly. Except the Southwest Double miles promo I registered everyone in my household just in case…
Some interesting choices here to use our free Hyatt night awards: Best International Category 1-4 Hyatt Hotels: Make The Most of Your Free Nights!
I am just not going to post here online shopping promos for a few extra miles. I am not going to bother, they won’t make a difference these pandemic days.
Capital One lost two transfer partners, Qatar and Hainan. Obviously, not the positive trend. But, I mean, who cares?
I don’t know why JetBlue took so long to do the right thing! JetBlue Extends Mosaic Status, Adds Gifting Option; Double Points On All JetBlue Mastercard Purchases & More.
TRAVEL
If you were planning to travel to Greece: Tips for Planning a Summer Trip to Greece – Yes, Greece Will Open Soon! No doubt Greece has done so many things right in handling the pandemic. Lets hope they continue to do so. What do I think? Well, I am not planning to go back this summer. And I think my already booked trip for November to run the Athens Marathon may not happen…it all takes one covidiot to start another outbreak.
The expression “Live Large” and its derivative that I just came up with “Fly Large” came to me when I saw this: Check Out The Inside Of The World’s Largest Private Jet That Looks Like A Flying Mansion.
Unique story here, you would have never guessed! First Lie-Flat Seats Were Installed by … Think You Know the Answer?
I like seeing trip reports from places that you do not see usually in travel sites: 40 Hours In The Disputed Territory of Nagorno Karabakh with Kids.
Wow, what a place! A very short guide to Union Glacier Camp.
Another country that has done a phenomenal job in handling Covid-19 is Vietnam as it looks to reopen to limited international travel in June.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Did you lose your job and your employer paid health insurance? Here is what to do, great illustration! You can copy the image and then enlarge it if you need to so you can see it better. You are welcome.
We are all spending less these days, except for groceries! JPMorgan’s U.S. credit card holders spent 40% less due to coronavirus.
Credit card users who report household incomes of less than $39,000 reduced spending by 38%, while wealthier cardholders, with incomes of more than $92,000, reduced spending by 46%. The group says the difference largely reflects higher average spending by wealthier households.
The report showed essential spending, like on groceries and healthcare, initially spiked by 20% before falling back.
Spending on non-essential things fell by 50% and dropped 70% on restaurants.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Really amazing story, must read! The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months.
Wow, what a story! The Confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the Hacker Who Saved the Internet. One of those stories you start and just can not set aside because you want to know what happens in the end. Good to see the kid went straight and did the right thing. Oh wait, did I give it away? Maybe…
I have never seen a bobcat do this, it will shock you! Bobcat Makes Huge Jump Over Water Look Effortless.
Holy cow, I had no idea! Why There’s a Single, Tiny Wire Encircling Manhattan. Mind blown. You can learn some stuff about Orthodox Jews in this short video. Sometimes we take stuff written thousands of years ago literally…when our societies have changed so much. I mean, we have wifi almost everywhere now! 🙂
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
I listened to a podcast interviewing Bougie Miles. She got into miles and points because she wanted to travel to see the Barenaked Ladies in concerts around the world. Very interesting and unique way of getting into this hobby for sure. As far as this band goes, I saw them once live (for free) and, to me, their music does absolutely nothing. Actually, I thought it was painful but the drinks were free so I tolerated it lol. She is also big on casino type rewards and stuff like that. You know, like that Wyndham to/from Caesar Rewards merry go round many of us have done and it appears to be dead as of now, thanks bloggers. Her post will offer some other ways. But, come on, would you go to a casino right now with those huge rooms and so many people around? No, thanks I’ll pass! Me no quiero corona.
I wonder if Amex will shoot me down for the Hilton Aspire card. I have been quiet and a really good boy lately. Or maybe the RAT guys have me on a black list or something? Is American Express Is Cracking Down Hard On Approvals?
No, this is not a Miles to Memories link special. While there was another blog posted by them about how amazing the 140k IHG Rewards Visa card (it is really not, especially in these pandemic times!), here comes Shawn with: Someone Applied For a Credit Card In My Name & What To Do If It Happens to You. This sucks and takes time to take care of it. So, when other bloggers who specialize in selling credit cards and ALWAYS scream how amazing card offers are so you can click and apply using their links for the fat sales commission…you increase the chance this may happen to you and while you work it out sweating buckets they laugh sitting back enjoying the money from you! Be selective, be methodical, don’t be greedy 🙂 You are welcome.
Called to close wife’s Citi AA Business Platinum Select Mastercard and was offered a $99 statement credit again so I guess we’ll keep it for another year. To be continued…with more of the same I am sure 🙂
Look, I get it. We all want to go back to pre corona days and get out there, open and support the businesses that have been shut and enjoy life. But this is a little different you guys. Maybe we should listen to the public health folks? This virus can kill and, deep down, you know, we can recover from everything but we can’t recover anything if we are phucking DEAD! WTF to all the gun anti vaxxers QAnon gun nuts out there???? I saw one sign in the recent Lansing, Michigan “freedom” fighters protesting their right to go out there and infect others….oh wait…the sign said to the effect “US is not Socialist…Keep it Free” or something like that. I bet you this person keeps refreshing the screens to see if the stimulus and unemployment payments hit his account numerous times every day…Yeah, smh. It’s crazy.
That Elon Musk dude is such an asshole, wow!
When you have no idea what you are doing, you scream OBAMAGATE! Sad lol.
If you were not aware of Kraftwerk, I feel so bad for you. Actually, not really. But really the band meant so much. Check this out: These Kraftwerk Tracks Changed Music — and Detroit — History. Anyone from Detroit who used to listen to Mr. Mojo DJ at WJLB who was the only DJ playing Kraftwerk at the time?
Kraftwerk, the influential German electronic group, has been compared to The Beatles in it’s affect on music history. Hear three tracks that the group wrote or inspired, from Düsseldorf to Detroit.
Heading into the weekend y’all!
Remember when these two Boarding Area “experts” came out at the exact same time with a post selling this card a few days ago? One blogged about nine reasons you should have it, the other only had six reasons. Give it a few days and one of them is down to just three reasons now. Hey, anything it takes to sell merchandise! I don’t do this shit here. And probably this is why my site has only sold two cards last month and only one in May. Just sadness all around I guess.
Every time I hear or see “Blue Angels”.
And I leave you with this…Lol, so true!
TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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Title: Herd Immunity, Amex Hilton Cards, Greece & Vietnam to Open, Real Lord of the Flies
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/herd-immunity-amex-hilton-cards-greece-vietnam-to-open-real-lord-of-the-flies/
Published Date: Fri, 15 May 2020 10:30:27 +0000
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