Covid-19 Death Toll, Hyatt Suites, Business Travel Shot, More Stimulus Checks

TODAY'S READ

Covid-19 Death Toll, Hyatt Suites, Business Travel Shot, More Stimulus Checks

We bring you more on the awful Covid-19 death toll, check out the best Hyatt suites, how business travel is shot, get ready for more stimulus checks, visit Ukraine and some remote island near Antarctica and Munich and Cyprus, more details on my next trip, the best Covid-19 coverage, we look at birds and we have so much that will keep you busy for at least a week. No fluffy clickbait repeated BS that is camouflage to get you to click on affiliate links….and maybe that is why my blog conversions totally suck but I like it when I look in the mirror and that is worthy for me to continue blogging…I guess.

TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

 

Brought to you by the amazing TBB Amazon link! This blog is published every Thursday. For now…

I’ll see you sometime next week, comment section always stays open!

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

For the month of August I am not going to set myself a target posting date/time. I will post at least once a week for sure, perhaps more if I have the time and I have something worthy to say because I always respect your time and this blog never posted clickbait crap! It means, you will have to come here every day so I can increase the page view hits so I can make more money from ads…oh wait, I do not have any ads!

For time-sensitive content that can not wait until next the next post, I will be adding it here and add NEW in the front of it.

There is a lot to unpack here. Enjoy learning and having fun with these carefully curated links and always eclectic commentary. 🙂

Appreciate you passing a link to my blog to someone you love if you think they will enjoy it as much as you.

And please wear a mask, thank you!

COVID-19

What a horrific number! Over 150,000 preventable deaths in the US, what an ongoing tragedy smh! 150,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. Here’s why that staggering loss of life can’t be ignored.

If two large planes crashed every day in the US, killing everyone on board, the nation would be despondent.

If the US suffered a loss of life on the scale of the 9/11 attacks — 50 times over — the tragedy would be incomprehensible.

But that’s how many lives coronavirus has claimed in the US since this pandemic started just six months ago.

 

First, let’s acknowledge this fact: Record numbers of coronavirus cases in every global region: Reuters tally. Even in countries that have done a great job in dealing with the pandemic, like Australia, Japan and even Hong Kong. Just goes to show you how darn contagious this phucking virus is! Even Vietnam is battling a new outbreak after months of having no confirmed cases, wow!

Remember when we had 15 cases and very soon it would go to zero? US hits 4 million cases of COVID-19: A look at the milestones and setbacks.

and it did not just magically disappear either…

Must read: Anthony Fauci Explains Why the US Still Hasn’t Beaten Covid. When I say something is must read I mean it!

We are proceeding in full blast mode with the vaccine trials. But, again, come down! A COVID-19 Vaccine Reality Check is in order.

A vaccine, when it is available, will mark only the beginning of a long, slow ramp down. And how long that ramp down takes will depend on the efficacy of a vaccine, the success in delivering hundreds of millions of doses, and the willingness of people to get it at all. It is awful to contemplate the suffering still ahead. It is easier to think about the promise of a vaccine.

Are you as confused about the different types of tests available? Antigens, antibodies and on and on? This article will help. And it also details the testing in Michigan as well: What COVID-19 test is best? Who pays in Michigan? What you need to know. Aim for a morecular/PCR test to see if you are currently infected. Aim for an antibody/serology test to see if you were infected. I should probably do one of them antibody tests to see if my brief three to four day period in late February when I was not feeling well had anything to do with this virus. The article has a link to all the testing sites in Michigan.

Another significant development in the past week was that the Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, whose nickname is “Bat Woman”, finally broke her silence. And this is a must read imho. Trump ‘owes us an apology’. Chinese scientist at the center of COVID-19 origin theories speaks out. To get the complete transcript of the answers she gave to questions posed by Science magazine, please see this HERE. You should read both and draw your own conclusions.

Speaking about confusion…how about all you hear about the virus in the air and how it spreads by droplets and possibly by aerosols too…I mean, it is enough to get you depressed trying to figure out how to best protect ourselves. Well, I think this article helped me to be less confused and maybe it helps you too. Why the COVID-19 Debate Between Aerosols and Droplets Matters Less Than You Think.

Well, in normal times I could drive to Canada in about half an hour. Not anymore, borders are closed, we are not wanted anywhere these days it appears. The writer moved to Canada and writes about his experience living there: Canada Got Better. The United States Got Trump. What if we had handled the pandemic like, well, every other country…smh. Just to give you an idea what you will read, no Karens there it appears!

The next morning, I had a meeting at the local hotel. A checkpoint had been placed in the parking lot. My temperature was taken before I could enter the building. After my meeting, I ran some of the errands that had accumulated during our 14 days in quarantine. People wore masks in all interior spaces, and often outdoors, too. I asked a clerk at the town supermarket whether the requirement had caused any trouble. She seemed surprised by the question: “It says so right on the door.”

I really like following Andy Slavitt @ASlavitt on Twitter to stay ahead of the pandemic. He does these daily update tweet storms that I think it is required reading. I really liked the one from July 26 starting with “We can virtually eliminate the virus any time we decide to.“

MILES & POINTS

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 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.

Good research on these: The most Incredible Hyatt suites bookable with points worldwide.

Remember the things we did to get to that Elite status so we can have its benefits? Like free breakfasts buffets lol. Hotels Nix Mints and Breakfast Buffets. Hand Sanitizer, Anyone? Hotel capacity in the US was down to 22% in April. So, all the hotels are scrambling to survive now…Maybe the top elites get premium hand sanitizer at check in? 🙂

Hotels are also rethinking what guests value most. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine every single amenity, and everything is up for grabs,” Professor Dev said. “The hospitality business has to be taken apart like a puzzle and put together in a new way.”

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card for 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points is available with my links, thank you for supporting this blog.

TRAVEL

You may have seen posts about some study that predicted travel will not recover until 2024. Always take these studies with several grains of salt. Nobody knows…

The Middle Seat column at the Wall Street Journal is certainly influential. And this is the latest post: What Travel Will Look Like After Coronavirus. WSJ is behind a paywall, sorry about that. You see this theme forming of much less business travel which is going to challenge the legacy airlines a lot more than the leisure travel focused airlines like Spirit and yes, Southwest. Of course it all depends on the virus and when a vaccine and/or effective therapies finally emerge. I am starting to wonder if we get down to two legacy airlines if the situation does not improve or, heaven forbid, the second wave makes this first wave look really small!

Most foresee a lasting decline in business travel, but think leisure travel will bounce back robustly. That means airlines and hotels will have to change their business plans, being unable to rely as much on rich revenue from corporate travelers. Expect higher ticket prices and room rates for vacationers to cover the costs with fewer high-dollar customers to subsidize bargain-seekers.

“The airline industry is going to have to examine its business plan,” says Robert Crandall, former chief executive of American Airlines. “You are never going to see the volume of business travel that you’ve seen in the past.”

He estimates one-third to one-half of business travel will go away. More meetings will take place electronically. Trips once thought necessary will be seen as superfluous. “Everybody who depends on business travel is going to have to rethink their game plan,” Mr. Crandall says.

Your must read of the day, wow! Occupy Mezhyhirya: Squatting the Mansion of Ukraine’s Ex-President. Remember the ridiculously pompous estate of the former Ukraine President Yanukovych who fled to Russia? We go inside with The Bohemian Blog who also gets to interview the “unofficial” caretaker of the estate whose name is, please sit down, Petro! Great history lesson as well and there is just something about this Pedro Petro dude…

Well, I had never heard of South Georgia island before: An abandoned British Island reclaimed by nature. With no permanent residents and millions of animals, South Georgia island is one of the world’s most biodiverse places. Yet, few Brits have ever heard of it.

Marooned in the South Atlantic Ocean between Argentina and Antarctica, the glaciated peaks and billowing tundra grasses of South Georgia cast a dramatic scene. Though the crescent-shaped island is technically a British Overseas Territory, it’s also claimed by Argentina and is so remote and hard to get to that many people in the United Kingdom have never even heard of it. There’s no airport, so the only access is by boat from Tierra del Fuego or the Falkland Islands, a journey of at least two days and nights across some of the roughest seas in the world.

Amazing pictures: Silence of Munich.

Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus in 1974. Residents fled suddenly. Some cities just stayed abandoned since then: Nearly 50 Years On, a Forbidden Seaside Ghost Town is about to Re-Open.

PERSONAL FINANCE

I don’t know why anyone bothers with what happens in the stock market on a daily basis, what a waste! This is pretty funny: Just Another Day.

I blogged before here how we will start seeing horrific examples of rampant fraud in these economy stimulating programs, expect more! Florida man arrested after he used COVID-19 relief funds to buy Lamborghini, officials say.

As we are gearing up for another stimulating round: How Americans Used Their Stimulus Checks.

CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS

This is from the German publication Der Spiegel: Trump’s Handling of the Coronavirus Could Cost Him Presidency. Well, if you are a Trump fan you will not like it, no surprise!

I really enjoyed reading this: Statement by Jeff Bezos to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary.

Maybe this is the reason nobody likes him smh.

I mean, what else can you say? I guess RIP and condolences to his family #don’tbestupid And don’t take innocents you infect with you!!!

ODDZ & ENDZ

If Trumps win the election, this may come handy, save it! The best (& worst) countries for raising a family. Click to enlarge! They sure are laughing at us now, sad lol.

Wow! Watch thousands of wildebeest cross a river during great migration in Tanzania.

Amazing video of the amazing shape-shifting of the Magnificent Riflebird male as he displays to a female.

I really enjoyed reading about The Other Women in Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Harvard Law Class of 1959.

There are some really creepy people involved in yoga. This article is about the founder of the Yoga to the People chain. Who was also a disciple of that other infamous creep who started Bikram yoga. Yikes! ‘He Knew Everything’: Fear, Control, and Manipulation at Yoga to the People.

Loved this one: Your Brain in Love. What is this about? We’ve evolved three distinct brain systems for mating and reproduction: sex drive; feelings of romantic love; feelings of deep attachment. Like I said, fascinating read!

Also really enjoyed this one too! Exclusive: How Carlos Ghosn Escaped Japan, According to the Ex-Green Beret Who Snuck Him Out.  Loved learning more about how the escape happened. This is going to become a movie for sure one day! Oh, the Japanese legal system is a joke.

What a sweet story, good to see some people still have ethics! US lottery jackpot shared after 1992 handshake.

If you don’t laugh with this, get help please.

Fun read about arranged marriages among Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere. E-rranged Marriages. Would you have ever known that Tinder is crazy popular in…Saudi Arabia?

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.

BREAKING NEWS: I managed to burn some hotel points for a very short road trip to the Michigan Upper Peninsula. Will be visiting Ironwood to check out Porcupine Mountains, Houghton Lake to drive around Keweenau Peninsula and Marquette to check out Pictured Rocks. It may will affect my posting schedule next week. I managed to finally get rid of my Wyndham Rewards points and used a Radisson Rewards Points & Cash rate because there was no way I was going to burn 57,000 points per night at a Country Inn property lol. Also one night at a Holiday Inn Express paying cash…for now as it was not available on IHG Rewards points. But I will be checking to see if that changes. Looking forward to getting the hell out and seeing some new places!

The Points Guy took down the comments section. And they assured readers it was not a business decision…LOL! Some blogger got really upset it appears. And some blogger likes to post old blog posts others write and just change the date, smh.

It is getting harder and harder to do this MS thing you guys…Bummer: GiftCards.com now limits Visa Gift Cards to $250 loads.

A recent DansDeals post had, please sit down, 137 credit card affiliate links in it. Yeah…137, easily broke the world record, wow!

So next week who knows what happens in my blog. I appreciate you reading what I post here, thank you.

And I leave you with this…

Me when I quit blogging…

TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.

You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!

Leave this field empty if you're human:

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.

The post Covid-19 Death Toll, Hyatt Suites, Business Travel Shot, More Stimulus Checks appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

--

By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: Covid-19 Death Toll, Hyatt Suites, Business Travel Shot, More Stimulus Checks
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/covid-19-death-toll-hyatt-suites-business-travel-shot-more-stimulus-checks/
Published Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2020 22:30:15 +0000

tbuz1

Pandemic Future, Fly to London With Miles, Money Truths, Opioid Epidemic

TODAY'S READ

Pandemic Future, Fly to London With Miles, Money Truths, Opioid Epidemic

We bring you the new grim pandemic future, we fly to London with miles, the best money truths, the depressing opioid epidemic, the miles promotions for buying groceries, more online shopping miles promotions, the best COVID-19 coverage, the best photography, we travel to many places, we take some shots against the US Prez who has not resigned for killing almost 150,000 of our fellow citizens, and lots more very important stuff I share with you without ANY clickbait shit like stupid videos of people fighting in airports or over masks that are ONLY designed to bring in the clicks so they can make more money off of them….STOP CLICKING CLICKBAIT SHIT, JUST STAY AWAY, thank you for doing your part to keep the internet free of pollution, every little bit helps!

TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

 

Brought to you by the amazing TBB Amazon link! This blog is published every Thursday. For now…

I’ll see you next Thursday….Comment section always stays open!

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

I am sticking with posting only on Thursdays this month…Where we go in August I don’t know, seriously! I guess I will figure it out over the next week.

For time-sensitive content that can not wait until next Thursday, I will add it here throughout the next week and add NEW in the front of it.

There is a lot to unpack here. Enjoy learning and having fun with these curated links and always eclectic commentary 🙂

Appreciate you passing a link to my blog to someone you love if you think they will enjoy it as much as you.

Best read in this post is this one about the history of mining in what is now Kosovo that has evolved to, please sit down, cryptomining! I bring you stuff you won’t find anywhere else, enjoy!

Electric Crypto Balkan Acid Test

COVID-19

We all know Dr. Fauci of course. But we will now learn more about his boss in this fantastic interview: A Long Talk With Anthony Fauci’s Boss About the Pandemic, Vaccines, and Faith. Yeah, must read, I don’t do stupid clickbait headline crap in my blog. I certainly feel much better after reading this and you will too. No excerpts, read the whole thing, really! And in the end it turns a little strange and even more interesting as the interview revolves around his Christian faith and how that interacts with science, you won’t believe what happens next! 🙂

I am on a roll today with must read/click stuff. Hey, I stick with the mission of the blog for almost 8 years and dwindling conversions, sad lol! A new Bill Gates interview, click it! How the pandemic will shape the near future.

With the body bags piling up in the US where almost everywhere around the world every country it appears has controlled the pandemic, you know where I am going with this: Inside Trump’s Failure: The Rush to Abandon Leadership Role on the Virus.  More on Dr. Birx in this piece. Sad to see that history will not be kind to her too.

Let’s look at How does mortality differ across countries? Hey, San Marino and Andorra beats us here in the US, sad covfefe!

Funny how citizens in Barcelona last summer were all like “Go home tourists” while this year they are kind of hanging on for dear life economically speaking without them: How coronavirus is reshaping Europe’s tourism hotspots. The collapse of visitor numbers amid the pandemic offers cities a new opportunity to rethink their business model. Speaking about holding on for dear life…actually, starving over in Thailand: Deserted beaches, empty bars: Covid-19 devastates Thailand’s tourist islands. I understand people need to eat, believe me. But until we defeat the virus and all fear is gone…it may be tough for some people to hang on! Be grateful and please help out in any way you can!

We did have some encouraging news in the vaccine front but…we have a long way to go. We’ll get there…eventually: Oxford coronavirus vaccine safe and promising, according to early human trial results published in the Lancet. What if the Chinese get there first you guys? The conspiracy freaks will go even more bonkers!

I am with the scientists on this one…hoping to add another awesome looking chart like the one shown below in this article: Our history is a battle against the microbes: we lost terribly before science, public health, and vaccines allowed us to protect ourselves.

I think Iran will be the first country to hit herd immunity if it keeps this up: Iran estimates up to 25 million virus cases since outbreak. Are the clerics preparing to come out with the real numbers?

You know, we could have been…Taiwan? How Taiwan beat the coronavirus. The one time we needed government leadership we got the worst person alive leading the US! Elections have consequences I guess. Oh, Taiwan has 451 cases and 7 body bags. IN TOTAL! That is like downtown Miami in a hot summer July day smh.

Even Bahamas said never mind! American tourists barred from entering Bahamas due to COVID-19 cases; other countries still allowed. I can’t even drive to Canada a short drive away from my house!

This is a short and devastating read by a doctor: The New Stability. I felt it…and I had to sit down, it starts out like this below and just gets harder until the end…

Before I become your doctor, you have been intubated for weeks. I am a point in time, unattached to the greater narrative. I call your husband each afternoon, tell him you are stable. He asks about the medicine that props up your blood pressure. He calls it the levo, acquainted by now with the slang of intensive care. It’s true, we have pressors to assist your failing heart, a ventilator to breathe for you, venovenous hemofiltration to do the work of your kidneys. “Your wife is very sick,” I say, “but stably sick.” None of this is anything new.

In case you are more patient than me: How to talk to conspiracy theorists – and still be kind. Number 1 is to always, always speak respectfully. I gave up right there lol.

You want to laugh? Here you go: John Oliver examines coronavirus conspiracy theories.

MILES & POINTS

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 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.

This miles and points hobby is so boring these days that we start off my weekly post with this: United/Alaska/Southwest Shopping Portal: Get Up To 2,500 Bonus Miles Per Airline.

This is a really good post by DansDeals. A Deep Dive Into The Best Way To Use Miles To Fly American Or British Airways Between The US And London. One of these years Dan will link to my blog and I will be on my way to Titanhood….still waiting almost eight years.

I saw other bloggers pumping it like crazy so I thought I should mention it here that the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card for 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points is available with my links, thank you for supporting this blog.

That was fast! Confirmed: Alaska Airlines Joins Oneworld By Year End. I guess when you have so many employees on payroll not doing much these days…might as well put them to work! Oh, and kiss those Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sweet spots goodbye soon, so sad.

TRAVEL

Great trip report and photos: Ayubowan from Sri Lanka (with a side of Dubai).

Just in case you go one day: 12 Very Useful Things to Know Before You Travel to Bolivia. I always thought the salt desert looks unbelievable!

An amazing photo of Meteora, Greece that went viral in Instagram.

For the aviation geeks I bring you this: Why You Couldn’t Afford To Fly the Concorde.

You will not believe where this city in China is built, wow! Ville de Yanjingzhen, Province du Yunnan, Chine.

Location of American Burger Chains. Click to Enlarge if needed. We need more In-N-Out stores!

Very interesting:

This is kind of a sweet story: Meet the United States’s Only Female Lighthouse Keeper.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Ok, cheesy headline for sure but this is excellent! The 12 most overlooked truths of money and life ‘no one teaches you in school,’ says financial psychology expert. I sent it to my kids so maybe you should click it and read it, just saying.

And another must read, we all will need this one day! 7 Items Your Estate Plan May Have Left Out.

Germany has its Enron moment these days with the company Wirecard that someway somehow managed to make at least $2 billion disappear. And in the process its COO Jan Marsalek disappeared as well. And his case is a lot more complex it appears! World’s Most Wanted Man Jan Marsalek Located in Belarus; Data Points to Russian Intel Links.

Yeah, really! How the U.S. Consumer Became the Most Resilient Force in the Economy.

CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS

You even got 27 countries coming together over in Europe, wow! EU leaders strike ‘historic’ $2 trillion deal to rebuild Europe’s economy. To the shock of many, Europe is still standing while the US dollar is going down the toilet.

RIP John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80.

I could not resist, sorry: Donald Trump Is a Broken Man. This would only be true after the election results confirm it. This assumes he accepts them, you think he will?

There were certainly ugly elements on the American right during the Reagan presidency, and Reagan himself was not without flaws. But as president, he set the tone, and the tone was optimism, courtliness and elegance, joie de vivre.  He has since been replaced by the crudest and cruelest man ever to be president. But not just that. One senses in Donald Trump no joy, no delight, no laughter. All the emotions that drive him are negative. There is something repugnant about Trump, yes, but there is also something quite sad about the man. He is a damaged soul.

Recall how he answered the last question by Fox News journalist Chris Wallace how he would like to be remembered. And he went on and on whining how he is not liked. And you guys thought I whine a lot, bwahahahaha!

I passed the CPA and the CFP exam the first time while the Prez brags about this smh. This is the first time I brag about this in my blog 🙂 The US Prez also said this lol: “We won two world wars. Beautiful world wars. That were vicious and horrible.” Sometimes I feel like we are all living in a parallel universe, in an alternate reality…

ODDZ & ENDZ

In my blog mission, I include to “inspire you”. Well, here we go: “This is one of those gestures that a person remembers for the rest of their life“. Let’s cry together (but in a socially distant way, thanks!).

This will blow you away, WOW! Jaw Dropping Footage from Mars Rovers Rendered in Stunning 4K.

Be careful out there! Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there’s one near you.

I found myself very sad watching this: The Top Trending Google Searches in Every US State Throughout the 2010s.

What Bird Are You Like? Your humble blogger is a Blue Jay which is supposed to be like this: “You combine brains, beauty, and loyalty to family and friends. Quick to anger when you feel threatened, you also have a sense of humor. Adaptable and unpredictable, you enjoy a wide variety of foods and communicate well both vocally and with body language“. Dang…fairly accurate, not sure about the beauty part though lol.

Wow, thirty years later this guy remembers what it was like: I was Saddam’s prisoner.

Another fascinating read. About the history of Nestle and its Nespresso coffee: How Nespresso’s coffee revolution got ground down.

Best photography link I posted here in a long time! Winners of International Photo Contest Celebrate the Art of Movement. I think I am in love with this pic below, WOW!

“Moonlight over the Atlantic” by Christiaan van Heijst (Netherlands). Third Place, Technology/Machine.

The French and Greeks are in extreme ends of this: Where babies are born outside of marriage.

Just devastating: The Spiraling Opioid Epidemic in America.

Love learning new stuff. In little info nuggets. Or in tweets lol! 30 Random Things Twitter Told Us That We Should Have Learned In School.

WTF!

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.

Maybe warnings to readers not to mess with the AMEX Rats would be a lot more useful. This is true for all miles and points blogs! The ones that are still left I mean. Data Points on GC Purchases Using Credit Card Grocery Purchase Promotions.

The days are passing even faster now, we are almost into August! Missing travel and adjusting to this new reality. I haven’t checked my miles and points balances in Award Wallet in weeks. I don’t remember the last time I got me a credit card for the signing bonus. I don’t really care about this hobby anymore. Trying to fit in a trip to the Michigan UP but…the dates do not line up so we can all make it. Daughter along with myself (the mover) will need to quarantine ourselves for two weeks before she moves into her dorm room in the University of Michigan. While the Ann Arbor public schools she just graduated from announced the school year will start remotely…

Conversions have dried up in my site. My current thinking is to go on a little longer, perhaps have another blog anniversary (year 8) and then stop posting regularly and instead whenever I feel like it, something I should have done many years ago. When I do that…the whining will stop. I guess I was not born to be a Titan blogger. 🙂

You KNOW bloggers would sell the crap out of this credit card if it paid a sales commission! I would rather eat durian before I get so pathetically low. How do people eat durian is beyond me…and some like it even #barf!

Remember the good old days when we could buy tons of dollar coins straight from the US Mint for free with our travel rewards credit cards? Maybe those days will be back #dreaming.

I went to the dentist for the first time in post virus times. It was weird. The dental hygienist was as always super chatty and sometimes I felt like telling her “Sue just stop”! If someone in that office has the virus there is no way in hell somebody will not catch it too. I was also referred for a root canal, first one in many many years. I remember when I had one it was done by Dr. Fear. Not joking, that was his real name!

You probably remember the band Rage Against The Machine. I hear they are reuniting and will go on tour. Well, maybe next year because #corona. They had a famous song “Killing in the name of”. And this cover by “Audrey” will make you smile #toocute

And I leave you with this…

TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.

You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!

Leave this field empty if you're human:

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.

The post Pandemic Future, Fly to London With Miles, Money Truths, Opioid Epidemic appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

--

By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: Pandemic Future, Fly to London With Miles, Money Truths, Opioid Epidemic
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/pandemic-future-fly-to-london-with-miles-money-truths-opioid-epidemic/
Published Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2020 22:30:17 +0000

tbuz1

Vaccine Updates, AA JetBlue Partnership, Day Trading, Illuminati Conspiracy

TODAY'S READ

Vaccine Updates, AA JetBlue Partnership, Day Trading, Illuminati Conspiracy

We bring you vaccine updates, the exciting AA JetBlue partnership, warn you about day trading, the hilarious origins of the Illuminati conspiracy, the BEST Covid-19 coverage, the BEST photography, all the latest worthy airline and hotel promotions, tough times in the credit card space leading to staff leaving credit card selling sites, meet the company that buys your lost luggage, swap your window views, travel to The Brando resort, we meet Ken and Karen again lol, listen to the ghostly radio station, how the masters of misinformation got started and LOTS more you guys.

TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

 

Brought to you by the amazing TBB Amazon link! This blog is published every Thursday. For now…

I’ll see you next Thursday….Comment section always stays open!

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

I am sticking with posting on Thursdays this month…Where we go in August I don’t know, seriously!

For time-sensitive content that can not wait until next Thursday, I will add it here throughout the next week and add NEW in the front of it.

Size of now weekly posts is way larger than normal. There is a lot to unpack here. Enjoy learning and having fun with these curated links and eclectic commentary 🙂

Appreciate you passing a link to my blog to someone you love if you think they will enjoy it as much as you. Do NOT pass the link to someone you can’t stand, screw them!

Let’s start off with The Best Photos of Comet Neowise to warm you up!

Photo credit: Thierry Legault

COVID-19

The best read on where we stand on Covid-19 vaccines with a word of caution to make sure we get it right! A COVID-19 vaccine may come soon. Will the blistering pace backfire? I really like the table at the end outlining all the different approaches/methods to get there. We will get there…and then we’ll have to convince the anti-vaxxers smh!

And we just got some news in the vaccine front: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate appears to be safe and provide some immunity, new data from early trial shows. Something about this company just makes me very cautious about what they are announcing, I hope I am wrong! I feel much better about the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine though: Covid Vaccine Front-Runner Is Months Ahead of Her Competition. To all: I have no idea about this stuff and as sure as hell I am no pandemic thought leader ok? 😉

Never in our scariest nightmares we would ever imagine we will be seeing record number of positive cases in many different states in the US in the middle of the summer! After all our sacrifices and the trillions that have been spent. It is maddening or, maybe, it is the consequence of our actions amid a total lack of any leadership that is so needed in a huge crisis like this. America Is Refusing to Learn How to Fight the Coronavirus. I mean, you know where I stand on this, it has been a repeated theme here. Putting America First? &%#$&!@!

A follow up interview with epidemiologist Larry Brilliant (what a brilliant last name!): Larry Brilliant on How Well We Are Fighting Covid-19. This is a must read! The whole thing. But let me just excerpt just this:

This is a bigfuckingdeal. If I would not be excommunicated from the world of science, I would call this an evil virus, but I can’t do that because I can’t impugn motives to it. But if I could, I would call it that. It’s certainly pernicious. This is the worst pandemic in our lifetime. And it is the first time we have had a pandemic in the United States in which we have had such a total, abysmal failure of our federal government.

We have all seen this Richard Quest dude on TV. I am not a fan, I always thought he speaks so loud…or maybe it is my ear condition. Well, here we go: I got Covid-19 two months ago. I’m still discovering new areas of damage — Richard Quest.

We must open the schools, we all agree on that of course! But we must do so safely you know. This is a good article on how we can go about it: These 8 Basic Steps Will Let Us Reopen Schools. These are all excellent steps but…I am not seeing it and I hope I am wrong.

First, shield the most vulnerable

Second, reduce risk wherever possible

Third, keep the virus out

Fourth, wear a mask

Fifth, reduce mixing among students and staff

Sixth, reduce occupancy, especially indoors

Seventh, implement new health and safety protocols

Eighth, prepare for cases

I have become more mindful of what I eat by seeking out food from local farms, especially fruits and vegetables. But maybe it is time to start cutting down on the meat I buy on sale. A Warning From The Chickens of the World. How our reliance on mass-produced food increases the risk of pandemics.

Between 1961 and 2017, world poultry meat production increased from 9 million to 122 million tons and egg production shot up from 15 million to 87 million tons. Since most of us experience a sort of cognitive dissonance when we see chickens and tons in the same sentence, let me rephrase this. In 1961, there were just over 3 billion people and just under 4 billion chickens in the world. In 2020, as I write this, about 7.7 billion people are jostling and shouting for space here, along with more than 20 billion chickens—and perhaps as many as 50 billion if one considers the short slaughter-and-restock turnover of those populations. [These numbers are stunning, save the chickens like we saved the whales…ok, that does not make sense, no time to assign the imaginary intern to investigate this issue further, sorry dear readers!]

This is a hilarious piece on testing, pure satire. Hey, I am a firm believer that the best medicine is laughter: So You Want a Coronavirus Test?

This one hits home you guys. Saline is a town just outside Ann Arbor, I can bike and be there in less than 20 minutes. WTF is wrong with people and is Michigan becoming Florida? Large Saline-area house party causes coronavirus outbreak in Washtenaw County.

You know, we all thought we had seen it all but nope. How can you criticize the nation’s top public health expert who has worked for six Presidents? Fauci: ‘Bizarre’ White House Behavior Only Hurts the President.

Well, this is very relevant in this blog that happens to have the word “Travel” in its name. It is the latest by Wall Street Journal‘s The Middle Seat column by Scott McCartney: The Greatest Coronavirus Risks When You Fly. I feel a bit better about getting on a plane and breathing all that circulated air…but what happens when we get stuck on the tarmac for hours huh?

What a legacy!

MILES & POINTS

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 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!

This miles and points hobby has been fueled over the years by us getting travel rewards credit cards for the signup bonuses. Yeah, we used to practice credit card churning but those days are mostly gone with all the bank restrictions and of course devaluations. And of course I am the only blogger who has consistently tried to educate readers what a HUGE multi million dollar business it has become to keep selling these credit cards to readers by tricking them to “fly in luxury for free”. Anyway, let me not go on in this section about this, you know where I stand. But the virus has changed everything in this space. Check out this article and some horrific figures to THE multi million dollar The Points Guy Inc business: It’s harder to get a credit card: ‘Issuers have really tightened up’.

Newly opened credit cards fell by 65% from April 15 to May 15 this year versus the same period last year, marking the second consecutive month of significant declines…

“The declines are enormous,” said Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at CompareCards. “They’re further proof that credit card issuers have really tightened up and really retreated into their shells quite a bit in the wake of the pandemic.”

Consumers have a better chance of getting what is considered a starter credit card with limits of a few hundred dollars, rather than a high-end card typically targeting consumers with an excellent credit score in those times… [the sales commissions on the started credit cards pale in comparison fyi]

Huge news in the airline space: American Becomes Instantly Relevant in New York With JetBlue Strategic Partnership. Whichever way you view this, we passengers will benefit. It covers just Boston and New York City by the way. And we will eventually get this too: American is expecting the benefit to be enough that it will bring back Rio service this next winter, add Athens service for next summer, and start Tel Aviv year-round. If you wanted to read the AA press release, click HERE!

Good info here: World of Hyatt Complete Guide. Hyatt recently added an online option to book suite awards with points finally!

If you are going to fly on United, check HERE to see if you are targeted to earn extra miles.

If you have a United MileagePlus Explorer card, check HERE to see if you are targeted for a spending bonus.

NEW: Click HERE to register for the latest IHG Rewards promotion, up to 4x bonus points.

Just in case you are a Wyndham Rewards member, register HERE for its new promo: Stay two nights by September 10, 2020 and earn 7,500 points.

Hilton trying to hang on to its members by doing things it would never even think about doing in normal times. What is the latest? It extends rollover nights!

We know your travel continues to be limited, and we’ve got you covered. All nights you earn this year from stays between January 1 through December 31, 2020, will automatically be carried over to the 2021 calendar year and count towards your 2021-2023 Tier Status. Note that this update will be reflected in your account by the end of this year. For more information on other rollover benefit terms, please visit our FAQs page.

Speaking of hotel companies trying to hang on, here goes Marriott Promotional Elite Qualifying Nights Have Posted, Check To See If You Now Have Choice Benefits To Select. And just like that son is just three nights away from Platinum…if only he could go back to his business travel days.

TRAVEL

Fun story: Meet the company that sells your lost airplane luggage. Amazing story how the company was started by a guy named Hugo who was bored selling insurance and was looking for a side gig. The company is now led by his son. Wonder if anyone visited the showroom in tiny Scottsboro, Alabama.

Every year, 4.3B bags are checked by airlines around the world. Around 25m of them  (5.7 per 1k bags checked) end up lost or misdirected. The 0.03% of bags that are still not reunited with their owners after 90 days are sold by the airline.

Greece has handled the global pandemic really well, just 3,883 cases and 193 dead to date. IN TOTAL! If you ever told me a Greek government will do much better in anything about governance compared to the US government I would laugh at your face. And here we are, unbelievable! Why am I saying this? Because you would think that tourists would be rushing back to a beautiful country but…Air arrivals drop by up to 84%. It’s the virus stupid. And this was one sector of the economy that always bailed out Greece, so many citizens depend on tourism. It is very depressing indeed. Also, in the other side of the world, Quantas stopped selling international flight tickets until the end of, please sit down, March 2021, yikes!

Fun website: WindowSwap. “Open a new window somewhere in the world”.

Marlon Brando owned an island TETIAROA or BRANDO’S ISLAND. Excuse me, he was able to lease it for 99 years that is. Anyone stay at The Brando swanky resort? If you all get thousands of credit cards with my links I promise I will travel there and do a trip report for you for…free! 🙂 I just visited the resort website and learned that it reopened this week and the pictures are so lovely…and so far away, sigh.

This one from Florida, so adorable! This video of baby sea turtles emerging from their nests has officially saved summer.

Well, Erdogan again. Turkey reconverts Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. SAD!

Holy crap….literally! This is a story about Beirut’s awfully broken sewage system. YIKES! Waste Away.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Yeah, be careful out there! Who gets to be reckless on Wall Street? Regular investors are piling into the stock market for the rush. Wall Street titans say they’re making a grave mistake, but it’s not so simple. It is a crazy environment out there, it has been like that for a while…I think Robinhood is hurting lots of people and I am just going to leave it there and no I am not going to shove any affiliate links to you so I can make money. You can play speculate if you want but only play speculate with a very tiny part of your portfolio and be perfectly okay if you lose it all. Good luck, you’ll need it! 🙂

If you are not convinced yet, maybe this will do the trick: Day-trading in the age of coronavirus. If you are still not convinced, you are probably carrying balances in your credit cards too smh.

As I am about to make the first payment to the University of Michigan for our daughter starting college, this makes me shake my head too, yikes!

CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS

I see my daughter’s graduating class and I have never seen a more diverse group. I think this has been happening for a long time in this country. And this guy is betting on white all the way, sad! Trump’s Bad Bet on White Christian America. He’s trying to assemble a winning coalition with a dwindling number of sympathetic white voters.

The nonpartisan States of Change project has forecast that non-college-educated white Americans will likely constitute 42 percent of voters in November, slightly more than half their share in 1968. States of Change anticipates that both college-educated white voters and voters of color will represent about 30 percent of voters in 2020. For the former group, that’s about twice their share in 1968; for the latter, that’s somewhere between a three- and fourfold increase.

White Christians comprised fully 85 percent of all American adults in 1968…they now represent only half as much of the population, 42 percent.

In 1968, nonwhite Christians represented only 8 percent of Americans; now that’s tripled to just more than 24 percent.

Only one-fourth of adults younger than 30 now identify as white Christians.

Remember that couple that defended their house with guns lat week? Well, they are just not very nice people. Portland Place couple who confronted protesters have a long history of not backing down. You will shake your head to oblivion reading about some of their deeds.

Well, we said goodbye to the Palace of Auburn Hills Arena outside Detroit, the home of the NBA Detroit Pistons. So many memories there and a great place to watch a concert too. It went BOOM! Ten memorable Pistons moments at The Palace.

ODDZ & ENDZ

What a great story about recently departed comedian Carl Reiner. It involves Beef Stroganoff and it is hilarious!

I love the BBC Lockdown Longreads. Here is another one: The ghostly radio station that no one claims to run. I had never heard of this, wow! Gets into spying, even North Korea joins in…love it!

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last three-and-a-half decades, it’s been broadcasting a dull, monotonous tone. Every few seconds it’s joined by a second sound, like some ghostly ship sounding its foghorn. Then the drone continues. Once or twice a week, a man or woman will read out some words in Russian, such as “dinghy” or “farming specialist”. And that’s it. Anyone, anywhere in the world can listen in, simply by tuning a radio to the frequency 4625 kHz.

Fascinating how it all started. In 1952. How surgeons learned to operate on beating hearts.

I am sure you have come across people who believe in ridiculous conspiracy theories, it appears they are growing in numbers! The accidental invention of the Illuminati conspiracy. You can forward them this article but we know it is not going to make a difference. At all. And how it all started is…so fitting!

Look at what you can buy! Dark Web Price Index 2020.

Are you really bored? Like…REALLY bored. Well, click HERE. In this site you can try drawing a circle and analyze how well you did. It can be a little addictive, you have been warned. My highest score is 189,675. If I devoted the time to instead doing some blog marketing/promotion…my pathetic conversion ratio would not be so, well, pathetic. I laugh, you laugh (I hope), we all laugh 🙂

Eye-opening: The Pioneers of the Misinformation. How thwarted Hollywood ambitions, Silicon Valley hubris, and a long war on objectivity gave rise to Drudge, Breitbart, and other right-wing media insurgents. This is how these assholes got started…and it all makes sense now. STOP CLICKING ON THEIRSHIT! Oh man, can you imagine how much more commercially successful this blog would be if I stopped driving away a huge chunk of potential readers hey? 🙂 Nevertheless, reading about how this Drudge dude got started was very interesting indeed.

Best pictures of birds online period! The 2020 Audubon Photography Awards.

More amazing pictures I had not seen before from The Collapse of the Soviet Union. After all that…and they got stuck with Putin, sad!

A pro-democracy demonstrator fights with a Soviet soldier on top of a tank parked in front of the Russian Federation building on August 19, 1991, after a coup toppled Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

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.

The Lazy Traveler dissects Iberia Plus: Awesomeness and Dysfunctions of Iberia Plus: How to Use the First and Skirt the Second | Iberia Peak Dates, Award Space and Prices, Fuel Surcharges and More!

Stefan of Rapid Travel Chai just continues to crank these out! Upcoming Video Interviews for the Week of July 12, 2020.

I see Mommy Points went to Disney World on assignment for The Points Guy. Is it just me but…reporting from the current Covid-19 epicenter of the global pandemic is a bit…much? I wonder if she was listening to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” while checking out the Disney rides, sad lol!

And is The Points Guy pivoting to personal finance content now that it is so hard to sell travel rewards credit cards? Or is this pivot happening in the miles and points blogs in general? I had to leave a comment in this post at Frequent Miler that I would LOVE to expand on but I am really trying to limit my time spent on this TBB “venture” you guys 🙂 I think I am qualified as personal finance is what I do for a living. This miles and point stuff and now kickass content curation I do for you here is just a little…obsession of mine that I should probably quit it and move on after almost eight years, sigh! NEW: I have been asked to do a blog post to share my thoughts on the subject. Since I am so quality minded…I would spend way too much time on it, something I just do not have right now and with the complete sinking of credit card conversions it will make such use of my time completely idiotic so I am going to pass. Maybe one day…

The sad saga is over. Have bloggers who were pumping this shit ever apologized? The Plastic Merchant Bankruptcy Catastrophe Finally Ends. Be careful out there!

If you do not see the travel rewards credit card you want available with my links, maybe I can refer you to it? Please email me, thanks! Thanks to reader Sam who is #1…as in the only credit card conversion this month. Can you imagine the hunger at TPG and other blogs in this space?

This is amazing! Nirvana Performing Smells Like Teen Spirit in a Music Store a Week Before Its Release. Wow, must click!

You know, I am a big Panera Bread fan. I tried to quit them but I could not. And when they came out with a monthly subscription for unlimited coffee I signed up right away. Then the pandemic hit and they have given me coffee for free all summer long. There is one near my house and I like to get away in the morning (sitting outside) and drink my coffee while catching up on reading. And then I get a refill to go lol. Sometimes I come back later the same day…heck, I could come back and get me another cup of coffee every TWO hours. So, they sent me this promo that I can continue drinking coffee for free until the end of October if five more people sign up with my REFERRAL link. Check it out, my favorite flavor is Hazelnut. They also have Dark, Light and Decaf. It is NOT gourmet coffee by the way but Hazelnut works for me. I only pump stuff I use myself in my site. You would freak out what I turn down every day when other bloggers will sell their newborns for a $ click!

There was a major hack on Twitter earlier this week. Major verified by Twitter accounts (they get a blue check mark) were prevented from tweeting while Twitter engineers worked to resolve the situation. In my non TBB professional life I do have a Twitter verified account. I did not realize it is that big of a deal until one day years ago son told me he learned about it from his high school classmates. In a way like this: “Dude, your dad is verified on Twitter!”. I laughed!

Anybody keeping count how many writers at The Points Guy are leaving for greener pastures? Here is a small list:

Zach Wichter – Going from the aviation beat to mortgages at Bankrate smh

Alberto Riva – Going from aviation to personal finance at “sister” site smh

Samantha Rosen – Same as Alberto

This is what happens when you are not selling many travel rewards credit cards these days…But wait, they are all so excited about their new chapter! Of course, being an expert on what you will be writing about just comes…naturally? Some sites are born to sell…just not mine I guess! My agent is still waiting for that amazing offer to have a personal finance column…but I think I will be pissing off the major banks because I don’t go along for BS!

Any tips on the buzz on these blogs please let me know, thank you!

Last week: 22 miles running, 27 miles biking. Pounds lost: 0 – If I could only stop eating…

And a song recommendation. This song finally gets a video after all these years! Iggy Pop went to the same middle school as my kids by the way 🙂

Iggy Pop – The Passenger

And I leave you with this…

TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.

You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!

Leave this field empty if you're human:

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.

The post Vaccine Updates, AA JetBlue Partnership, Day Trading, Illuminati Conspiracy appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

--

By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: Vaccine Updates, AA JetBlue Partnership, Day Trading, Illuminati Conspiracy
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/vaccine-updates-aa-jetblue-partnership-day-trading-illuminati-conspiracy/
Published Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2020 22:30:07 +0000

tbuz1

US Pandemic Disgrace, New Hyatt Promo, Amazing Monasteries, The O-Man

TODAY'S READ

US Pandemic Disgrace, New Hyatt Promo, Amazing Monasteries, The O-Man

We bring you more on the US pandemic disgrace, register for a new Hyatt promo, visit amazing monasteries, interviewing the O-Man, the best Covid-19 coverage, amazing photos and video collections, the ridiculous lengths AA fraud team goes to bust members, travel to Indonesia to ride vespas, travel to Antarctica and to the Great Barrier Reef and, you know, so much more you will be coming back to my blog again and again over the next week so I can make money off you from page views…oh wait, I don’t make any money on page views and ads. I missed you all! But…did you miss me?

TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

 

Brought to you by the amazing TBB Amazon link! This blog is published every Thursday. For now…

I’ll see you next Thursday….Comment section always stays open!

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

I am determined to stick with once a week posting on Thursdays at 6.30 pm the whole month of July. It has been pretty liberating for me not to have to come up with a Monday post, my last weekend was great! But I certainly did miss you all…

The size of this post is much larger than normal. Enjoy reading the content over the next week you guys. You are not going to get through all of it in one post, maybe pick a section and come back later for another section? Save the long reads for the weekend. Or do as you wish. And just think that one minute I spend on marketing/promoting my blog is one minute taken away from finding the best damn reads on the web for you to get educated, entertained and inspired ok?

COVID-19

Check the Covid-19 Risk Level by State/County.

You know I have been following the Covid-19 pandemic for a long time now, it is the event of our lifetimes imho. And this was becoming clearer to me: Study confirms new version of coronavirus spreads faster, but doesn’t make people sicker. It is just one more study…more to come, science is messy and takes time.

Dispatch from an American living in Paris: Do Americans Understand How Badly They’re Doing? Maybe you noticed the theme around here…

American leadership has politicized the pandemic instead of trying to fight it. I see no preparedness, no coordinated top-down leadership of the sort we’ve enjoyed in Europe. I see only empty posturing, the sad spectacle of the president refusing to wear a mask, just to own the libs. What an astonishing self-inflicted wound.

Just in case you have not realized how we have screwed this up so yuge! America’s told-you-so moment: How we botched the reopening. The body bags keep coming, what an ongoing tragedy. And the dotard tweets at NASCAR that its ratings are down, wow (actually, NASCAR ratings are up lol).

I am going to stick with my point because I am angry. If you are not I believe something is wrong with you! Even In New York We’re Dropping the Ball. Yeah, even them NY libs can’t do things right just when we thought they were getting there…The article compares our numbers with Germany and you quickly realize the giant hole we have dug ourselves…it is sickening!

Even in the areas where we’re doing pretty well we’ve still gotten complacent. We’re failing. It’s not a matter of permanent lockdowns. It’s just a matter of having a strategy, following the evidence, being dedicated and getting popular buy-in. In other parts of the world they’re having health and economy. We have neither.

The article makes a good case for this: The Medical Case for Reopening Schools. How in the world we made public health a partisan political issue is just bonkers and we see the results, SAD!

Well, this hits home as our son has moved back living with us from New York City since early March when he escaped ground zero. The New Boomerang Kids Could Change American Views of Living at Home. It is, well, interesting, mostly good and much safer of course. And he gets to save a lot of money too! Almost all his coworkers in his team are back living at home with their parents. There are some large scale shifts going on and the pandemic has accelerated them. This is true:

Moving in with your parents is often seen as a mark of irresponsibility. The pandemic might show the country that it shouldn’t be.

As we learn more about this virus, we are discovering more things about it. You know, sometimes I wish let me just get it, I am strong, will beat it and then let me just go on with my life, maybe burn some miles and cherish the plentiful award space and fly places (where I am allowed, maybe my second passport will work as the US one will likely shut many doors borders). And then I read things like this and say NOPE: Coronavirus: What does Covid-19 do to the brain?

One of the report authors, Prof Tom Solomon of the University of Liverpool, told me, “It’s clear now that this virus does cause problems in the brain whereas initially we thought it was all about the lungs. Part of it is due to lack of oxygen to the brain. But there appear to be many other factors, such as problems with blood clotting and a hyper-inflammatory response of the immune system. We should also ask whether the virus itself is infecting the brain.”

It is astonishing to think we spend almost a phucking one trillion dollars on defense and we basically had taken away most of the funding for public health when a tiny virus nobody can see has the potential (as we are all finding out) to kill so many of us, how sad is that! The Pandemic Experts Are Not Ok. Many American public-health specialists are at risk of burning out as the coronavirus surges back. I hope our memory is not that short after this is all over…

My god, how have we phucked this up! This chart ranks the countries with the most confirmed new cases over the past week, adjusted for population size, and treats each U.S. state as if it were a country.

Sorry about the depressing turn this blog post has taken. I just find this stuff and call it as it is. You may want to skip the next link!

A Time Lapse World Map of Every Death from the Coronavirus Pandemic. Notice how slow it starts and then BANG…all hell breaks loose! Remember when we had just one person from “Chynaaa” and then we had fifteen and were going down to zero and all along we had this thing under control…If you are not angry what is wrong with you?

Ok, last one and let’s try to reverse to some positivity. Kind of. Highest number of cases recently but deaths have gone way down. Why? This article explains this: COVID-19 Cases Are Rising, So Why Are Deaths Flatlining? As is everything with this virus, it is not so simple! But a combination of how deaths lag, testing finding milder cases earlier, younger patients, better treatment at hospitals now that we have had at least a few months experience dealing with it and yes summer season may be helping a little too.

MILES & POINTS

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 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!

I find the whole space of miles and points to be in a state that I had never seen it! Kind of suspended, everything on hold, not much traveling other than that road trips, RVs and camping are red hot all pandemic induced. Banks have bailed out airlines and hotels buying miles and points but they are NOT translating that to higher travel rewards credit card offers. Instead, they are trying to hold on to current credit card holders as most are bent on canceling cards earning them miles and points when they have no idea when they will start traveling again. Mega layoffs are coming in the travel industry when the free PPP money runs out, let’s face it. It is just weird seeing this happen like everything else with this phucking virus…

So, I am not seeing many worthy posts to share with you in this space…so excuse the bare coverage. It is not me!

If you wanted to learn more about the program: Hilton Honors Complete Guide.

Perfect timing I guess, looking forward to this series. For the moment, it is good to dream about them: Points for Your Post Pandemic Self-Indulgence Part 1: Top Laidback Hilton Luxury Resorts!

Finally hotels are starting to improve their promos. Hyatt Launches New Promos During Travel Showdown. 15% to 25% Award Redemption Rebates, free parking and 3x on hotel dining. If these were normal times these will be very nice to have, especially the 25% rebate. But they are not normal times…

There is more action from banks trying to get us to put more spend on airline and hotel travel rewards credit cards. Especially on grocery spend! If you have Marriott Bonvoy credit cards issued by Chase, click on this LINK to register to Earn 10X total points on up to $3,500 in combined purchases spent at gas stations and restaurants, including eligible delivery services¹ such as GrubHub and DoorDash between July 15 and September 15, 2020.

TRAVEL

Remember when we were all alarmed by how we were not going to find enough pilots? Oh my, how quickly things have changed: Pilots Were Once in Short Supply. Now They’re Losing Their Jobs.

Wow, must click. A 6 minute film titled SWARM. By the McGloughin Brothers. The images, the music, it will blow your mind. If not, I will give you your money back, I guarantee it! 🙂

This is cool. The oldest city in every state, mapped. I had no idea Saul Ste. Marie was the oldest city in Michigan…but it makes sense now.

Just click it. Sand. You are welcome. Your grandma will love to read my blog too #hint.

This is amazing! Explore the ancient Greek city of Mycenae in a newly released digital archive. Digital Mycenae.

These look unreal: Indonesia’s Tricked Out Vespas.

For some reason I love monasteries. This list here is not complete without any from Mount Athos in Greece, fyi. 10 amazing monasteries with architecture you have to see to believe.

The Scenes from Antarctica will blow you away!

A night view of McMurdo Station on Ross Island, as it experiences 24 hours of darkness in the middle of winter, on June 6, 2015 Joshua Swanson / National Science Foundation

We can’t go there now but we can using our computers! Lifelike Human Sculptures Are Submerged in Underwater Museum at the Great Barrier Reef.

I had never heard of this disaster in Italy before, how horrible! The Vajont Dam Disaster.

PERSONAL FINANCE

You can check out who got Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans in your state. We will be hearing of mega frauds for years in this…Many of them were anti government entities, like the Ayn Rand Institute LOL…and many others. You should be angry, the focus of this program should have been the truly small businesses, you know, the mom and pop places. No, I did not do this because I did not need the money as my business was impacted a little and had plenty of cash stashed in an emergency fund. I see fellow financial planning firms could not help themselves, you should wonder if they truly needed the money or were just greedy? If you are a client of these firms…maybe they do not do a good job taking care of their own affairs so why should they be advising…you?

Yeah, with the rates so low and likely staying at these levels…we are all trying to adjust to this “new normal”, maybe this time is indeed different? 🙂 5 Thoughts on a World with No Yield.

Great infographic:  U.S. Unemployment Rates Over Time.

Another great visual: What Does 1GB of Mobile Data Cost in Every Country? Really Malawi? And I am shocked India is the cheapest, never expected it!

CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS

RIP to a true legend! Ennio Morricone, The Sound Of The American West, Dies At 91.

It is hard to believe that there may be an even dumber dude who happens to be governing a country. It has to be this guy! Coronavirus: Brazil’s President Bolsonaro tests positive.

The one policy that really made me lose it. I mean, this is not just cruel but just plain stupid! By rejecting international students, will Trump ruin US universities?

ODDZ & ENDZ

I had no idea it sounds like this, wow! The Horrible Sound of Jello Getting Crushed.

At first, I thought this was satire. But it is not! The Story of O-Man, the Personal Trainer Who Became the Valley’s Secret Orgasm Whisperer. The writer gets to interview him…my idol lol. Who else in the blogging world brings you gems like this? Keep me from quitting, buy shit you don’t need with my Amazon link lol. He has a website too: The O-Man. If he only had an affiliate link too woohoo!

Totally wild story of a Master Thief. Meet Sean Murphy, Patriots Fan Who Stole Giants’ Super Bowl Rings.

I remember this dude from a long time ago. He obviously had some issues. I knew he got in trouble but I had no idea he is locked up for a very long time for murder, wow! Hitchhiker, hero, celebrity, killer: The strange journey of the man called Kai. That video of his became one of the first viral hits…

Stuff you learn online. Never had heard of Buruli. Now I have. And I have nightmares: Australia Has a Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Problem.

I had no idea about all these facts about this movie we all love! Airplane! Is Considered One of the Best Comedies of All Time. But 40 Years Ago No One Saw it Coming.

Amazing video! Incredible restored video of Tokyo from 1913-1915.

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.

Speaking of road trips, we did a road trip to the other side of Michigan to visit Saugatuck. I thought about burning some hotel points to stay a night in nearby Holland, MI. I had heard about this place for a long time but had never visited. Well, we came, we saw and we will not come back. Tiny place overcome by tourists. Yeah, some cute artistic shops, very gay friendly, nice bay to watch boats go by but…did I say tiny overcome by local tourists? Oh yes I did. Ok, having a bad expensive meal at a restaurant that was recommended to us did not help at all, especially when the waitress recommended the bbq and it was probably yesterday’s, WTF! And then of course we went for a swim at Lake Michigan. Tiny beach overcome by people, tough to do social distancing. Hilly beach. And the water was full of green slimy algae stuff, yuck! I hope our next day trips are better than this lol.

Thinking of road trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has several hotels I can burn some IHG Rewards points. I wonder if anyone has visited and has some recommendations of some must visit places. I am thinking Pictured Rocks and probably staying at Marquette and using that as the start of day trips around it. Any feedback is welcome. Beaches? Restaurants? Hiking spots?

I could have made a lot more money here and stopped whining a long time ago if I followed up on every email I got from a marketing person hawking stuff I would never go for myself and bribing me with “amazing” offers. Lots of these outfits will not last long. And the initial teaser type intro promos are not going to last long anyway. Latest to stick it to its customers is SoFi, an outfit with so many excited bloggers who were of course more excited to make money off their readers than anything else. Reader Jon gave me his constructive criticism feedback in my last post and I tried to explain where I am coming from.

The big news in our quirky hobby was of course this: American Airlines’ Shocking Formal DOT Response; Don’t Mess With AAdvantage! So, if they monitor Flyertalk and Reddit…you think they don’t read blogs? Come on! And more from an attorney blogger: AA Shutdowns – Observations on AA’s Response to the Borges v. AA DoT.

And of course the Amex RATs just keep clobbering hobbyists who think are smart lol: American Express Also Clawing Back Points On Delta/Marriott Cards From Grocery Promotion. So, you blog about getting Hilton lifetime status by buying gift cards at grocery stores, really? Boom, you lose!

To blog aggregator PointsBuzz: Please delete these dead blogs for crying out loud: Frugal Travel Guy, Travel Is Free, Pointscentric, Frequent Flyer Miles 101, The Faraway Guide.

To blog aggregator MilesFeed: Please delete these dead blogs for crying out loud: Deals We Like, The Reward Boss, Angelina Travels, Loophole Travel, Travel Is Free, Frequent Flyer Miles 101, Chasing The Points, Top Shelf Millennial.

To both blog aggregators: Why bother with these blogs that as may well be dead: Milevalue, The Travel Sisters, Points With a Crew, Out And Out, Well Traveled Mile, milepoint (forums).

If you know who runs these blog aggregators, please direct them to this information, thank you. Also, tell them to please place my blog on the top and will link a lot more of them #hint 🙂

Before I leave you with the funny pic/gif let me share with you this stunning picture of Earth Taken in 1967 from 18,000 km Away.

And I leave you with this…

TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.

You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!

Leave this field empty if you're human:

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.

The post US Pandemic Disgrace, New Hyatt Promo, Amazing Monasteries, The O-Man appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

--

By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: US Pandemic Disgrace, New Hyatt Promo, Amazing Monasteries, The O-Man
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/us-pandemic-disgrace-new-hyatt-promo-amazing-monasteries-the-o-man/
Published Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2020 22:30:52 +0000

tbuz1