PLAYPEN: Covid-19 Everything Political

[Chris Kern]

. . . there is a whole gallery on my website of la Habana.  That's Havana BTW; still trying to figure out why we English speakers decided to replace the "b" with a "v."

It seems strange to a native speaker of English (and to those of many other languages), but for most Spanish speakers the "b" and "v" sounds are often pronounced identically.  Or, perhaps more precisely, most native speakers won't hear a significant difference if you pronounce the sound as a plosive or a fricative.  So the word for 20, veinte, can be pronounced as "v'yente" or "b'yente" in most Latin American countries, and the locals will know what you mean.  (Unless your norteamericano accent is as obvious as mine, in which case they probably won't have a clue what you are trying to say in any event.)  And if you are an English speaker, you may hear either sound depending on your interlocutor's accent.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Maybe...or the people that left had their view of freedom influenced by western propoganda and entered into the endless rat race so many here live in.

Why don’t you leave the rat race and move to Cuba? Or Venezuela? I hear they are quite happy there too?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

It seems strange to a native speaker of English (and to those of many other languages), but for most Spanish speakers the "b" and "v" sounds are often pronounced identically...

When I was living in Barcelona, it was quite funny for me to hear my name pronounced as Slovodan.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8225759/Protesters-swarm-Michigan-North-Carolina-Ohio-Utah-Wyoming-demonstrate-lockdown-orders.html

“Protesters in MAGA hats and flying Confederate flags swarm Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, New York and Virginia to demonstrate 'tyrannical' and 'unconstitutional' lockdown orders that are 'worse than the virus'“

[JoeKitchen]

It seems strange to a native speaker of English (and to those of many other languages), but for most Spanish speakers the "b" and "v" sounds are often pronounced identically.  Or, perhaps more precisely, most native speakers won't hear a significant difference if you pronounce the sound as a plosive or a fricative.  So the word for 20, veinte, can be pronounced as "v'yente" or "b'yente" in most Latin American countries, and the locals will know what you mean.  (Unless your norteamericano accent is as obvious as mine, in which case they probably won't have a clue what you are trying to say in any event.)  And if you are an English speaker, you may hear either sound depending on your interlocutor's accent.

Oh, that make's sense; thanks for the explanation.  I have been wondering that for a while.  I just racked it up to English arrogance telling people, "screw you, we'll spell it how we want damn it."  Kind of like, "we're not saying Deutschland, so learn to live with Germany." 

[JoeKitchen]

When I was living in Barcelona, it was quite funny for me to hear my name pronounced as Slovodan.

I tend to always catch non-native English speakers mispronounce our "th" sound and it drives me crazy.  Although it took me a while to roll off a "Ä" with out thinking about it. 

[chez]

Why don’t you leave the rat race and move to Cuba? Or Venezuela? I hear they are quite happy there too?

I've been traveling all over enjoying and experiencing different cultures and people. I've left the rat race 5 years ago and never looked back. I'm quite happy with my life.

How about you. I see you fled away from the US...escaping something or someone?

[chez]

Oh, that make's sense; thanks for the explanation.  I have been wondering that for a while.  I just racked it up to English arrogance telling people, "screw you, we'll spell it how we want damn it."  Kind of like, "we're not saying Deutschland, so learn to live with Germany."

I wonder what Germans call America. 

[James Clark]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8225759/Protesters-swarm-Michigan-North-Carolina-Ohio-Utah-Wyoming-demonstrate-lockdown-orders.html

“Protesters in MAGA hats and flying Confederate flags swarm Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, New York and Virginia to demonstrate 'tyrannical' and 'unconstitutional' lockdown orders that are 'worse than the virus'“

Aw... ya screwed up yer <b> tags.   Let me help you out a little

[LesPalenik]

I wonder what Germans call America. 

Right now, Trumpland

[James Clark]

I need To meet your wife. 😊.  I got hooked on bmws back about the time I shot that Super Seven.  The studio I worked for did a lot of work for International Harvester,...big trucks.  They were located in our town and we did lots for work for styling and design.  I got to know lots of them and they were big time car guys.  One, Larry Shinoda, ran the place and in an earlier life did design work on Corvette and later, Mustangs.  Anyways they all had cool cars, Porsche’s, Alfa’s, Bimmers, Lotus, Corvettes etc.  one guy even had a Ferrari 275 GTB that was amazing. 

The guy with the Lotus also had a BMW 2002tii.  Man I loved that car, and I bought my first of 12 BMW’s, a somewhat ratty 1971 BMW 2002.  I learned how to work on BMW,s with that car and it was perhaps the quintessential BMW.  Great road feel and handling in a very unassuming package.  I drove it until the rear shock towers rusted out in the trunk.  If you are a car guy, there are cars you have owned that you would give your left one to still have.  This and my 66 Mustang both fit that bill.  I still have the left one...not the cars 😎

My first car was the 2002's successor - the 320i.   It wasn't the performer that the 2002 was, not to mention the tii, but I really liked it.  Got pics of the 'Stang?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Aw... ya screwed up yer <b> tags.   Let me help you out a little

Very funny

[JoeKitchen]

I need To meet your wife. 😊.  I got hooked on bmws back about the time I shot that Super Seven.  The studio I worked for did a lot of work for International Harvester,...big trucks.  They were located in our town and we did lots for work for styling and design.  I got to know lots of them and they were big time car guys.  One, Larry Shinoda, ran the place and in an earlier life did design work on Corvette and later, Mustangs.  Anyways they all had cool cars, Porsche’s, Alfa’s, Bimmers, Lotus, Corvettes etc.  one guy even had a Ferrari 275 GTB that was amazing. 

The guy with the Lotus also had a BMW 2002tii.  Man I loved that car, and I bought my first of 12 BMW’s, a somewhat ratty 1971 BMW 2002.  I learned how to work on BMW,s with that car and it was perhaps the quintessential BMW.  Great road feel and handling in a very unassuming package.  I drove it until the rear shock towers rusted out in the trunk.  If you are a car guy, there are cars you have owned that you would give your left one to still have.  This and my 66 Mustang both fit that bill.  I still have the left one...not the cars 😎

Craig, I think you would die to be on set with Michael Furman. 

He specializes in photographing the golden era of the automobile, 1920s to 1950s.  He has shot a lot of one off cars worth more then an entire Audi dealership, including all the cars, building and land added up. 

My favorite story of his is he was just about drive a car off the trailer to position it only to get a phone a couple of minutes before letting him know the gas, brake and clutch peddles were reversed. 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I've been traveling all over enjoying and experiencing different cultures and people. I've left the rat race 5 years ago and never looked back. I'm quite happy with my life.

How about you. I see you fled away from the US...escaping something or someone?

Glad to hear you are content with your life.

I’ve lived in four countries on two continents and visited 30+ other counties (twice to Cuba). Also lived in three and visited 36 other US states.

My career in corporate finance, or rat race if you will, was ruined in the 2008 crisis and never recovered. Took early retirement and moved back to my home country, where my Social Security check stretches much further. Generally also content with my life.

[Robert Roaldi]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8225759/Protesters-swarm-Michigan-North-Carolina-Ohio-Utah-Wyoming-demonstrate-lockdown-orders.html

“Protesters in MAGA hats and flying Confederate flags swarm Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, New York and Virginia to demonstrate 'tyrannical' and 'unconstitutional' lockdown orders that are 'worse than the virus'“

Confederate flags?

[Alan Klein]

When I was living in Barcelona, it was quite funny for me to hear my name pronounced as Slovodan.

When I was in Japan, I was called Aran Krein.

[Alan Klein]

I'm not claiming that Covid isn;t devastating.  At 75, I'm in the target group for serious problems with it.  I also agree that isolation is limiting the cases and deaths.  What's going to happen, I believe, it that after it all settle down, there are going to be a lot of people who will compare it to the flu statistics and ask why we shut down the economy and why they don't have a job or lost their business and can't feed their family. 

I think that's why Trump decided to let the governors make all the decisions going forward regarding opening their states.  He'll say he wanted to open earlier, but the governors just kept delaying it.  NY and NJ governors have put it off already until May 15th, another month.  If Trump did it, and he would have, he'd get blamed. 

In the end, I don;t think it's going to matter much.  If the economy is still tanking in November, he's going to have a tough time getting re-elected.  The country could get lucky and recover a lot by then.  Then he'll get a lot of the credit and might win because of it.  It's too early to tell. 

In any case, Michigan is having protests about the shutdown.  The Governor is under attack, the kind that Trump is avoiding by letting the governors handle their states.  Michigan is one of the battleground states Trump won in 2016.

"Her (the Michigan governor) decisions are under a microscope and have been met with considerable pushback in the state, particularly her move this week to extend her stay-at-home order until the end of April. Her executive orders contain some of the nation's toughest restrictions, including prohibiting people from visiting friends, traveling to their vacation homes in the state and closing a range of businesses deemed non-essential, including garden shops.
She said she understood the economic consequences of her actions, with a staggering one-quarter of the state's eligible workforce now seeking unemployment assistance, but she defended her decision as necessary to try to slow the coronavirus outbreak."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/politics/gretchen-whitmer-michigan-protests/index.html

[Alan Klein]

What I find distressful is how so many aren't blaming the Chinese. They'd rather focus on blaming Trump as if he had something to do with the deaths in Italy, Spain and elsewhere. The perfidy of China in first releasing it and then deliberately lying about what it was and what happened, delayed proper response by the world.  While they blocked Wuhan travelers from leaving Wuhan province to other parts of China, they criminally let these people travel to other parts of the world carrying the disease. One wonders if they figured it might give them a bump in moving into the #1 spot economically and strategically in the world.  I for one, wouldn't put it past them. 

[Craig Lamson]

My first car was the 2002's successor - the 320i.   It wasn't the performer that the 2002 was, not to mention the tii, but I really liked it.  Got pics of the 'Stang?

I had 2 - 320’s. I’ll really have to dig to find the mustang photos,  it was my second car.   I was working as the lot attendant at a bank parking lot on weekends and I let my now wife borrow the car.  Late in the afternoon I see her Dads Olds98 pull in with her in the passengers seat.  She had to tell me the Mustang got totaled.  She was at a red light and she got rear ended and pushed into the car in front.  The Mustang was an accordion. 

The car was white over dark blue, white over light blue pony interior.  We still sometimes scour the vintage Mustang adds and hit the occasional auction, dreaming we will find one like it.  It’s a great dream😊

[Alan Klein]

Here's Democrat's suggestion to help people out of work.  Why don't they just give everyone a printing press?  Weimar Republic anyone?

- Every American adult age 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually would receive $2,000 a month;

-Married couples earning less than $260,000 would receive at least $4,000 per month;
 
-Qualifying families with children will receive an additional $500 per child, with funds capped at a maximum of three children.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2020/04/15/stimulus-bill-taxes-congress-refund/#5e9863f21c65