Trick or Treat

 What a fun weekend of football, baseball, and horror movie marathons.

Now to the serious stuff: In case you live in a cave under a rock inside a volcano five miles under the ocean surface, you know the U.S. election takes place next week.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown won't air on ABC this year, instead it will only be available on Apple TV Plus. I know that's not the biggest news of the day. It's not even the day's biggest news about an oversized, round, orange, pulp-filled head. But it's more troubling than it seems. Yes, the internet divides us. But, increasingly, so does access to TV shows. I've largely given up on us sharing a common reality, but now we're not even sharing a common fiction, as Lucy pulls away the football just as people who can't afford to carve out enough jack for elite television were about to kick it (even though for some, pay TV prices seem like Peanuts). I'm not suggesting we need to call in the National Gourd, but this is just one more way for a nation unable to squash beefs or patch up differences to sow the seeds of division.

Celebrating Halloween and Día de los Muertos will be difficult and more isolated this year, but can still be done while minimizing harm to others:

Avoid children grabbing candy from communal bowls or sanitize their hands afterward. Also consider handing out treat bags instead.

A Halloween mask will not protect you from the virus.

Some health departments are recommending "candy chutes."

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, in Mexican culture) participants should avoid large, indoor celebrations with singing or chanting, said Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, associate professor of family medicine and community health at Duke Family Medical Center.

Families can gather virtually and trade recipes.

HALLOWEEN HORROR - Whether we like it or not, there are two major pandemic trends happening in America right now. First, cases are on the rise, a new wave is here, and for many states (10 of which reported their highest single-day coronavirus case counts last week), the darkest days are yet to come. Second, the administration's unforgivably poor performance around Covid-19 is getting worse as the views of the actual experts are pushed to the sidelines by an unqualified quack named Scott Atlas, who was brought onto the Coronavirus task force after the president saw his appearances on Fox News. Thanks in part to Atlas's influence, we have less testing, we have more people who don't believe in the value of masks and social distancing, we have a president who still seems to believe the pandemic is over even as he travels from hard hit state to hard hit state for crowded rallies, and we have repeated calls for the deadly stupid idea of letting herd immunity send the American body count through the roof.

Just yesterday, Atlas tweeted, "Masks work? NO" — an idiotic lie that was deemed false and harmful enough for Twitter to block it. At this point, the off course Atlas and his monstrous boss should just draw a chalk outline around America because they've turned it into a national crime scene.

TOP FIVE HALLOWEEN SONGS –

1). “Monster Mash”, Bobby “Boris” Pickett (1962)

2). “Thriller”, Michael Jackson (1982)

3). “Halloween Theme”, John Carpenter (1978)

4). “Psycho Killer”, Talking Heads (1977)

5). Tie:            “People are Strange”, The Doors (1967)

                        “Ghostbusters”, Roy Parker, Jr. (1984)

 

DUMB & DUMBER - A few months ago, a 51-year-old woman from Michigan named Wendy Wein sent an email to a man she believed was named Guido Fanelli, the proprietor of a website called Rent-A-Hitman. 'Got A Problem That Needs Resolving? With Over 17,985 U.S. Based Field Operatives, We Can Find A Solution That is Right For You!' the website promised, along with a badge touting the site's HIPPA compliance. Wein, indeed, had a problem that needed resolving: as she recounted in her email to Fanelli, there was a man who had ripped her off for $20,000 (her ex-husband, as authorities later discovered), and she wanted him taken care of. 'I prefer not going jail. Thank you for your time,' the email concluded." You'd think no one would be stupid enough to book a murderer-for-hire on a website called Rent-A-Hitman.  A Rink Rats common theme: People are a lot dumber than you realize.

SCIENCE - A NASA spacecraft descended to an asteroid this past Tuesday and, dodging boulders the size of buildings, momentarily touched the surface to collect a handful of cosmic rubble for return to Earth. It was a first for the United States — only Japan has scored asteroid samples. We generally try to avoid asteroids, but in 2020, anything is preferable to being stuck on Earth.

For most of human history, the only way for scientists to get their hands on an asteroid was to wait for small chunks of one to fall through Earth's atmosphere and smash into the ground. Incoming rocks can break apart and even vaporize during their fiery descent, so the world's inventory of meteorites—the names given to asteroids once they've made it through the atmosphere—consists of only the hardiest samples.

NOVEMBER 3, 2020 – Hard to believe but there are now just 8 days until voting ends in the 2020 election on Nov. 3. We say “ends” given that the 60 million or so votes already cast make the term “Election Day” an anachronism. We’ve been living Election Day for months now.

President Donald Trump clearly trails Democratic nominee Joe Biden in national surveys by an average 8 points. And Biden tops 50 percent in many polls, a key indicator of his strength. At this point in 2016, Hillary Clinton led Trump by around 3 points and was below 50 percent. And Biden is now slightly ahead in Florida and North Carolina and tied in Georgia suggesting at least the possibility of an Electoral College blowout. We are NOT predicting that. But the numbers are leaning that way.

The White House is also making a somewhat odd closing argument that it has given up on controlling Covid-19 despite spiking infections including in the administration itself.

New Hampshire's (Manchester) Union Leader Sunday endorses Joe Biden — the first time in 100 years that the influential paper has backed a Democrat.

Several states that are likely to decide which party controls Washington next year have exceptionally large coronavirus outbreaks or are seeing cases spike.

Most voters have made up their minds. But for the few holdouts, the state of the pandemic could ultimately help their decision as they head to the polls — and that's not likely to help President Trump.

The stats constitute a backdrop for news coverage and conversation in states that matter most to the outcome.

Wisconsin and Montana have the largest outbreaks of all states with close Senate races, or that are competitive in the presidential election.

Time to vote, express your right of citizenship. Time to participate in the census, aid your community in maintaining resources and services.

Now let us move forward to heal our nation.

COVID 19 UPDATE - When daily cases peaked at ~76,000 in July, officials reimposed restrictions on restaurants, public attractions, and gatherings in hard-hit states including California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas.

Airlines reported a drop in already anemic traffic, and Yelp data showed major declines in business reopenings in June and July. (Just one metro area, Buffalo, NY, experienced an increase.)

This third wave, however, is the result of rising infections across a larger swath of the country. Clustered in the Midwest and Mountain West, 15 states added more new cases last week than during any other seven-day period.

Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered non-essential businesses to close from 10pm–6am and put restrictions on bar and restaurant service. If the city's outbreak doesn't improve, she'll consider another shelter-in-place mandate. Yesterday, authorities in El Paso, TX, asked residents to stay home for a couple weeks following a 300% increase in hospitalizations.

Plus, people are worried how well Covid will hit it off with the flu. Shoppers are raiding grocery stores and stockpiling supplies in case of a fall/winter surge.

Around the world…

Governments are hoping to avoid blanket shutdowns as their own second waves spiral.

In Europe, where cases have more than doubled in the last 10 days, Italy is requiring bars and restaurants to close early beginning today—its most intense restrictions since lifting lockdowns this spring. Spain enacted a nightly curfew yesterday and will allow local authorities to restrict regional travel. And lockdowns across Britain are affecting nearly 6 million people. 

Like the U.S., some countries are dealing with protests against new restrictions.

The WHO (World Health Organization) said the Northern Hemisphere is at a "critical juncture" as cases and deaths rise. For the U.S., this third wave will dominate the national conversation heading into next week's election.

MARKET WEEK -

American Express’s Q4 profits fell 39%, which makes sense given the collapse of travel spending.

Intel stock fell 11% following another tough earnings report. Remember, its stock slid 16% after a previous earnings call revealed its next-gen chips would be delayed.

U.S. energy execs responded with concern after Joe Biden called on the U.S. to transition away from oil and gas at the debate Thursday night.

Burger King is rolling out reusable containers starting in 2021.

What's up

Two-wheelers: The pandemic has boosted sales of motorcycles and scooters in cities around the world, Bloomberg reports. 

Restaurants: Nearly 6,500 new restaurants and food businesses opened last month, according to Yelp. New openings are nearing or outpacing levels from the last four years.

Million-dollar homes: Nice flex. Home purchases worth $1+ million have more than doubled since last year. Median home prices hit a record $311,800 in September as home sales rose 20% annually.

Christmas toys: Mattel sales jumped 10% last quarter, the toymaker’s biggest increase in a decade. Sales in its Barbie line rose 29%.

What's down

Airlines: The four biggest U.S. carriers reported $10.8 billion in Q3 losses. While bookings are picking up, air travel volume is still down over 60% and execs are anticipating a subdued holiday season.

Jobless claims: First-time applications for unemployment benefits fell to 787,000 last week—an improvement from two weeks ago, but still more than triple the pre-pandemic levels.

Christmas spirit: Macy's won't bring Santa to its flagship NYC store this year. Mr. Claus typically attracts 250k visitors each year.

CORPORATE PENALTY BOX - Goldman Sachs, of course, is the biggest and the boldest, paying more than $5 billion in fines for the 1MDB scandal, in which billions were stolen from the people of Malaysia.

Wells Fargo paid a $3 billion fine for taking advantage of millions of customers by opening accounts in their names that they weren't aware of.

JPMorgan paid $920 million in fines to settle charges that it manipulated futures markets in Chicago.

Citigroup was fined $400 million for its management's failure to effectively stay on top of its operations.

Morgan Stanley paid a $60 million fine for failing to protect its customers' data.

P.S. Hundreds of bank employees have been fired from Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase for abusing the government's coronavirus relief programs.

A GOOD READ – Two quality books to add to your night table reading:

‘Out of the Shadows”, Etta Joanne (MBA University of La Verne, 2017) an intelligent read. The author makes it relatable to the everyday man and woman by sharing her personal stories. “Out of the Shadows” is about not letting fear or your past hold you back from becoming the person you see yourself to be. It also blends health and fitness as a daily part of obtaining the right mindset that will show in both your entrepreneurial and personal journey.

“The Stand” by Stephen King. It would not be Halloween week without a good Stephen King novel. A deadly influenza has killed most of the world’s population, paving the way for a post-apocalyptic clash between good and evil. An essential novel for Stephen King fans and novices alike.

DRIVING THE WEEK — Senate expected to send Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday in one of the fastest confirmations in history … Trump is on the trail all week with stops in Pennsylvania on Monday.

On Tuesday, Trump heads to Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska (home of potentially important split Electoral College votes) … Vice President Mike Pence will also stay on the trail despite aides testing positive for Covid-19 … Biden is on the trail as well including an event in Warm Springs, Georgia on Tuesday.

YOUTH SPORTS - Youth sports remain in a moment of crisis, as the health and financial situations brought on by the pandemic continue wreaking havoc.

The Aspen Institute's recent survey of 1,103 parents with sport-playing kids aged 6-18 paints a rather bleak picture.

29% of parents said their kids are simply not interested in sports, up from 19% when they were last asked in June.

64% cite fear of their child contracting COVID as a barrier to resuming sports.

28% say they'd spend more money on youth sports now than pre-COVID, but 27% say they'd spend less.

6.4 fewer hours: Kids are spending just 7.2 hours per week playing sports, down from 13.6 before the pandemic.

Solo sports on the rise: Cycling and golf have risen in popularity during the pandemic, as their relative drops in participation are minimal compared to team sports.

"This is a moment of historic crisis," says the Aspen Institute's Tom Farrey. Unfortunately, its roots are also deep enough that it's going to take more than the pandemic ending to right the ship.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Kate Jackson (72), Jane Pauley (70), Pele (80), Jaclyn Smith (75), Henry Winkler (75).

MEET THE WORLD SERIES CITIES - Tampa, Florida

Area: 175.83 square miles

Population: 399,700 (metro area: 3.2 million)

Mayor: Jane Castor

Distance from Globe Life Field: 1,270 miles

Best thing to do: Walk around historic Ybor City, nicknamed "Cigar City" for its booming cigar industry from the late-19th century. It's also the proud owner of perhaps the best flag I've ever laid eyes on.

Signature food: The Cuban sandwich was actually invented in Tampa, catering to the Cuban workers in the city's sugar mills and cigar factories.

Championships: Three (Lightning, 2; Bucs, 1)

Tropicana Field

Year opened: 1990

Capacity: 25,000 (least in MLB)

Ballpark food: Their signature items are a short rib grilled cheese and, of course, a Cubano.

 

Los Angeles, California

Area: 502.73 square miles

Population: 3.99 million (metro area: 13.1 million)

Mayor: Eric Garcetti

Distance from Globe Life Field: 1,394 miles

Best thing to do: You can't go wrong with a morning hike at Runyon Canyon (be sure to spot the Hollywood sign in the distance) and an afternoon of arts and culture at The Getty.

Signature food: We have Mexico to thank for the taco, but L.A. is where it first made U.S. landfall when Mexican immigrants — specifically women known as "chili queens" — sold them out of food carts beginning in 1905.

Championships: It's a tricky question, but we're going with 28 based on the city winning, not just its franchises (Lakers, 12; Dodgers, 5; Galaxy, 5; Sparks, 3; Kings, 2; Raiders, 1)

Dodger Stadium

Year opened: 1962

Capacity: 56,000 (most in MLB)

Ballpark food: They've got everything, but it's Dodger Dog or bust. They wanted to keep a taste of home when they moved from Brooklyn in 1962, so the 10-inch Dodger Dog is their take on Coney Island's famous footlongs.

WNBA COVERAGE GAP - Women’s sports notoriously receive a fraction of the coverage men’s sports see, but a tracking of coverage during the entirety of the WNBA Playoffs — which wrapped earlier this month with the Seattle Storm’s win over the Las Vegas Aces — showed just how little. In six major newspapers across the country, the WNBA garnered just over 3% of total sports coverage.

The New York Times had the most women’s basketball reporting of the big six papers in that time frame, with 10.2% of its coverage dedicated to the WNBA — and another 6.4% for other women’s sports. The Chicago Tribune performed the worst, with a paltry 0.8% of its sports coverage dedicated to the WNBA. Newspapers in the home cities of the finalists — the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Seattle Times — performed a bit better than most, with 5.07% and 12.12%, respectively.

Major Outlets’ Sports Coverage During WNBA Playoffs:

NFL — 28.11%

MLB — 20.14%

NBA — 13.41%

College Football — 12.90%

NHL — 6.00%

WNBA — 3.10%

RATINGS – Tucker Carlson, Fox News 8:00 pm ET has consistently had more viewers on the nights of NBA, NHL, and MLB playoffs. Example: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday October 8 TBS 3.72 million viewers, Carlson 4.63 million viewers. Not that I am a fan but that is impressive.

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday 11/1, 1:00 PM (ET), CBS: The battle for the AFC North, Pittsburgh Steelers (6-0) vs. Baltimore Ravens (5-1). The undefeated days of the Steelers are over, Ravens win 24 – 20. (Season to date 6-1)

College Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/31, 7:30 PM (ET), ABC: Another prime team Big Ten (14) yawner, #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) vs. #18 Penn State Paternos (0-1). Hate to say it, but again this year Ohio State is the class of the Big Ten (14). 38 – 20 rout of the Paternos. (Season to Date 3-4).

Soccer (football) Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/31, 10:30 AM (PT), NBCSN: EPL match Liverpool, FC (4-1-1) vs. West Ham United, FC (2-2-2). The Reds will prevail 3 – 2. (Season to Date 2-2)

2020 Season to Date (25 – 18)

 

Next Blog: Is it over?

Until Monday November 9, 2020 Adios.

Claremont, California

October 26, 2020

#XI-14-420

3,102 words, eight-minute read

 

CARTOON OF THE WEEKEND – “Scary”

 

 

RINK RATS POLL – Anyone know what these mean?

CDPSE, PMP, CISM, CRISC, ITILv3F, MCSE, CGEIT

___ Nope

___ Secret Russian code to influence the November 3 election

___ Professional affiliations of an overpaid bureaucrat

___ Houston Astro’s sign stealing logarithms

 

QUOTE OF THE MONTH – " There are two kinds of men in the world ----- those who have a crush on Linda Ronstadt and those who have never heard of her.” ----- Willie Nelson

 

 

Rink Rats is a blog of weekly observations, predictions and commentary. We welcome your comments and questions. Also participate in our monthly poll. Rink Rats is now viewed in Europe, Canada, South America and the United States.

Posted at Rink Rats The Blog: First Published – May 3, 2010

Our Eleventh Year.

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