JAWS revisited

Recall the scenes in the movie JAWS when the Chief of Police closed the beach. It was a July 4th weekend and the Chief took some heat from certain quarters. Fast forward to our own July 4th where the Florida governor has mandated closing all beaches due to Covid spread - a sensible but unpopular decision. We might expect "disappointment" all the way from Jacksonville down to Miami Beach. Too bad it takes a shark attack to get some people's attention.
tjs

COVID side effects

As a senior sheltering in place for the last five months I wasn't aware of some of the effects on the outside world. But Sunday's NYT brought the following into view:
- Building elevators - space constraints may limit elevator floor space to four masked silent occupants. This poses a problem with the lobbies filling up between 7 and 9 AM.
-Office greenery - when folks were encouraged to work from home, they left behind their ficus trees and other plants that require some water during current conditions.
-Bunkers - we have seen an increase in constructing underground "Bunkers" which harkens back to the nuclear scares of old.
Just some of the ways life is changing these days and I read it all in Sunday's NYT.
tjs
(NYT 6/28/20)

Sorry, Charlie

Those of you of a certain age may recall Charlie the Tuna who was spawned on Madison Avenue in 1961. The theme was that Starkist wasn't looking for a fish with "good taste" - rather one who "tasted good." Charlie accepted the rejection and has since been retired but his fame lives on as a representative of the "brand". My former employer was very particular in protecting the "brand" including copyrights, etc. Even Trump knows that. So I was saddened to read that Starkist is being dragged into an Anti-trust matter with competitor, Bumble Bee, over the amount of ounces in a can. For full disclosure the blogger is a Starkist consumer except my tuna swims in from Ecuador and arrives in a pouch vice can. To each his own.
tjs

A Fair Way

When Covid 19 arrived in New York, those who could, fled the city, with the wealthiest heading to Eastern Long Island. The membership at East Hampton Golf Club runs to $400 thousand but with the shortage of caddies, some members are using robot caddies on wheels which follow them from tee to green. They remain silent but think if those personal assistants (i.e. Alexa or Siri) were on board...........
"Alexa, did you see where my ball went?"
'It went left, you hooked it'
"Siri, hand me my six iron"
'I think you need a five, sir'
"Alexa, what's my distance to the hole?"
'Never mind, you can't reach it'
That would make the game interesting.
tjs

A Coughin' Fit

The Covid virus is overwhelming the Undertakers and surviving family members are being surprised by the burial costs. The FTC is being urged to make "on line" pricing mandatory. The median cost for full burial in 2019 was $7640. A Minister in Kentucky describes how she helped a young man save $3000. by directing him to Costco to buy a coffin for his deceased mother. Who would have thought? As the saying goes "It isn't the cough that carries you off, it's the coffin they carry you off in."
tjs
(NYT 6/13/20)

The Sporting Life

Sports are slowly returning in Britain. Among them was pigeon racing with a  4000 bird race underway. (Lookout Tippi Hendren). Horse racing, dog racing and  "snooker" also started up. There was no mention of "darts" which every pub crawler thirsts for. The jockeys all wore masks ala the Lone Ranger. Soccer (futball) soon to follow.
On the home front Belmont Park is racing again. But the Belmont Stakes was postponed until June 20th and was reduced to ten furlongs from twelve which will necessitate an asterisk * for years to come.
tjs