April 22, 2020

As Deaths Mount, Trump Pushes Small Donors For $41,000 -- With No Mention Of The Pandemic

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/04/21/as-deaths-mount-trump-pushes-small-donors-for-41000---with-no-mention-of-the-pandemic/

A recent pitch from President Donald Trump soliciting money up to $41,100 from small donors in an aggressive push that cites a “booming economy” and “tremendous period of success and prosperity” makes no mention of the coronavirus pandemic, and its mounting death toll and economic devastation.

The fundraising letter from the president on behalf of the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, obtained by Forbes, landed in mailboxes last week, as the Department of Labor reported another 5.2 million Americans had filed for unemployment, totaling about 20 million since the start of the crisis.

Instead of mentioning the pandemic, or the $2 trillion stimulus package signed by the president to aid in bringing public relief, the letter invoked the threat of a “Big Government Socialist agenda” from the “Liberal Left,” and focused on partisan attacks. “As our nation celebrates this tremendous period of success and prosperity, the Do-Nothing Democrats continue to sell a message of doom and their Big Government Socialism for all,” reads the letter, which carries the president’s signature.

April 22, 2020

Facing uncertain future, Amoeba Music launches GoFundMe campaign: 'We are in trouble', raised $100k

https://www.sfgate.com/coronavirus/article/Facing-an-uncertain-future-Amoeba-Music-launches-15214265.php











Things were looking bleak for Amoeba Music even before the COVID-19 crisis closed in on California.

Foot traffic was dropping. The flow of tourists was dwindling. And the familiar faces often obscured by rows of endless records had all but disappeared as they grew apprehensive of their tactile, treasure-seeking hobby.

On the Monday that Amoeba shuttered for the foreseeable future, all three of their record shops had collectively generated about a third of the sales they normally make in a day. Now, as the duration of the closure creeps past a month, San Francisco manager Tony Green says there’s very little money coming in — and the bills aren’t going away.

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But people wanted to know how they could help, and a GoFundMe seemed to be the answer. Amoeba launched their campaign on Monday morning, imploring fans to donate to the independent record store chain, which was founded in Berkeley just over 30 years ago.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/amoeba-music-needs-help-to-survive?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

April 22, 2020

The Death of the Department Store: 'Very Few Are Likely to Survive'

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/The-Death-of-the-Department-Store-Very-Few-Are-15216093.php

Across chains, prices for new merchandise sold via e-commerce have already been slashed by 40% in some cases. Order cancellations for the pre-fall season — which would normally have started delivering next month — have been increasing. Some brands said shipments have even been turned away upon delivery to warehouses, and extension of payment terms are cascading through vendors, who are then forced to negotiate with their own manufacturers, marketing agencies, fulfillment centers and landlords.

“I’ve had a showroom for over 30 years, and we have always used the word ‘partnership,’ when talking about our relationship with the department stores,” said Betsee Isenberg, of the showroom 10Eleven, which represents numerous brands such as Vince and ATM. “Through 9/11, through 2008, we worked hand-in-hand with our retailers. This is the first time the onus has been on the brands — many of which are losing millions and millions of dollars because of the canceled orders. It is just not fair that it is survival of the fittest.” In a new report, McKinsey refers to the situation as “wholesale Darwinism.”

The resort season has been canceled entirely, and fall orders have been put on hold, raising questions about what inventory will be left if and when shops reopen and consumers return to stores.

“Nobody knows what Q4 will be like, but you have to start putting the orders in now,” Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst at Forrester, said, speaking of the holiday season, normally the most lucrative time of the year for the chains. “Some people don’t even have the money to put in Q4 orders, and may have to cancel Q4 orders anyway, and it’s a mess. There’s never been this much uncertainty.”

April 22, 2020

Ex-FDA chief flabbergasted by Georgia: It's like they found all the riskiest businesses to open 1st

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/ex-fda-chief-flabbergasted-by-georgia-its-like-they-found-all-the-riskiest-businesses-and-decided-to-open-those-first/

Ex-FDA chief flabbergasted by Georgia: It’s like they found all the riskiest businesses and decided to open those first

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Tuesday told CNBC that he didn’t understand Georgia’s plan to start re-opening businesses in the state.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday that certain businesses, such as fitness centers, would be allowed reopen this week despite the rise in coronavirus cases.

“Gyms, nail salons, bowling alleys, hair salons, tattoo parlors — it feels like they collected, you know, a list of the businesses that were most risky and decided to open those first,” Gottlieb remarked.

https://twitter.com/therealzanetta/status/1252612146506002434

April 22, 2020

two more: from "Covid is a hoax to bring down Trump" to sickness

https://twitter.com/sunnmcheaux/status/1252215391423803392

https://twitter.com/sunnmcheaux/status/1252303741333778433

April 21, 2020

U.S. colleges brace for a devastating summer and fall

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/U-S-colleges-brace-for-a-devastating-summer-and-15212506.php

For many U.S. colleges, the worst may still be ahead.

The upheaval in higher education has been unprecedented already, with campuses closed for months, graduation ceremonies scrapped and entrance exams canceled. Administrators across the nation increasingly fear their schools may not reopen for the fall semester. In the meantime, many have canceled summer programs, sports camps and on-campus weddings - all of which would be lucrative most years. The double whammy of losing summer and fall income would hurt all schools, and it could be fatal to those that were already struggling.

"The hit is huge," said Larry Ladd, a consultant with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. "They will have less financial cushion because that summer revenue is no longer is there."

College finances are under siege on many fronts. Endowment values have fallen with markets. Fundraising is a steep challenge now. New and returning students may have increased need for financial aid, because many families have lost income in the Covid-19 downturn. Some colleges even fear they won't be able to fill their freshman class for fall 2020 as students may decide to wait a year instead of starting online, which would strangle tuition revenue.

High school counselors are advising students that planning ahead even as far as September will be difficult.

"I would tell kids: Number one, the likelihood of having face-to-face classes in September is pretty darn small," said Scott White, a retired guidance director for more than 20 years at Montclair High School in New Jersey. Referring to covid-19's risk to older people, he said: "You're not going to get 65-year-old college professors going in."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/U-S-colleges-brace-for-a-devastating-summer-and-15212506.php

April 21, 2020

Toll Rises to 19 in Canada's Deadliest Mass Shooting, Gunman was obsessed with police

https://www.newser.com/story/289824/nova-scotia-gunman-was-obsessed-with-police.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=uol&utm_campaign=rss_top

(NEWSER) – The motive in the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history is still unclear, but investigators say a lot of planning apparently went into the rampage: Gunman Gabriel Wortman disguised himself as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and drove what appeared to be an RCMP cruiser. Associates say the 51-year-old denturist was obsessed with the police and used to buy old police cruisers at auction. Nathan Staples, who lives near Portapique, Nova Scotia, where the shootings began Saturday night, tells the Globe and Mail that Wortman's home was a "shrine" to the Mounties. "He was one of those freaky guys, he was really into police memorabilia," Staple says. More:

Death toll rises. The RCMP said Monday that the death toll had risen to 19, including Wortman. Chief Supt. Chris Leather said the toll from the 16 crime scenes is likely to rise further, the CBC reports. "We have had five structure fires, most of those being residences, and we believe there may be victims still within the remains of those homes which burned to the ground," he said.
The car and uniform. "His ability to move around the province undetected was surely greatly benefited by the fact he had a vehicle that looked identical in every way to a marked police car," Leather said, per Halifax Today. "And beyond that, he was wearing a police uniform that was either a good fabrication of, or actually a police uniform."

April 20, 2020

CNN headline: OIL CRASHES. PRICE GOES NEGATIVE.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html

no place to store oil drives prices to zero

April 20, 2020

shut down protester tells asian American nurse to "go to China"

Here we see a racist Karen in her non-native habitat telling a hard working Asian American nurse to “go to China.” Such fascinating yet peculiar behavior, since Karen may soon find herself in need of the nurse’s lifesaving care in the coming months.

https://twitter.com/eugenegu/status/1252099015891496960

April 20, 2020

How has your money flow changed since the stay at home situation?

I'm wondering if there is pent up money from those who didn't lose their jobs that will send the economy up immediately when businesses reopen